THE RURBAN FRINGE

Small Communities and Immigrants Can Benefit One Another

Immigration is good for small communities, and small towns have much to offer new Canadians … if immigration is part of a community’s long-term economic strategy.
Employers in small communities must also show leadership in using immigration to fill labour shortages, and entire communities must work together to welcome and retain new residents, according to a new report by [...]

The Decline of Rural Volunteerism

Did you know …

rural residents are more likely to have a strong sense of belonging to their local community;
rural residents are more likely to attend public meetings; and
rural residents are more likely to do volunteer work?

It’s true.*  
It’s also been documented that rural volunteerism helps nurture community sustainability.
Yet there are signs that volunteering rates may be [...]

Rural Regeneration Needs to Be Tied to Immigration

Data recently released by Statistics Canada indicates that immigrants account for 5.3% of the population – approximately 312,500 individuals – living in Canada’s rural and small town areas.
However, the majority of immigrants who live these areas arrived in Canada before 1986.  It is these established immigrants that make up about 70% of all immigrants in rural [...]

The Power of Networks

“Everything is connected … no one thing can change by itself.”
- Paul Hawken
This simple, yet powerful, statement cuts to the heart of relationship development, especially for non-profit organizations and agencies.
Reliance on networks is not new to the non-profit sector.  But in tight economic times and with increased pressure on agencies to do more, to do [...]

Reasons to Engage Your Community

Build Connections – Strengthen, deepen and expand relationships and better connect people and resources.
Advance Mission – Serve your organization’s core reason for being.
Build Relevance – As you interact with others, their interests and aspirations, you become an increasing part of their lives and matter more to them.
Increase Value – The greater your impact on others [...]

« go back — keep looking »