You are sitting at your favourite bar in town watching the bartender pour that familiar winter ale that always signals the beginning of ski season. As you wait for them to slide that frosty mug of beer down your direction, you probably aren’t thinking about hop farmers, or the ways the brewery is trying to Continue reading
Local media are sorely lacking in many rural communities. In the absence of reliable, shared stories and information, communities often miss opportunities to effectively address challenges and seize opportunities. The West Kootenay Eco Society is doing something about that. They’ve launched an online publication, livinghere.ca, that highlights the positive solutions coming out of rural communities, Continue reading
Rankin MacSween, who gave an amazingly inspirational keynote speech at our 2015 Keeping It Rural conference, one that people still talk about, followed that up with an equally inspiring address at our most recent Keeping It Rural gathering in Kelowna. For over three decades, Rankin has led Canada’s oldest – and most successful – community Continue reading
In this sobering Maclean’s article, Aaron Hutchins examines the challenges facing many rural Canadian towns. Crime, opioid abuse, boarded-up businesses and fleeing populations are destroying the country’s heartland. Can small-town life be saved? By Aaron Hutchins Kathy Jones is pretty confident there are 100 people living in Jansen, Sask., today. Maybe it’s 101.Either way, Continue reading
In this video, we meet Jeff, Rose, and their five girls who are living completely off-grid on a 40-acre piece of land in northern BC. They built their own off-grid house for less than $25,000 with cedar posts sunk into the ground like a pole barn, log rafters, plywood, foam insulation, and a living roof. Continue reading
