Following a rural research workshop, attendees collaborated in order to develop a national strategy for Rural Canada.
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Problems and Purpose
Rural issues span across many government levels, departments and jurisdictions, as is the case in many countries. However, while there are many programs and policies currently in place to help rural Canada, an official national rural policy or strategy does not yet exist in Canada. "Developing a National Strategy for Rural Canada" is a project initiated by attendees of the 1st Annual Rural Research Workshop: From Policy to Research and Back Again, held in Ottawa, Ontario on May 5, 2011.
Background History and Context
Public Policy Definition
"Policy is about making decisions on behalf of social groups—including the decision not to decide. Public policy may be defined as anything governments do or do not do. Thus, if a government decides to do something, that is public policy. If a government decides not to do something, that is also public policy. Rural policy would then be any public policy that influences or has an impact on rural populations."[2]
Rural Canada has many faces and many dimensions (social, cultural, economic, etc.) but the common element of most conceptualizations of "rural" is the spatial dimension. Rural is primarily low population density, small population size, and distance from high population density and big size. Not surprisingly, the prevailing definitions of “rural” (in Canada as in most countries) emphasize this spatial dimension. Rural Canada is usually defined by measures of population density, population size and distance from major agglomerations. From a social point of view, a definition of rural would also include identity - both from the perspective of those living in rural areas and those living outside.[3]
In 2006, the year of the last census of population, the Canadian population living in a rural area was between 19% and 30% of the total population, depending on the definition of "rural" used.[4]
Rural diversity
Rural Canada is highly diverse.[5] On virtually any possible measure of socio-economic, cultural and environmental characteristics, rural areas are found at the two extreme of the distribution. For instance, rural communities of Canada are found among the most affluent and among the most disadvantaged.
Demographic changes
- Approximately one third of Canadian communities have been steadily declining over the last 30 years; about 55% of rural communities lost population between 2001 and 2006{citation needed}
- Population is aging faster and youth out-migration in some rural areas:
Resource reliance
The economies of approximately 1,610 or 36% of rural communities are dependent on a single natural resource (a community is considered dependent on natural resources when between 30-100% of their economy is based on a natural resource sector):
- 563 agriculture-dependent communities
- 454 forestry-dependent communities
- 285 energy-dependent communities
- 166 mining and metals-dependent communities
- 142 fisheries-dependent communities[6]
Approximately 2.4 million rural Canadians live in resource-dependent communities.[7]
Organizing, Supporting, and Funding Entities
"Developing a National Strategy for Rural Canada" is a project initiated by attendees of the 1st Annual Rural Research Workshop: From Policy to Research and Back Again, held in Ottawa, Ontario on May 5, 2011.
Participant Recruitment and Selection
Methods and Tools Used
What Went On: Process, Interaction, and Participation
The Workshop aimed to foster networking among rural researchers and to provide a forum for rural research and policy discourse.[1]
At the end of the Workshop, it was suggested that attendees (e.g. researchers, practitioners, policy analysts, etc.) get together online and collaboratively author a National Strategy for Rural Canada: this wiki page is the result (work-in-progress).
Influence, Outcomes, and Effects
Analysis and Lessons Learned
See Also
References
- ↑ [1] FCM - Rural Issues - From Policy to Research and Back Again: 1st Annual Rural Research Workshop - May 5, 2011
- ↑ [2] Reimer, Bill and Ray D. Bollman. (2010) “Understanding Rural Canada: Implications for Rural Development Policy and Rural Planning Policy.” Chapter 1 in David J.A. Douglas (ed.) Rural Planning and Development in Canada. (Toronto: Nelson Education Ltd.)
- ↑ [3] Jo Lee, Jo; Árnason, Arnar; Nightingale, Andrea; and Shucksmith, Mark (2005) "Networking: Social Capital and Identities in European Rural Development" Sociologia Ruralis, Volume 45, Issue 4, pages 269–283, October
- ↑ [4] Structure and Change in Canada's Rural Demography: An Update to 2006, Rural and Small Town Canada Analysis Bulletin Volume 7, number 7. Statistics Canada
- ↑ [5] Mapping the Socio-economic Diversity of Rural Canada: A Multivariate Analysis, Agriculture and Rural Working Paper Series no. 67. Statistics Canada
- ↑ http://www.cid-bdc.ca/
- ↑ http://www.cid-bdc.ca/
External Links
1st Annual Rural Research Workshop: From Policy to Research and Back Again https://www.ualberta.ca/augustana/research/centres/acsrc/projects/priority-areas/planning/completed-projects/rrw
Notes
Lead image: Mark Taylor/McLean's http://bit.ly/2Dc9piz