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After determining how a number of rural communities are planning successfully for economic development, this project will now put this information into the hands of key stakeholders as a way to build local planning and development capacity. It also has the potential to impact municipal policy decisions, particularly in terms of the process of community economic development.
Community-Based Strategies for Resolving Agricultural and Land-Use Conflicts
Status: Completed in February 2004
Increasingly there is a recognition that conflict resolution strategies offer the potential to resolve conflict related to agriculture. At its best it can offer workable solutions, enhance communication and foster understanding. Despite this potential, however there is an absence of materials to help develop and implement local strategies...
Doing Democracy with Circles: Workshops for Public Sector Professionals
Status: In ProgressThis proposed project will move the resources developed in the book into a practical learning context for public sector professionals. The main objective is to improve public consultation process through the adoption of innovative techniques that ensure meaningful dialogue and effective avenues for conflict resolution. The nature of the circle process lends itself particularly well to sensitive and potentially controversial issues.
Environmental Planning & Innovation: Best Practices for Rural Communities
Status: Completed in 2010
Rural Municipalities are trying to respond to many environmental issues such as water clarity, air quality and climate change. The success of their respond vows from municipality to municipality reflecting their resources, but also the approach that they adopt. This research identities best practice that can contribute to an effective response.
Finding the Balance: Evolving Provincial & Municipal Governance of Nutrient Management
Status: Completed in May 2006
This research relates to the changing nature of Provincial & Municipal Governance of Nutrient Management. It has two key objectives: the identification of on-going issues between the province and municipalities (including the monitoring of municipal acceptance or rejection of provincial authority) and the development of policy options and recommendations to improve the municipal/provincial relationship.
Status: In Progress
This research examines barriers/opportunities for using nature/natural systems as a mechanism for rural labour market development, and as a means to generate rural community resilience.
Healthy Rural Communities: Strategies and Models of Practice
Status: In ProgressThis purpose of this project is to identify evidence-informed strategies and models of practice for land use planning policies, procedures and designs for the built environment to improve population health outcomes in rural communities. This project will result in the development and distribution of a toolkit to advise public health professionals, land use planners, municipal staff and elected officials of effective strategies and models of practice.
Identifying Rural Research Priorities through Community Engagement
Status: Completed in March 2010Rural regions are often limited in their capacity to conduct research. This proposed research will implement a methodology that engages community and organizational representatives in a systematic dialogue that will help to identify rural research needs from a community and organization perspective.
Lake Huron Shoreline: a Community Based Approach to Solving Water Quality Issues
Status: Completed in 2007
Water Quality Issue along the Lake Huron shoreline have been the source of much controversy. This record takes a multi stakeholder approach to emerging residents in positive action towards a Coordinating response.
Status: Completed in November 2000
In many areas of Ontario livestock production has reached a crossroads. Community antagonism often translates into municipal by-laws which can be an impediment to agricultural production.
Measuring Farmland Availability
Status: In ProgressThis project seeks to evaluate the current state of Ontario's farmland in terms of land availability and policiies regarding farmland preservation. The goal of this study is to develop a methodology that can be replicated across communities throughout Ontario that will measure both the availability of farmland and amount lost.
Perspectives on Planning for Agriculture and Food Security in the Commonwealth
Status: Completed 2014Planning for food security in the Commonwealth is a unique task that covers many subjects, faces many challenges, and has many inspiring opportunities for success. A number of perspectives on these challenges and opportunities are covered in this document. These topics are evolving and represent a snap-shot in time.
Planning for the Future: Development of Ontario's Wine Industry
Status: Completed in November 2000
The purpose of this research is to understand the dynamics of the "on-farm" wine industry and to evaluate the appropriateness of related provincial, regional, and local planning policy. This policy is directly related to the future growth and development of the Niagara "on-farm" wine industry with numerous related rural economic development opportunities.
Status: In Progress
Climate change and anticipated changes in oil pricing are likely to significantly impact rural Ontario. The research will provide practical strategies that will help ensure that rural Ontario is prepared to respond to the related issues of climate change and rising oil prices. Both of these issues stress the need for strategies of resilience and policy that reflect the diversity of rural Ontario.
Status: Completed in March 2010
Amongst municipalities losing population, there are those who have developed an integrated and innovative community-based approach to planning and economic development. These "best" practices offers hope and solutions that can be transferred to other communities with limited potential for population growth. This research identifies innovative practices to help communities prosper even where there is a stable or declining population.
Status: Completed in December 2007
Horse farms are one of the least understood forms of agriculture in Southern Ontario and yet from an economic development perspective, they bring a multitude of economic benefits and spin-offs that create employment, encourage investment and protect the rural landscape. This project is aimed at understanding the impact that horse farms may bring to the rural-urban fringe of urban centres in Southern Ontario.
Status: Completed in October 2003
Ontario's agricultural industry is the most intensive and diversified in Canada. At the same time as agriculture has become increasingly intensified, however, there has been a significant increase in rural non-farm lots within the countryside. Unfortunately, an accurate count of new rural lots created since the early 1990's does not exist.
Rural Non-farm Development: Revisiting Rural Land Use Policy (2000-2010)
This proposal will provide a province wide summary of the extent and nature of rural non-farm development across Southern Ontario for the period 2000-2010. The research will identify implications for agricultural production. The research will also contribute to the imminent review of the Provincial Policy Statement.
Status: Completed in 2019
There are significant opportunities for the expansion of the agricultural sector in northern Ontario, particularly the Clay Belt region along the Highway 11 corridor. While land is available and evidence of success in agriculture exists, the challenges associated with farming within this region are not well understood. This project explores and understands the institutional and individual barriers to establishing livestock productions in the Clay Belt through through interviews and focus groups with farmers.
Status:
To be updated