To hear some of the media commentary on the population change emerging from Census numbers from 2011 you’d be excused for thinking no-one was living in Ontario anymore because the west is booming and that all rural and small towns are in decline.   Let’s keep some perspective. 

It is important to look at the absolute numbers as well as trends in the growth rate.  Ontario’s growth rate of 5.7 % on a population base of approximately 12 million saw an addition of around 700,000 people over 5 years.  Alberta with a growth rate of 10.6% on a population base of 3 million saw an addition of some 360,000 people over that time.  Thus Ontario’s % share of the population in Canada continued to grow.   Make no mistake, Ontario still has congestion issues, affordable housing and growth management challenges to deal with.  Necessary debates about the merits of provincial Growth Plan allocations and Greenbelt polices will persist with rural and small towns in near-metro regions in Ontario growing even while more remote regions are declining.    Sustainably managing our resources is something we will need to continue to concern ourselves with – managing pressures to convert farmland, wisely using aggregate resources, conserving natural heritage and biodiversity, investing in alternative transportation and sustainable water systems should continue to occupy our attention even as we balance budgets and work to keep our economy competitive.

For a more nuanced understanding of rural and small town trends across the country click here to see a recent presentation from Ray Bollman formerly with Statistics Canada and long time analyst of rural data.

Also, the data for Ontario “small population centres” as opposed to strictly rural areas are available here:  

http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2011/dp-pd/hlt-fst/pd-pl/Table-Tableau.cfm?LANG=Eng&T=802&PR=35&S=51&O=A&RPP=999

Population share of Canada's regions, 1951 to 2011

Sources: Statistics Canada, censuses of population, 1951 to 2011.

Norman Ragetlie, Director, Policy & Stakeholder Engagement 

Rural users of wireless phones and those seeking better broadband connections should be paying close attention to an upcoming Industry Canada announcement regarding the details of how it will conduct an auction of the 700 MHZ spectrum to telecommunications companies – this is a great opportunity for improving rural services relatively cheaply because the 700MHZ spectrum is the old television analog signal bandwidth.  This spectrum can carry signals through dense foliage and penetrate buildings.  A single telecommunications tower using this spectrum can also cover a much greater area.  However, there are fears that otherwise desirable new competition may backfire and large companies will buy “blocks” of this licensed spectrum and muscle out small Internet Service Providers or local telecommunications companies by cherry-picking away customers in small towns and more densely populated areas leaving some smaller, existing rural providers to service the higher cost, more remote customers with less revenue to invest in that service.  This concern has been expressed by the Ontario Telecommunications Association and others in the wake of a CRTC decision that opens up rural areas to new competition while expecting existing companies to continue to serve everyone.  (See Petition.pdf (126.54 kb) and Map.pdf (3.12 mb))

Federal MPs on the government side might be reminded by their constituents to make sure this opportunity to address rural broadband service is not overlooked.  Otherwise the federal government may need to consider spending more of the taxpayer dollar on extending and supporting rural broadband investment if the long term impact of the auction is to reduce the potential private sector partners who have demonstrated their willingness to partner with the government and provide rural services up till now. 

See also: http://www.thestar.com/business/article/1122943--details-of-canada-s-upcoming-700mhz-auction-expected-this-week

Norman Ragetlie, Director, Policy & Stakeholder Engagement 

The International Comparative Rural Policies Studies (ICRPS) organization is now seeking applicants for its annual summer school.  Each year this unique two-week program alternates between Europe and North America, bringing together an international, multi-disciplinary group of faculty, students, and professionals to study the many facets of rural policy.  The 9th annual summer school will be held in Québec this year from June 21 to July 6.

The summer institute is an intensive program that provides graduate students, researchers, and rural development experts and practitioners from around the world an opportunity to examine and compare the role of rural policy in different cultural, political, and administrative contexts in Europe, North America, and the South.  Participants work on skills for analyzing and comparing rural policies at the international, national, regional and local levels while studying the nature and implications of new forms of governance in rural contexts.

While studying Rural Planning at the University of Guelph, I had the special opportunity to participate in the 2009 ICRPS program, traveling the highlands and islands of Scotland on a two-week learning and adventure tour.  It was an engaging blend of participatory lectures, group-based problem solving, student-led presentations, and out of the class fieldwork exercises with an itinerary that took us from Edinburgh to Inverness to the Isle of Skye.

Field school participants are given unparalleled access to some of the world's current leading specialists in rural policy studies in a convivial yet intellectually stimulating environment.  Meanwhile, itineraries are always packed with great travel and cultural experiences.  This year's participants will begin in Montréal before traveling on to the Estrie region, Québec City and the Bas Saint-Laurent region.

All information on the two-week summer school, including registration details can be found at www.icrps2012.ca.  If you have any questions or require any further information, you can contact the ICRPS 2012 team directly at icrps2012@yahoo.ca.

Isle of Skye, Scotland. Taken during ICRPS 2009. Photo by Morgan Boyco.

Morgan Boyco, Project Manager, Rural Ontario Institute

On Wednesday Feb 15 the province released the report of its commission reviewing public services – more generally known as the Drummond report.

The report in its entirety is available here:

www.fin.gov.on.ca/en/reformcommission

The wide ranging and lengthy report touches on many direct areas of provincial Ministry responsibility but also the broader public sector (health, education, municipalities).  The orientation of the recommendations for the provincial government is on controlling provincial spending and taking steps to make things more efficient through rationalization and consolidation of similar functions across Ministries and a host of other cost reduction and control measures.  The report is primarily about fiscal management as one might expect from a bank economist.  The report does not deal with the other side of the equation for how the province can foster economic growth so that Ontario can afford the level of public services its citizens need and want.

Rural stakeholders seeking an assessment of what the implementation of the recommendations might mean for their communities will have to take the time to listen carefully to the various analyses that will emerge from diverse stakeholders over the coming weeks.  See the preliminary reaction of the Association of Ontario Municipalities here for example:

http://goo.gl/4MFpd

What would help contribute to a healthy policy debate, so that the public and concerned stakeholders with legitimate interests don’t waste time reacting to non-starters, is a comprehensive response from the government saying which of the recommendations it is most interested in moving forward.  The government has neither the capacity nor the will to move on all the recommendations at once, as we have already heard individual Ministers taking distance from some of the recommendations.  As a result we can anticipate that many of the recommendations will necessitate considerable further consultation, dialogue or negotiation – especially in a minority parliament.  The breadth of the recommendations ranges from potentially significant changes to the shared costs of farm income stabilization programs, to changes in the role of LHINs in hospital allocations, and to centralized bargaining for municipal employees such as firefighters and police.  Each of these could have significant consequences for rural communities.  However, the report by its very nature could not deal with all these details so the onus is on the province now to provide a comprehensive high level response – what it wants to move on immediately, what it likes but will move slowly on, and what it rejects at this time.    

Norman Ragetlie, Director, Policy & Stakeholder Engagement

Between 2006 and 2011, Canada's rural population increased by 1.1%, compared to Canada's overall growth rate of 5.9%.  In parallel the share of population of the Ontario population that is considered rural by Statistics Canada dropped between 2006 and 2011 to some 14 % or so.  (See table below.)

However, a closer look at the Ontario County statistics (Census Division) shows some considerable variation in the population growth rates with some losing population and others gaining.  Statistics Canada has made this information and other profiles from the 2011 Census available for download at this link.

Proportion of the population living in rural areas, provinces and territories, 2006 and 2011

Sources: Statistics Canada, censuses of population, 2006 and 2011.

Norman Ragetlie, Director, Policy & Stakeholder Engagement

The Rural Ontario Institute will be collaborating with the Centre for Social Innovation and the Ontario Non-Profit Network to offer 6 “Social Innovation Pop-Up Labs” in rural communities over the next 3 years.   These will be events where rural communities can exchange ideas about successful innovation in their communities and learn about lessons learned and new models from other communities.  For example, one recent new announcement from Brock Township highlights the kind of opportunities that are possible.

The Paterson Community Services Building is being developed by local entrepreneur David Slabodkin and is being made available to community organizations to enhance the availability of services in Brock Township.  A four storey building is being constructed as a replica of the former Cannington Queen’s Hotel but with a twist. The Paterson Building will be a 29,000 sq ft state of the art construction featuring a “net-zero” energy emission.    The vision for the Paterson is to provide a Community Services Hub together with a Learning and Innovation Centre.   Cesar Caneo, Director of The Nourish and Develop Foundation states: “The Paterson Building will offer Brock Township a single location to access services and resources that complemented with the future Brock Community Health Centre will make local services more accessible.  A community consultation is the first step to determine what is important to the community and to ensure that community partners and residents have an opportunity for input.”

For further information please contact Cesar Caneo at 705 432 2444 or info@tndf.ca.

Norman Ragetlie, Director, Policy & Stakeholder Engagement