Blog

In Ontario, 21 per cent of our population resides in rural (non-metro) areas. Nationally, this number increases to 31 per cent of the population (based on 2011 data), which means there are roughly 10.4 million Canadians sharing the experience of living outside a major urban centre. 

Intrinsically, each of us is an expert on our own community just by living there, and collectively, our knowledge as rural residents represents an enormous repository of solutions, creativity and experience that needs to be shared. The dedicated staff at ROI know this, which is why they work hard to create and foster knowledge networks and measure rural community vitality. 

It’s incredibly important to keep conversations going about the state of rural affairs to share information. To this end, the Canadian Centre for Rural Creativity is hosting the three day R2R Conference from September 28th-30th in Blyth, Ontario.

Portions of the conference format will be familiar, but there are also sessions planned that will prove novel like The Pitch, The Catch and the R2R Pressure Cooker.

Confronted by issues related to an aging population? Trying to reinvigorate your town centre? Having trouble attracting skilled labour? Sinking under rising electricity distribution rates? R2R is your opportunity to connect with creative problem solvers who can make a difference.

Rural challenges persist, but so does rural ingenuity. 

Visit ruralcreativity.org for a full description of the conference, or call Karen Stewart at 226-523-1419 for details. Those interested in attending are encouraged to register by September 14th.

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Guest blog provided by Scott Currie. Scott is a resident of Exeter, Ontario and works for the County of Huron.