The 2010 Canadian Rural Revitalization Foundation (CRRF) annual policy conference, On the Bright Side: Rural Canada Works, co-hosted by Rural Development Institute (RDI), was held in Brandon, Manitoba from October 14-16, 2010. This national conference focused on rural communities and their futures, highlighting approaches, policies, and projects that are making a difference across rural Canada.

Conference sessions focused on rural policy, immigration, education, food security, and other issues and addressed the challenges affecting today’s rural communities highlighting approaches designed to address these challenges. Featured presentations, panel discussions, posters, and networking events provided a venue for conference participants to exchange ideas and share projects and practices that are defining the future of rural communities across the country.

Publications

• On the bright side: Rural Canada works, conference report. (2010). Sormova, M.

Presentations

Rural Policy

• Harnessing the Tide: Building Momentum Toward a Rural Strategy for BC
  George Penfold (Selkirk College)
• Gaining a Rural Lens through Rural Immersion Experiences
  Nicole Vaugeois (Vancouver Island University)
• Innovation Towards Smart Service Provision
  Laura Ryser and Greg Halseth (UNBC)
• Vibrant Rural Communities
  Ted Eastley (Manitoba Rural Adaptation Council)

CED on the Ground

• On the Front Lines: CED in Practice in Rural Manitoba
  Ruth Mealy and MAFRI CED Team
• Participatory Process and Rural Development in Canada
  Holly Dolan and Isabelle Légère (Rural and Cooperatives Secretariat, Agriculture and Agi-Food Canada)
• Co-operation Works!
  Brendan Reimer (Canadian CED Network) and Vera Goussaert (Manitoba Co-operative Association)

Food Security

• Local Food from the Farmer’s Perspective: A Waterloo Case Study
  John Devlin (University of Guelph)
• Growing our Own Up North: Improving Food Self-Sufficiency in Northern Manitoba
  Laurel Gardiner (Bayline Regional Roundtable)
• The Harvest Moon Society: Holistic Community Development through Urban-Rural Partnerships
  Colin Anderson (University of Manitoba and Harvest Moon Society)
• Food Solutions – Land and People – Alberta Stories
  Susan Roberts (Growing Food Security in Alberta)

Rural Immigration

• Employing New Canadians: Rural Employers Information Pathway for Hiring Temporary Foreign Workers in Manitoba
  Jill Bucklaschuk and Anisa Zehtab-Martin (Rural Development Institute)
• Housing Immigrants in Small Communities
  Tom Carter (University of Winnipeg)
• Rural Immigration in Manitoba: Opportunities and Challenges for Welcoming Communities
  Karen Marchand and Jenny Rockett (Rural Development Institute)

Rural Governance

• Planning for a Brighter Future: Municipalities Working Together
  Shelley Kilbride (Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities)
• Navigating Community Benefit from Resource Activities in Rural Regions
  Karen Heisler (Department of Geography, Simon Fraser University)
• Participative Policy Formation: Fostering Collaboration in an Multi Shareholder Environment
  Alan Levy (Department of Business Administration, Brandon University)
• Regional Collaboration: The Importance of Social Infrastructure
  Bill Reimer (Concordia University)

Regional Perspectives on Rural Development

• The Centre for Research and Innovation
  Bruce Rutley (Centre for Research and Innovation)
• The Role of the State in Tourism Product Development and Promotion in Manitoba
  Doug Ramsey (Department of Rural Development, Brandon University)
• Amenity-based Rural Development – A Canadian Typology and Assessment of Current Supports
  Nicole Vaugeois (Vancouver Island University)
• Rural Action Plan – A Rural Economic Development Strategy for Prince Edward Island
  Kim Klein (Fisheries, Aquaculture & Rural Development, PEI)

Rural Education

• Manitoba Education Rural Education Action Plan
  Jean-Vianney Auclair (Assistant Deputy Minister, Manitoba Education)
• The Reality of Lifelong Learning in a Rural Community
  Karen Rempel (Faculty of Education, Brandon University)
• Rural Successes: Rural Challenges
  Dianne Looker (Mount Saint Vincent University)

Posters

• Historical Institutionalism and New Regionalism: The Case of Rural Policy in Quebec
  Matthew Brett (Concordia University)
• Identifying and Removing Barriers to the Implementation of Socioeconomic Plans in Central Newfoundland
  Jen Daniels and Kelly Vodden (Memorial University)
  Tanya Noble (Government of NL)
• The Manitoba Alernative Food Research Alliance: Community Based Research to Promote Food Justice
  Stefan Epp, Dayna Kroeker, and Stephane McLachlan (University of Manitoba)
• The University-Community Partnership: Benefits of a Rural Ontario Land Use Planning Project
  Christopher Fullerton (Brock University)
• Standing Tree to Standing House: Community and Local Resource Based Approach to Housing
  Laurel Gardiner (Frontiers Foundation Inc.)
• Exploring Regional Collaboration in the Burin Peninsula, Newfoundland
  Ryan Gibson and Kelly Vodden (Memorial University)
  Greg Dominaux (Government of NL)
• Rural Broadband + Quantum Leaps=New Economic Opportunities
  Helen Hambly (University of Guelph)