Rural & Small Town Programme: Mount Allison University

Presentations and Reports

Amanda Marlin, Gwen Zwicker and David Bruce have recently completed a report entitled "Impacts of Spatial Mismatch in Predominantly Rural Regions in Atlantic Canada." This project was concerned with understanding the "spatial mismatch" between where individuals and families live and where the range of services and employment opportunities for them are located when there is little or no transportation infrastructure to link the two. The project focused on three case study areas in predominantly rural regions of Atlantic Canada (Miramichi, NB; the Annapolis Valley, NS; and the Strait area, Cape Breton, NS) where both intra- and inter-community movement of people is a challenge.

Gwen Zwicker and Amanda Marlin have recently completed a report entitled "Understanding and Building Community Capacity in New Brunswick's Forestry Communities." This report follows a project which worked with four forestry dependent communities (Blackville; Plaster Rock; Perth-Andover; and Petitcodiac) in New Brunswick to help build new capacities in order to continue to be sustainable in the future.

David Bruce and Gwen Zwicker have recently completed a report entitled Internationally Educated Health Professionals in New Brunswick: Why They Come, Why They Stay and the Challenges They Face. This report comes at the conclusion of a study which was a partnership between four universities and was led by Godfrey Baldacchino (Island Studies Program, University of Prince Edward Island); David Bruce (Rural and Small Town Programme, Mount Allison University); Scarlett Hann (Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University); and Pat Saunders (Dalhousie University). The study supported Health Canada’s mandate to deliver on the First Ministers’ 10-Year Plan to reduce wait times and increase the supply of health professionals in the Canadian health care system.

New Rural Economy Digital Videos

Two students, Alex Baker and Melissa Hartenberger, have produced a series of digital videos based on the results of the New Rural Economy (NRE) project. The videos are 3 to 5 minutes each, and each focuses on a specific research finding or learning from the project. The videos will be used in communities during meetings and presentations, at conferences and workshops, and in classroom settings. Production of these videos was funded by SSHRC.

Read our submission to the Government of New Brunswick Population Growth Secretariat as part of the public consultation seeking input on addressing population challenges in the province. Our submission deals with immigration attraction and retention, youth retention and repatriation, and attracting other Canadians (including ex-New Brunswickers).

View a copy of David's presentation based on the work of the Rural and Small Town Programme with CREDA (www.creda.net) and the development of their Repopulation Strategy. See images from his Icelandic trip, including those of Reykjavik and the West Fjords.

For a quick sketch of some of the projects RSTP has been involved with over the past year, see the 2006 Year in Review (PDF).

David Bruce has recently had a chapter published: Bruce, David. 2007. Community Economic Development in New Brunswick. In Doing Development Differently: Regional Development on the Atlantic Periphery. Edited by Susan Hodgett, David Johnson, and Stephen A. Royle. Sydney NS: Cape Breton University Press. pages 233-245.

There are thirteen chapters with case studies and analysis from both sides of the Atlantic. Further details at www.cbupress.ca.

Amanda Marlin attended the 10th Anniversary International Symposium of the Journal of Information, Communication and Society hosted by the Department of Sociology, University of York, Great Britain from September 20 to 22, 2006. She presented a paper entitled Transforming a Rural Society: Impacts of Broadband Adoption and Use in Rural New Brunswick Institutions co-authored by David Bruce.

See the Power Point presentation of Transforming a Rural Society: Impacts of Broadband Adoption and Use in Rural New Brunswick Institutions.

A recent publication includes a chapter written by David Bruce: Bruce, David. 2006. Homelessness in Rural and Small Town Canada, in International Perspectives on Rural Homelessness. Edited by Paul Milbourne and Paul Cloke. London: Routledge. p. 63-78. David's chapter is based on some research originally funded by CMHC for a study on the Housing Needs of Low Income Persons Living in Rural Canada, and features a case study of St. Stephen, New Brunswick.

Book order information is available at www.tandf.co.uk.

A recent issue of The Journal of Community and Rural Development features two articles co-written by David Bruce, students, and others:

Communications and Capacity Building: Exploring Clues from the Literature for Rural Communities (Paula Romanow and David Bruce)
The Role and Impact of Community Newsletters in Fostering Social Cohesion and Community Development (David Bruce, Katrina Ellis, and Nancy DeLury)

Presentations

The Challenges of Immigration as a Rural Repopulation Strategy in Maritime Canada. Presentation by David Bruce. *Our Diverse Cities*. Special feature on Rural Communities. Vol 3. Summer 2007. 90-96.

Rural Poverty - Submission to the Standing Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry. Presentation by David Bruce. Oct. 26, 2006. Click here for further information on the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Forestry.

Pictou County - The Repopulation Challenge. Invited presentation, Pictou Region Development Commission. Nov. 21, 2005. Stellarton NS

"Make Pictou County Liveable," says expert. Newspaper article from page 1 of the Nov. 22 edition of The Evening News, New Glasgow NS. The public meeting was hosted by the Pictou Region Development Commission, Nov. 21, 2005 in Stellarton NS.

Social Housing in the Context of Rural Depopulation - Research Report. (PDF) This report is published as the result of a contracted research project prepared for Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation.

Social Housing in the Context of Rural Depopulation - CMHC Research Highlight (PDF)

Le Logement Social Dans Le Contexte De La Dépopulation Rurale Le Point En Recherche (SCHL) (PDF)

Rural Repopulation Discussion Paper (Prepared for the Rural Secretariat) (PDF)

Repopulation des régions rurales du Canada atlantique - Document de discussion (Parteneriat rural canadien) (PDF)

Labour Force Issues in the Food Production Sector: Labour Force Inventory and Employers' Needs in the Southeast Region(NB). Prepared for Enterprise Southeast, Sept. 2005 (PDF)

Beyond the Burbs: Affordable Housing Development in Rural Canada. Power Point presentation by David Bruce. CHRA Teleforum. April 14, 2005.

Opportunities for Shared Development. Power Point presentation by David Bruce at Community Planners Association of Alberta conference. April 12, 2005. Red Deer, AB.

Land of Opportunity: Rural Depopulation and Potential Repopulation Strategies. Power Point presentation by David Bruce at Community Planners Association of Alberta conference. April 12, 2005. Red Deer, AB.

Rural Depopulation and Potential Repopulation Strategies. Power Point presentation by David Bruce to Pan-Atlantic Population Working Group. April 5, 2005. Based on a discussion paper prepared for the Rural Secretariat. For further information, contact Jean Lambert at the Rural Secretariat.

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May 19, 2009