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We are pleased to share an exciting new project endeavour. Beginning in May 2015, we will be leading the Rural Community Vitality Measurement Initiative.

Funded by the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing, this announcement represents a 30-month applied research and analysis initiative focused on deepening understanding of effective practices for quantifying rural civic engagement, social capital and community well-being. The initiative will also demonstrate methods for municipal evaluation of community impacts and social return on investment.

The viability and economic success of small towns and rural communities is closely related to a number of intangible factors which are hard to measure but integral to municipal functions. The overarching goal of the initiative is to assist rural stakeholders by undertaking projects which enable information sharing, capture practitioner insights and lessons learned, and facilitate peer exchange of best practices surrounding these hard to measure aspects.

The initiative includes seven research and knowledge transfer projects grouped under three themes. The projects will commence in May 2015 and conclude by August 2017.

Theme: Rural Municipal Leadership 

• Succession Planning -Rural Councillor Profile 
• Youth Civic Engagement Showcase

Theme: Showcasing Effective Measurement Approaches

• Tracking Citizen Participation and Engagement: Best Practice Resource
• Rural Case Studies of Social Return on Investment and Community Impact

Theme: Rural Quality of life and Community Well-being

• Rural Well-Being Reporting: Demonstration Project
• Small Area Data Guide as related to the Focus on Rural Ontario fact sheet series
• Rural Foresight Papers

As a first step, we are currently seeking a Project Manager. Please see the job posting and description for details.

We are looking forward to engaging stakeholder organizations and collaborating with key partners on each of the above projects. If you are interested in the above themes and projects and would like to learn more, please comment here or contact Norman Ragetlie, Director, Policy and Stakeholder Engagement.