Building capacity for data availability in Ontario
The Rural Ontario Institute (ROI) is pleased to announce the launch of a two-year post graduate partnership intern training program with Mitacs and University of Guelph’s School of Environmental Design and Rural Development’s (SEDRD) Director and Professor Ryan Gibson.
This multi-year partnership will facilitate a team of Master’s and PhD students to assist in ROI’s rural data and leadership development impact work. Mitacs works in partnerships with Canadian academia, private industry and government to operate research and training programs in fields related to industrial and social innovation.
“This initiative reflects the importance of connecting academic research with the practical needs of rural communities. By improving access to data and leadership development opportunities, we can help communities make stronger, evidence-based decisions. Graduate students involved in this partnership will gain valuable applied experience while contributing research that can strengthen planning, housing, and community wellbeing outcomes across rural Ontario.”
Professor Ryan Gibson, Director of the School of Environmental Design and Rural Development.
The University of Guelph’s SEDRD brings together major academic fields concerned with creating strong communities, in Canada and around the world. The school has six programs in the fields of Landscape Architecture, Rural Planning and Development, Capacity Development and Extension, and Rural Studies. SEDRD reflects the imperatives in building authentic communities where planners, leaders, communicators, landscape architects, the citizens, and politicians all play important interdependent roles in community strength.
“Mitacs helps connect organizations with the research talent and expertise needed to address real-world challenges. This partnership with the Rural Ontario Institute and the University of Guelph will give graduate students hands-on experience while supporting data-driven decisionmaking and innovation in rural Ontario communities,” said Emily Gordon, Senior Advisor, Business Development, Mitacs.
Six paid internships will be offered each year to Ontario Masters graduate and PhD students to assist with rural data availability, knowledge sharing, and evaluation within ROI’s Data Team collaborating on the Rural Housing Information System (RHIS), centralizing housing data for rural and all of Northern Ontario’s municipalities, the Rural Community Wellbeing (RCWB) Data Dashboard, centralizing indicators for rural community wellbeing, services, and sustainability in all of Ontario and with ROI’s Advanced Agriculture Leadership Program (AALP) to evaluate the impact of rural agriculture sector leadership training over the past 40 years.
“This research collaboration will examine how increased access to relevant data and leadership development affect evidence-based decision making in rural Ontario communities under 10,000 residents. Investigating two linked questions: how improved data availability influences municipal planning, and how leadership development contributes to social and economic outcomes,” said Kezia Cowtan, ROI Data Manager.