Policy Implications of Coronavirus Crisis for Rural Development

This OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation & Development) report focuses on the implications of COVID-19 on rural development and the policy responses that OECD member countries are adopting. It first discusses the economic effects on rural regions followed by an identification of opportunities and associated challenges. The report then summarizes how governments are responding to…

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Building Capital & Capacity In Our Communities

For over a decade, the BC Rural Centre has researched and advocated for the establishment of community investment fund programs in British Columbia, inspired by successful models in Nova Scotia, Alberta, and the USA. In 2015, the Centre partnered with Kootenay Employment Services to create the Creston & District Community Investment Cooperative, the first of…

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Rural Challenges, National Opportunity

This report from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities provides a useful rural Canadian overview in this report, including recent rural-centric Statistics Canada data, and topics ranging from rural housing to broadband; from connecting to global markets to climate change.        

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A Look Back at 2019

2019 was a successful — and important — year in the BC Rural Centre’s evolution. Perhaps most significantly over the past 12 months, we’ve succeeded in implementing a new governance structure, creating an Advisory Committee featuring outstanding British Columbians from all across our province. We now, through our structure as well as our actions, clearly…

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Social Enterprise & Community Development

Social enterprises are increasingly a tool in the community development toolbox. In November 2018, Drs. Natalie Slawinski and Blair Winsor from the Faculty of Business Administration at Memorial University of Newfoundland and the Harris Centre organized a workshop and a public forum on Fogo Island, Newfoundland,  to present the final results of a research project…

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