Journal of Rural and Community Development
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From Fish to Folk Art: Creating a Heritage-Based Place Identity in Ferryland, Newfoundland and Labrador
Get PDFThis study uncovers the social processes behind the transformation of underdeveloped spaces into landscapes of consumption. We focus on Ferryland, Newfoundland and Labrador, a community that is developing a heritage-based place identity in response to the collapse of the northern cod fishery. Ferryland's 'heritage-scape' place identity is first established. Responsible stakeholders and their motivations are revealed, and contestation accompanying the transformation exposed. The future of this identity is then considered in light of local plans and provincial directives. Using a variety of primary and secondary sources, we demonstrate that Ferryland is an emerging heritage-scape, whose creation has been facilitated largely by civic (non-profit) and public sector co-operation. We find limited evidence of contestation, which we attribute to widespread support for the tourist industry, recognition of its economic benefits, and retention of the original rural landscape identity. We acknowledge that civic sector strategic planning, coupled with the province's mandate for growth, may stimulate future tourism development. This scenario will only unfold, however, in the presence of clear direction, a willing workforce, entrepreneurial initiatives and additional funding.
Keywords: heritage, rural landscape identity, underdevelopment, touris
Community Input and Rural Mental Health Planning Listening to the Voices of Rural Manitobans: Using Community Input to Inform Mental Health Planning at the Regional Level
Get PDFClients of mental health services in rural and northern areas of Canada encounter a myriad of challenges in accessing high quality services. These challenges include stigma and confidentiality concerns, limited resources, transportation barriers, and heightened rates of professional turnover. Fortunately there are some promising and innovative approaches (e.g., computer-based treatment, internet discussion groups, group-based programming, telehealth, telephone counseling, stepped care, collaborative mental health care) that may prove useful at addressing some of these challenges. Nonetheless, these resources must be accessed by clients in order to be effective. The current study used mail-out surveys to gather information from over 1600 residents in two large rural Manitoba health regions regarding their preferences for (1) accessing mental health information (e.g., searching the internet, reading books, accessing information from various professionals) and (2) treatment delivery options (e.g., group-based services, internet discussion groups, computer-based treatment, telephone counseling), as well as (3) perceived barriers (e.g., stigma, confidentiality, transportation) and facilitators to accessing treatment. These data are presented within the context of informing regional mental health policy with respect to such issues as allocation of mental health funding, adoption of an effective mental health resource development plan, and adoption of an effective mode of mental health care.
Keywords: mental health services, regional mental health policy, accessing mental health information, treatment delivery option
Welcoming Communities? An Assessment of Community Services in Attracting and Retaining Immigrants in the South Okanagan Valley (British Columbia, Canada), with Policy Recommendations
Get PDFThe urban bias of Canadian immigration has led to policies intended to redirect immigration away from major metropolitan areas. Policy makers have identified the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia as a region that could benefit from additional immigration. Whether the policy succeeds depends on the presence of (a) quality services in a welcoming community; (b) affordable, suitable, and adequate housing; (c) educational opportunities; (d) employment opportunities that offer an adequate income; and (e) opportunities to integrate into the community. This study evaluates community services and their role in attracting and retaining immigrants to the South Okanagan, a sub-region of the Okanagan Valley. The study uses data from four focus groups with 31 immigrants, 10 semi-structured interviews with immigrants, and 15 interviews with key informants. The researchers found that immigrants face two major obstacles in their service use: physical access, given the near-absence of an effective public transportation system; and financial instability, as many of the surveyed immigrants rely on low-paying 'survival jobs' in the cyclical tourism and service industry. These findings have led to recommendations to improve regional socio-economic conditions.
Keywords: Regionalization of immigration, community services, immigration, economic development, Okanagan Valley, Canad
Non-Timber Forest Products, Maple Syrup and Climate Change
Get PDFNon-timber forest products (NTFP), including maple syrup, are an important source of income in rural and remote spaces. NTFPs also contribute to other aspects of rural wellbeing including the provision of environmental services and opportunities for the development and maintenance of social capital and aesthetic/spiritual values. NFTPs are thought to be threatened by climate change, yet little research has been undertaken to assess the potential impacts and adaptive capacity of affected Canadian rural spaces.
Maple syrup is one of Canada's most important NTFPs and an important resource in central Canada and Atlantic rural spaces. However, virtually no research has assessed the value of maple syrup as an NTFP, or the potential impact of climate change. This paper, which is part of a larger on-going study, will report on survey work that assessed perceptions of institutional contexts, climatic variability, climate change risk, and resiliency within the maple syrup industry. The results will be of interest to decision-makers in many areas including the maple syrup industry, Canadian rural policy and climate change policy. Drawing from the survey work and broader study findings, the paper identifies existing capabilities and challenges for dealing with climate change and outlines potential opportunities to increase the adaptive capacity of the maple syrup industry and rural spaces.
Keywords: maple syrup, climate change, policy, adaptation, Canada, Ontari
Attitudes Towards New Renewable Energy Technologies in the Eastern Ontario Highlands
Get PDFAs governments seek to expand generation capacity from sources such as solar farms, wind turbines, hydroelectric and biomass generators, rural responses to renewable energy become increasingly important. In early 2011 we conducted a mail-out survey of permanent residents, a concurrent internet-based survey of seasonal residents and follow-up focus groups in two rural eastern Ontario municipalities to assess public attitudes and to project acceptance and potential uptake of various technologies. Survey participation was relatively high (n = 180, response rate 22%). One focus group included local and regional government decision-makers, the other for residents representing a range of socio-economic and demographic groups. Results showed strong support among residents to pursue alternative energy sources (89%), mostly out of concerns with rising energy costs, but also from a desire to use local energy sources. Support was highest for solar technologies (87%) and lowest for wind turbines (58%) and new hydroelectric dams (58%). There was little evidence of NIMBY views being prevalent among permanent residents. Seasonal cottage dwellers were less supportive of hydroelectric dams and a wood pellet facility. Our findings suggest rural residents start with favourable attitudes towards alternative forms of energy production. Acceptance and uptake will likely be strengthened by locally relevant demonstration projects and by supporting citizen involvement in task groups, workshops or other venues for information sharing.
Keywords: Renewable energy, attitudes, NIMBY, acceptance, feed-in-tariff
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Developing Leadership Competencies to Promote the Community Development of the Mississippi Delta Region
Get PDFParts of the Mississippi Delta region have been known for a number of very serious problems, including poverty, illiteracy, race relations, public health, and declining economy issues. An approach to combat its social and economic ills is to develop leadership competencies through a community leadership development initiative. The purposes of this study were to assess the extent to which leadership skills were developed in the Mid-South Delta Leaders (MSDL) program participants as compared to non-participants and to determine the specific impacts of the program on its participants. The study used a mixed methodology to assess the effect of the program on the development of a number of leadership competencies. The quantitative part used a posttest-only design with non-equivalent groups. The Leadership Practices Inventory (LPI-self) instrument was used to measure the leadership actions and behaviors. Data were analyzed with MANCOVA test to examine the effectiveness of the community leadership development initiative. Results suggested that the participation in the MSDL program significantly influences the leadership competencies with an F = 2.554, p < 0.05. The qualitative part was to explore using a follow-on open ended question: what specific impacts or changes did the MSDL program have on you? The results identified ten themes of impact. These themes of change range from better understanding of cultural and diversity differences, better networking and collaborative opportunities, promotions and better jobs, and better understanding how leadership makes an impact on community change.
Key words: community development, community leadership development initiative, leadership competencies, leadership practice inventor
Addressing the Problem of Indigenous Disadvantage in Remote Areas of Developed Nations: A Plea for More Comparative Research
Get PDFIt has been well documented that Indigenous populations in developed 'post-colonial' nations (such as Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and the United States) experience disadvantage in a number of areas when compared with their non-Indigenous counterparts. Despite (or perhaps because of) a range of policy initiatives and political approaches to addressing disadvantage, there continues to be poor understandings of what 'works' and under what conditions. There is a body of literature which compares conditions, political ideas and policy initiatives across the jurisdictions, but the bases for comparison are poorly described, there is insufficient linking of research into 'ideas' with research into initiatives and their outcomes, and there is insufficient engagement of Indigenous people in the research. This paper proposes a more rigorous approach to comparative research which is based on principals of partnership with and participation of Indigenous people. We conclude that well designed participatory comparative research can not only provide new insights to old problems, but can improve Indigenous people's access to global knowledge systems
Using Mobility to Gain Stability: Rural Household Strategies and Outcomes in Long-distance Labour Mobility
Get PDFCurrent rural studies literature is making the call for more attention to mobilities as a means to understand contemporary rurality. Mobility, envisioned broadly and inclusive of the movement of people, things and ideas, promises to position rural communities in a more active stance, rather than passive, reactive, and in receivership. Contextualized within a larger research project of 37 young women (aged 25-34) living in a rural area of central Newfoundland, Canada, and drawing specifically upon the narratives of nine return migrants with partners who engage in long-distance labour mobility, I explore how mobility is a mechanism through which these women, and their households, achieve both economic and familial stability. My research contributes to a theoretical understanding of mobility that is inclusive of, rather than juxtaposed to, stability. It also contributes to the literature on long-distance labour mobility suggesting that it is not necessarily detrimental to family life. I argue that a household mobility perspective reduces the notion of static rural society and raises new considerations for rural futures. Policy implications for a mobilities perspective are briefly discussed.
Keywords: Mobility, stability, long-distance, Newfoundland, wome
Business Exchanges in the Australian Desert: It's About More Than the Money
No full textThis paper synthesizes research from the 'Bush Products from Desert Australia' (BPDA) research project, within the Desert Knowledge Cooperative Research Centre. The paper presents a Netchain Analysis (NCA) of the supply chain associated with wild harvested bush tomatoes in central Australia, where trade between remote Aboriginal peoples and non-Aboriginal people is a prominent feature. The paper finds that while NCA provides some insight into identifying sources of economic value in the chain, some important sources of non-economic value are deeply embedded in social relationships within the chain. This value is difficult to assess within the NCA framework, and is not reflected in the final outputs of the chain. In light of these findings, the paper then determines that the chain itself represents something more than a supply chain within the conventional definitions of a supply chain. This work may have relevance to other situations where economic activity is deeply embedded in inter-cultural social relations, especially where remoteness and isolation are features of the operating environmen