University of Guelph hosted OJS journals
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White steed and dark horse: Resident views of tourism in rural areas
No full textTourism in rural areas is widely believed to be the white horse carrying the proverbial knight on a rescue mission. That is the new industry that can bring prosperity to communities where traditional resource extraction and/and or manufacturing industries have declined. Such perceived positive economic impacts are identified in the tourism literature as important for residents\u27 positive attitudes toward tourism development (Sharpley, 2014). However attitudes toward tourism are complex and contingent upon various factors in resident\u27s quality of life (Kim, Uysal & Sirgy, 2013; Andereck & Nyaupane, 2011), social and cultural sustainability (Birkeland & Brunt & Courtney, 1999I. It is also important to define more precisely what is taken as sustainable in tourism (Buckley, 2012; Saarinen, 2006). While research on tourism impacts commonly focusses on negative impacts and carrying capacity in popular destinations, it is important to take into the knowledge account destinations at various stages in their development (Canavan, 2014; Kim, Uysal & Sirgy, 2013) and to acknowledge that research into social and cultural sustainabity needs more attention. Drawing upon data from a study of rural tourism in Iceland and Norway, we argue that the concept of destination clouds the discourse on tourism impacts in rural areas. Tourism may have underestimated impacts as the dark rental horse trotting through town
Un nouveau rôle pour les élus dans les collectivités rurales : soutenir l’émergence d’une nouvelle gouvernance locale
No full textNous savons que le développement des communautés passe par le renforcement des capacités de développement des acteurs de la communauté. La gouvernance réfère à la manière dont une collectivité prend des décisions sur des questions ou des choix qui la concernent. La nouvelle gouvernance rurale repose sur une dynamique locale qui prend en compte les capacités et les attentes des trois grandes forces sociales qui structurent toute collectivité, soit le secteur public local, le secteur privé (et ses entrepreneurs) et la société civile souvent représentée par les nombreuses associations volontaires dans la communauté. Les élus locaux ont un rôle majeur à jouer pour mettre en place une gouvernance efficiente soit une gouvernance capable de mobiliser toutes les forces de la communauté et donc une gouvernance apte à prendre des décisions qui seront acceptées et partagées par toute la communauté
Empowering community through micro-grant funding
No full textThe City of Charlottetown launched their Community Sustainability Micro-grant program in the spring of 2011. This program aims to empower community groups and individuals by providing small-scale funding in order to support the implementation a project that they see will add value to the community and will support the City’s sustainability goals and actions. The program has supported many projects with a broad range of impact in the areas of environment, cultural, social and economic sustainability. It has contributed to building a positive relationship between community groups and the municipal government and created shared ownership of sustainability goals. It amplifies the reach of the municipality by empowering sustainability champions in the community and making use of the broad expertise of community members and organizations
Resilient e-community initiatives and partnerships in remote and rural First Nations
No full textCanada’s First Nation leaders have adopted the e-community approach for their local broadband development. Services supported within the e-Community include e-health, e-learning, e-business and e-work as well as supporting community members’ activities ranging from online banking to networking with social media. The chiefs directed their national organization, the Assembly of First Nations, to drive the e-community development at all levels of government (Whiteduck, 2010). E-community is fueled by the desire of First Nations to own, control, and manage their local infrastructure and online services. Community infrastructure has been identified as an indicator of community resilience (Kimayer, 2009). This presentation highlights the importance of locally owned and managed telecommunication infrastructure supporting First Nation e-community and local resilience. E-community provides choices for local people to remain in their communities and contribute to the growth and positive development in these challenging environments. First Nations organizations are developing comprehensive e-community initiatives in collaboration with their member First Nations as intermediary delivery agents. My presentation highlights how local broadband infrastructure is supporting community resilience through social and economic developments. The research findings provide evidence for national and regional programs to support First Nation ownership, control and management of local infrastructure and broadband-enabled services
Social enterprise policy and practice: Opportunities and challenges in rural Ontario – peer learning
No full textWe know a significant portion of the Ontario’s nonprofit sector income is generated through earned revenue: 36% of the core nonprofit sector (excluding hospitals and universities) . And yet there are still few supports to build the capacity of community organizations to explore SE intentionally so they can maximize their earned revenue potential, and sustain and grow their social, economic, environmental and cultural impact. This is particularly true in rural communities. The Rural Social Enterprise Constellation (RSEC) connects, supports, and grows social enterprise (SE) in rural Ontario to address acknowledged gaps and opportunities. It is a unique partnership initiated in 2012 among a diverse group of supporters and doers of rural social enterprise, including consultants, postsecondary institutions, provincial networks, and rural community economic development intermediary organizations. Since 2012 RSEC has been connecting work that’s happening on the ground with policy and strategy at regional and provincial levels and developing a more comprehensive look at the scale of social enterprise in Ontario, and what systems can make it stronger. It’s part of a broader movement to strengthen the social economy in Ontario. Two papers will be presented – one focusing on peer learning and outcomes from the RSEC capacity building project supported by the Ontario Trillium Foundation and the other focusing on development systems and policy supports for rural social enterprise resulting from an RSEC research initiative funded by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) New Directions program
Challenges for planning of resilient mountain resort communities
No full textThe development of mountain tourism destinations with a strong focus on downhill-skiing often implies stresses on the local community. Many destinations have not been growing gradually or planned comprehensively, with transport and the well-being of local inhabitants kept in focus, but the expansion has more or less been tied to cyclical real estate booms. The resulting social and environmental challenges have been difficult to deal with through regular municipal planning processes and a demand for new forms of governance including different collaborative planning practices has emerged in recent years. The increased focus on the role of tourism for the development of peripheral areas together with the rapid growth of resort destinations has created interest in issues of governance and management strategies shaping sustainability in tourism development.
The aim of this paper is to discuss the challenges and potentials related to the planning of resilient mountain destinations. The conceptual framework of this study stresses the importance of understanding the evolutionary paths of destinations shaping the possible paths available for future development. The purpose is to contribute to the body of literature on path dependency in governance of destinations through adding perspectives and empirical evidence from Swedish destination planning in the mountain destination of Sälen, highlighting the potentials for path creation towards resilient communities
Knowledge Translation and Transfer to Advance Rural Economic Development in Ontario
No full textRural economic development practitioners are at the front line of facilitating prosperous rural economies, places, and environments across Ontario. The role of economic development practitioners has greatly evolved since the last comprehensive assessment in the early 2000s. This knowledge translation and transfer research initiative examines the role of rural economic development practitioners, determine the key skills and capacities required to succeed in field, identify what knowledge is needed to support rural economic development practitioners and identify the key formats for receiving new knowledge. This contribution provides an update on project activities to better understand how knowledge translation and transfer can support rural economic development and rural economies throughout Ontario
Evaluating the Agronomic and Environmental Benefits of Grazing Cover Crops
No full textThis research aims to evaluate the agronomic and environmental effects of grazing cover crops using sheep and beef cattle in a cash crop rotation typical of Ontario. Previous studies have shown that cover crops improve soil health by increasing carbon content, soil aggregation, and nutrient availability, enhancing nutrient cycling and reducing pesticide use. Grazing cover crops could extend the grazing season for livestock farmers, offering a cost-effective feed source, and potentially increasing profitability. However, research of grazing cover crops in Ontario is limited.
This study will focus on two main objectives: 1) assessing the impact of grazing cover crops on subsequent corn crop yield and soil health, and 2) completing an economic analysis comparing annual forage grazing to existing methods of feeding beef cattle and sheep in the fall. This research will involve seven farm cooperators, three sheep farms and four beef cattle farms, located in various areas north of Guelph, Ontario.
Participating cooperators will plant a 70% oat and 30% pea cover crop mix after wheat harvest. Research plots will compare grazed and ungrazed areas, with soil health parameters such as compaction, respiration, and aggregate stability assessed before and after grazing, and again the following spring. Biomass and forage quality of the cover crop will be measured, and grazing data, such as number of animals and grazing dates, will be recorded. The following spring, corn will be planted, and yield measured to determine the impact of grazing on crop performance
Rural Ontario and Disruption: Identifying the Road to Full Economic Recovery
No full textRural communities often face difficulties recovering from disruptive events due to unique challenges related to low population density, lack of economic diversity, and limited digital infrastructure; along with other obstacles associated with geographies and scale. The COVID-19 pandemic is one example of a recent disruption which saw significantly negative and varied impacts on rural Ontario’s economy. This poster will highlight the preliminary findings of a mixed-methods project exploring the factors or barriers that may be hindering a stronger economic recovery in rural Ontario from the COVID-19 pandemic, using four rural case counties—Elgin, Huron, Norfolk, and Perth—and will identify key economic decisions made during the pandemic, along with policies and legislation, while exploring their successes and challenges. These case studies will act as proxies to identify the best practices and solutions that can be made to support and develop long-term strategies that ensure strong rural economies
The Urban Exodus: Understanding Impacts of COVID-era Migration in Rural Ontario
No full textThe COVID-19 pandemic was a catalyst to increased urban/suburban to rural migration on an international scale. Physical distancing measures encouraged people to stay home and/or outside, making rural areas particularly attractive for their space, outdoor amenities, and lower cost of living compared with major urban centres. In Ontario, some rural communities saw population increases for the first time since the 1996 census (Government of Ontario, 2023).
This study surveyed municipal professionals (planners, economic developers, elected officials, CAOs, etc.) throughout Ontario to understand the impacts of recent population changes at the community level. It found that municipalities were working to address infrastructure capacity challenges, meet housing targets, and plan for outdoor public spaces