Rural Ontario Institute

COVID-19 impact on rural employment in Ontario to February, 2021

Date: March 23, 2021

COVID-19 Impact on Rural Employment: Ontario in the Canadian context up to February, 2021 highlights the impact on rural Ontario with a comparison to the impact on rural employment in other provinces and to large urban centres within Ontario.

COVID-19: Not the Great Equalizer

Date: March 16, 2021

A year of global tragedy

As we pass the one-year anniversary of the declaration of the COVID-19 pandemic, citizens around the world reflect on an unprecedented year; globally, there have been nearly 120 million cases of COVID-19 and over 2.65 million deaths. Predictably, the impacts of COVID-19 are inequitable; income, ethnicity, gender, and geography have been demonstrated to be among the most significant factors contributing to the severity of the impact of COVID-19.

COVID-19 impact on rural employment in Ontario to January, 2021

Date: February 16, 2021

COVID-19 Impact on Rural Employment: Ontario in the Canadian context up to January, 2021 highlights the impact on rural Ontario with a comparison to the impact on rural employment in other provinces.

COVID 19 Business Impacts Persist

Date: February 2, 2021

An analysis of business closure/reopening statistics reported in a special COVID edition of the Focus on Rural Ontario fact series by the Rural Ontario Institute reveal that in areas outside of Census Metropolitan Areas in October there were fewer active businesses reporting payroll by some -7 % than would otherwise have been expected. March and April closures were significantly higher than usual and openings/re-openings that have occurred since while also higher than normal were not enough to recover to the previous level of active businesses.

Canada’s Universal Broadband Fund

Date: January 29, 2021

In November 2020, as part of Canada’s connectivity strategy, the Government of Canada launched the $1.75 billion Universal Broadband Fund (UBF). The fund supportS broadband infrastructure projects, including the extension of connectivity to rural and remote communities.

Programs like the UBF play an important role, but must be supplemented with further action to identify and fill in the remaining gaps in coverage. Canada needs a truly universal initiative that is proactive in finding solutions for communities that do not have the capacity to propose their own projects and gets these communities online as quickly as possible.

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

Date: January 13, 2021

We are making available another issue in our special series of “Focus on Rural Ontario” with extensive tables related to economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic as reflected in employment statistics. This release takes the data analysis up to December when the second wave was upon us.

In Ontario, the estimated gap in rural employment due to COVID-19 has remained less than in urban areas. Importantly, the COVID-19 employment gap is continuing to close. In December, the estimated gap due to COVID-19 was -1.7% which represents a job loss of 11 thousand workers.

Find fact sheet highlights in the December Fact Sheet Infographic.

COVID-19 impact on rural employment in Ontario to November, 2020

Date: December 22, 2020

COVID-19 Impact on Rural Employment: Ontario in the Canadian context up to November, 2020 highlights the impact on rural Ontario with a comparison to the impact on rural employment in other provinces.

AALP Class 18 Leadership Profile – Maria Ramirez

Date: December 1, 2020

The Advanced Agricultural Leadership Program is now running its 18th cohort of people dedicated to an experiential program of leadership development that will provide leadership principles, a template for future growth, and a growing network of engaged leaders in Ontario agriculture. The program is well-known, and well-loved, for the broad array of people it attracts from every corner of agriculture. This year’s class is dealing with a global pandemic and working to continue their journey through unforeseen disruptions and challenges. We spoke to Class 18 participant Maria Ramirez Giraldo about her leadership journey.

Explore What's Happening at AALP

Date: December 1, 2020

Similar to many of your organizations, businesses and families, AALP Class 18 created a new journey as a result of the pandemic. In July, we took a cautionary approach and decided to extend Class 18 by 6 months, conserve the resources so many supporters have contributed and use those resources when the time is right to deliver the full AALP experience. As we move into 2021 we are excited to announce AALP Class 18 will resume programming virtually in true leadership fashion, embracing the spirit of resilience and innovation! With COVID cases still on the rise in many parts of Ontario and around the world, participants will be challenged to lead through an unprecedented situation. Like the 17 Classes before them, your journey will be unique and one remembered your life long!

Exploring the Leadership Challenge

Date: December 1, 2020

The theme of our first Class 18 seminar was Leadership: Theory and Application. We explored this topic in many ways. Our journey began with a presentation by Ann L. Gordon, leadership consultant and AALP Class 2 grad, on the global leadership competency framework. Ann has composed this framework as a setting off point on the leadership journey, and indicated many traits needed to effectively lead in today’s global context.

Prior to our first AALP seminar, we were tasked with completing a Leadership Practices Inventory (LPI). Guided by Kelly Ann McKnight and George Pinho of Stoneridge Consulting Inc., each AALP participant answered a series of questions about the frequency of their own common leadership behaviours. Managers, co-workers, friends, and others were also recruited to help provide outside perspective for the LPI. It was certainly eye opening for many.

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