Virtual Conference Program

With Stéphane Lauzon, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Rural Economic Development, and member of Parliament, Argenteuil-La Petite-Nation; Dr. Heather Hall, University of Waterloo

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An exploration of the opportunities and issues in rural Canadian communities from the perspective of the Government of Canada and the Canadian Rural Revitalization Foundation

Moderator: Caroline Arbour. Panelists: Nathalie Dionne, acting VP Home Solutions & Customer Excellence, TELUS Quebec; Kara Westerlund, Regional Municipalities of Alberta Vice President and Councillor in Brazeau County, AB; Randy Jones, CEDEC and former Mayor of Gros-Mécatina; Alfred Loon, President, Eeyou Communications Network.

Connectivity is more than wires and Netflix. It’s a foundational enabler that delivers education, digital healthcare, economic opportunity, modern sustainable agriculture, social connection and community. While Canadians in urban centres take these things for granted, the journey to full remote, rural, and indigenous connectivity continues. This panel will feature rural community leaders who will share the impact that connectivity has had on their communities, the challenges they’ve faced and the lessons they learned.

With Daniel Brunette, Co-operatives and Mutuals Canada

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Business Conversions to Co-operatives (BCCs) take place when private, public, or non-profit entities transition for a variety of possible reasons, including succession planning, into a co-operative corporation. This can prevent the closure of locally based businesses and the elimination of economic drivers, including many in small and rural communities.

With Lissel Hernandez-Gongora, University of Guelph

The Rural Rebound case studies highlight the experiences of selected stakeholders in rural Ontario reflecting multi-sectoral collaboration to respond to Covid-19. The underlying approach of this initiative, developed by the Rural Ontario Institute, is promoting peer-to-peer learning so other rural regions responding to similar concerns can take ideas and adapt them to their own context. Multi-sectoral collaboration is not exclusive to Covid-19 responses, but it is critical to overcoming any crisis. The participant stakeholders concurred on the value of this type of collaboration to build on each other’s knowledge, generate solutions that respond to actual needs and optimize resources.

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