Rural Ontario Institute

Feeding the Hungry by Fighting Food Waste

Date: December 1, 2020

The entire AALP Class 18 will agree that we were beyond impressed and inspired from our trip to Second Harvest in Toronto. The tour began with presentations by Rose Barcarse, Program Coordinator, and Madison Maguire, Executive Coordinator, followed by a tour of the warehouse facility from Ian Macleod, Fleet and Warehouse Supervisor. It is evident the pride and satisfaction the team has in the work they are doing.

Filling the gap left by traditional food banks, Second Harvest specializes in perishable foods that are traditionally wasted in our food system. They provide a bridge between wasted food and social agencies. In 2018, Second Harvest programs redirected 12.3 million pounds of food, the equivalent of $32 million, or 34,000 meals/day!

Bill 229 and Implications for Regional Conservation Authorities

Date: November 24, 2020

Commentary by Tim Lanthier, Chief Administrative Officer for the Grey Sauble Conservation Authority.

As a rural stakeholder, you may have heard recent media reports about the Province’s intent to change the Conservation Authorities Act in an effort to create transparency and reduce red-tape. These most recent changes were introduced in the 2020 budget implementation bill (Bill 229).

The impact of COVID-19 on rural employment up to September, 2020

Date: October 21, 2020

New special issue of “Focus on Rural Ontario” highlights the impact of Covid-19 on rural employemnt in Ontario with a comparison to the impact on rural employment in other provinces.

In rural Ontario in September, 2020, the calculated employment gap had closed: September rural employment was 2.5% above the level in September, 2019 -- but was 4% below the level in September, 2018.

Institute for Research on Public Policy Article on the Urgent Need for an Agri-food Labour Strategy

Date: October 2, 2020

The article written by Sen. Rob Black, Mary Robinson (Canadian Federation of Agriculture), and Portia MacDonald- Dewhirst (Canadian Agricultural Human Resource Council), shows the need for a resilient national labour strategy that will not only stabilize the availability of workers throughout the pandemic and beyond, but will also include strategies for introducing widespread skill development measures, labour saving technologies and better labour market intelligence.

The impact of COVID-19 on rural employment up to August, 2020

Date: September 8, 2020

A special issue of Focus on Rural Ontario entitled COVID-19 Impact on Rural Employment: Ontario in the Canadian context up to August 2020 highlights the impact on rural Ontario with a comparison to the impact on rural employment in other provinces.

In August, the rural employment gap in Ontario (-0.6%) was less than the COVID-19 impact in urban areas (-6.3%). The rural gap of -0.6% is less than one-third the Canada-level gap of -7.7% and much less than the rural gap in Alberta (-20.5%) and in rural Quebec (-13.3%).

Business closures in non-metro Ontario to April, 2020

Date: August 19, 2020

To see the impact of COVID-19 on business closures, Statistics Canada has recently published “experimental data” on active business, business openings and business closures.

In non-metro Ontario, from January to April, 2020, the number of active businesses declined by 5,800 businesses – a decline of 12% (marginally less than the 13% decline in metro areas). This decline was due to 18% fewer businesses openings and 243% more business closures.

The impact of COVID-19 on rural employment up to July, 2020

Date: August 11, 2020

A special issue of “Focus on Rural Ontario” entitled COVID-19 Impact on Rural Employment: Ontario in the Canadian context up to July 2020 highlights the impact on rural Ontario with a comparison to the impact on rural employment in other provinces.

In July, the Ontario rural employment gap was less than the COVID-19 impact in urban areas (-2.7% and -7.6%, respectively). The rural gap of -2.7% is less than one-third the Canada-level gap of -8.3% and much less than the rural gap in Alberta (-15.2%) and in rural Quebec (-14.5%).

The impact of COVID-19 on rural employment up to June, 2020

Date: July 13, 2020

A special issue of Focus on Rural Ontario entitled COVID-19 Impact on Rural Employment: Ontario in the Canadian context up to June 2020 highlights the impact on rural Ontario with a comparison to the impact on rural employment in other provinces. The data shows that rural labour markets in Ontario were closing the COVID-19 employment gap at a somewhat quicker pace, compared to the pace of employment growth in urban labour markets.

This special issue is a follow-up to earlier special issues with data on employment in April, 2020 and May, 2020.

The impact of COVID-19 on rural employment up to May, 2020

Date: June 8, 2020

A new special issue of Focus on Rural Ontario presents data up to May 2020 highlighting the impact on rural Ontario with a comparison to the impact on rural employment in other provinces.

The Impact of COVID-19 on Rural Employment

Date: May 12, 2020

A special issue of Focus on Rural Ontario entitled COVID-19 Impact on Rural Employment: Ontario in the Canadian context highlights the impact on rural Ontario with a comparison to the impact on rural employment in other provinces from February to April, 2020.

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