Projects

Building Welcoming Communities

Rural Development Institute recently completed projects exploring the impact of temporary foreign workers on the demographics of Brandon and examining the community’s ability to absorb and support newcomers. These foundational projects provided the impetus for the development of dialogue groups and networks that resulted in the gathering of information on what constitutes a welcoming community.
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Community Foundations in Manitoba

This project aims to understand the diversity that exists among Manitoba community foundations. The project will achieve an increased understanding of community foundations, their organizations, their structures, their endowments, their community grants, and local benefits. Read more about this project

Demonstration and Investigation Into Livestock Systems Adoption

This project, as proposed by the Upper Assiniboine River Conservation District (UARCD), is an integrated approach with a focus on livestock systems (i.e. cattle) and secondary emphasis on cropping systems and agroforestry. The aim is to demonstrate environmentally responsible practices for reducing greenhouse gas emission while simultaneously reducing livestock production costs. Read more about this project

Ethnocultural Organizations

In January 2008, Rural Development Institute embarked on a new research project that explores ethnocultural communities and organizations in rural Manitoba. With support from Manitoba Labour and Immigration, the purpose of this project is to develop an understanding of ethnocultural groups in rural Manitoba, what they need to be vibrant and successful, and the challenges they face as a community. Read more about this project

International Comparative Rural Policies Studies (ICRPS)

The ICRPS program aims to create a high-level, international, inter-disciplinary, and research-based learning environment for future leaders in rural policy development, research, teaching and practice. The program provides a post-graduate program in comparative rural policy studies at post-secondary educational institutions in Canada, United States and the European Union. Read more about this project

Manitoba Food Processing Research 2012-13

The purpose of this research is to help business and stakeholders in Manitoba’s Food Processing Sector better understand job creation and employee retention in rural small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Additionally, scenario planning will engage participants and stakeholders in understanding the community and sectoral impacts of projected regional population changes. Read more about this project

Manitoba 2012 Planning Conference – Legacy Project

We need to learn how to look at planning differently. Planning to thrive involves embracing health and developing well being, individually and collectively, in the context of Our Communities, Our Economy, and Our Environment. Read more about this project.

Mutual Intercultural Relations in Plural Societies

The Mutual Intercultural Relations in Plural Societies (MIRIPS) is an international collaborative project to build an understanding of intercultural relations. The project is designed to promote the idea that intercultural relations can be best understood when both recent immigrants and community members are surveyed using similar questions within a community. Read more about this project

Pathfinder for Communities: Selecting Tools for CED

The purpose of this project is to help communities make better decisions in choosing CED Tools and improve the effectiveness of development efforts. To achieve its goal of supporting more effective CED, the project proposes to develop a decision-making framework, the Pathways Matrix, which communities can use to identify the CED tools that are right for their specific situation or context. The project will conduct initial tool scans and inventories across the CED spectrum and will then focus on the economic development pillar of CED in this first stage of development for the Pathways Matrix. Read more about this project

Rural by Design

In this initiative, Rural Development Institute (RDI) is building upon its applied research practice and policy implications to include design. At the heart of this initiative is enhancing rural economic development in Canada, beginning in Manitoba. Equally important in this initiative is design, the element of choice, in particular fostering and following local choices about desired futures. Read more about this project

Rural and Northern Youth Migration

With this project, Rural Team Manitoba’s Youth Standing Committee research team intends to develop increased clarity around the nature of and reasons for rural/northern youth migration. A key goal of this research is to speak with Manitoban rural/northern youth from a selection of regions to develop a nuanced and multi-perspective understanding of their experiences in rural/northern communities, their intentions to leave or stay, and the motivations for leaving, staying, or returning to these smaller communities.
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Rural Research Centres in Canada

Throughout Canada, a small number of university-based research centres have been working with rural and northern communities to increase the understanding of rural development, policy, and practice. Great diversity exists among these rural research centres. The Rural Development Institute has prepared a report outlining university-based rural research centres to increase the understanding of centres across Canada.
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Social Media Research

Rural Development Institute is launching online articles titled: Social Media Research. This series examines the use and influence of social media on rural, northern, and remote communities. The articles explore the growing dimensions of social media, their limits/opportunities, and impact on the connectedness and future of today’s rural communities. Read more about this project

Welcoming Communities

Welcoming community strategies are essential in rural, northern, and rural regional centres to build competitive regions. Unfortunately, the majority of communities in Canada do not have the partnerships nor the capacities to develop multi-sector partnerships to effectively discuss, design, and implement welcoming community strategies. The Exploring Welcoming Communities project will build multi-sector partnerships among community leaders, community-based organizations, three levels of government, and industry to discuss, design, and implement welcoming community strategies. Read more about this project