|
|
Research Projects
The Community Development Institute at UNBC maintains a clear focus
upon research. Its goal is to balance both applied and basic work so as
to maintain academic credibility and to be of practical relevance to
communities.
Projects
The Community Development Institute has undertaken a large number of projects examining Seniors' Needs across northern BC. Click here to view these Seniors' Needs projects.
Community-Based Research Centres in Canada 2012 COMPLETED
As communities prepare for, and respond to, economic, social, and political change, they need timely, relevant, and useful information to help them make decisions. Community-based research institutions can be an important source of information for these small communities and can support innovation and competitiveness, inform strategic planning exercises and community development initiatives, mobilize resources, build local capacity, facilitate local and regional networks, empower community engagement, and improve the quality-of-life in small places. This report contains an inventory of community-based research centres in Canada with information on:
• contact information,
• background / mandate,
• general information brochures,
• student information brochures,
• annual reports, and
• policy documents.
Clearwater Age-Friendly needs assessment project 2012 on-going
In this project the CDI will work in partnership with the District of Clearwater. Consultations will include one on one interviews, meetings with stakeholders and an Age-Friendly needs assessment survey and the creation of an inventory of the services, programs and initiatives that currently exist.
Tracking the Social and Economic Transformation Process in Kitimat, BC December 2011 on-going
When industrial investments come to small communities, the local social impacts can be significant and transformative. The town of Kitimat has been an industrial centre in northwestern British Columbia since the early 1950s. The town is now experiencing a large number of industrial construction projects that will change and renew the local economy. These construction projects will also impact and change the community. This project involves a long-term tracking study of the economic and social transformation processes now getting underway in Kitimat, BC.
Working ‘away’: Community & Family Impacts of Long Distance Labour Commuting in Mackenzie, BC 2011 On-going
The town of Mackenzie is one of BC’s ‘instant towns’, built in the late 1960s to house the workforce for a new regional forest industry. A significant economic downturn in Mackenzie beginning in early 2008 resulted in the closure of all major forest industry operations (sawmills and pulp and paper mills) in the community. As a result, some of these forest sector workers had to engage in long distance labour commuting (LDLC). This project provides an opportunity to explore the implications of LDLC at both an individual and community level. The first part of the project occurred in Sept/Oct 2011, with meetings were held in Mackenzie to assess the scope, scale, implications, and experiences of long distance labour commuting for workers, their families, community groups, and the local business community. Part two will follow in Fall 2012.
Dimensions of Voluntarism in Aging Resource Towns: Preliminary Scan of Quesnel and Tumbler Ridge, BC 2011 On-going
Since the 1980s, the population of many rural and small town places in northern BC communities has been aging. This research project examines the role that voluntary organizations, community groups, and volunteers play in both supporting older people and in influencing community development in aging resource communities. It also examines the influence of seniors in volunteer organizations and community development initiatives. Reports have been completed to provide preliminary information about the dimensions of voluntarism in two pilot study towns to establish the empirical foundation for further phases of the project. These communities include Quesnel and Tumbler Ridge. The project is based out of the UNBC Community Development Institute in collaboration with Mark Skinner at Trent University and Alun Joseph at the University of Guelph.
Project reports include:
(Re)Defining poverty in resource dependent rural and small town places 2011 On-going
Poverty remains an important, but challenging research, policy, and lived world issue. It is found in all communities – in all regions. In Canada, most poverty research has been urban focused and our knowledge about the dynamics, experiences, and complex underpinnings of rural poverty is more limited. Since the early 1980s, Canadian rural and small town places have experienced accelerated change due to economic and social restructuring. These have generated new pressures and trends that affect those living on low-income and households at risk of living in poverty. These impacts are especially important in resource-based economies and those places located at a distance from major urban centres.
Based on a pilot study in the McBride and surrounding region, this project explores how key factors, attributes of place, and institutional processes affect rural household journeys into and out of poverty. This includes exploring interactions between low-income households and service support networks to develop a greater understanding of emerging issues for households in resource-dependent towns undergoing intense economic and service restructuring.
NEV2 - Updating Our Northern BC Development Vision and Strategy Project 2009 On-going
The economic downturn is forcing public and private sector interests to make difficult choices and adopt what they think are the best coping strategies so that they are poised, equipped, and ready to take advantage of the next economic upswing. In partnership with selected small local governments in northern BC, we will explore:
• the choices and decisions being made in response to the 2008/2009 economic downturn
• the impacts of those choices / decisions as the economy begins to recover
• recommendations on how small local governments can and should respond to dramatic
economic change
Links:
Laxgalts’ap Village Government - Community Development Plan update 2010 COMPLETED
This research partnership between the La xgalts’ap Village Government and the Community Development Institute at UNBC focuses on La xgalts’ap’s Community Development Plan. The La xgalts’ap Village Government is part of the Nisga’a First Nation and is formally constituted under terms of the Nisga’a Treaty. The purpose is to review the previous Community Development Plan and talk with local residents to create an “update” on achievements as well as a framework for actions towards their next Community Development Plan. This project was completed in December 2010.
District of Clearwater - Community Economic Development Plan 2011 COMPLETED
This research partnership between the District of Clearwater and UNBC’s Community Development Institute reviewed past community and economic development plans and talked with local residents to create a new Community Economic Development plan for the District and the surrounding Electoral Area of the Thompson-Nicola Regional District. The Community Development Institute has a longstanding relationship with the people and communities of the North Thompson Valley.
Links:
Norman Lake - Foundations of Cottage Culture 2010 COMPLETED
Recreational cottage properties are a common part of the rural Canadian
landscape. This study explored the changing nature of cottage property
development and use. The goal was to gain a better understanding of the
human and natural landscape connections that attract cottagers to their
recreational properties, and also the changing nature of cottaging
communities. In addition to this study at Norman Lake, a companion study
was carried out in the ‘cottage country’ lakes area of central Finland.
Links:
Voluntarism, Ageing and Place: A Critical Review 2010 COMPLETED
Population aging coupled with changes in the delivery of health and continuing care services means that more attention must be paid to the role of the voluntary sector (formal and informal) in providing needed services in rural and small town places. This project undertook a critical review of the available literature in the topics of volunteerism, population aging, rural health and social care, and rural and small town community development. The purpose of the project was to provide a better understanding of the pressures facing small communities in supporting older residents via voluntary services.
Voluntarism, Ageing and Place: A Critical Review Final Report
“Northern Rockies Partnership: Building the Region Together!” 2009 On-going
Two research institutes at UNBC, together with the Fraser Basin Council, are working to assist the Northern Rockies Regional Municipality (NRRM) with the development, establishment, and initial implementation of a proposed “Northern Rockies Partnership: Building the Region Together!”
Over the last four decades, the Northern Rockies region of northeastern British Columbia has experienced economic ‘boom’ and ‘bust’ situations due to the growth and decline of numerous resource development activities. The Community Development Institute (CDI) and the Natural Resources and Environmental Studies Institute (NRESi) at UNBC are assisting with the creation of a more integrative and collaborative dialogue approach to community and resource development that will bring together regional First Nations communities, natural resource industries, the provincial government, and the NRRM.
The Northern Rockies Partnership – Building the Region Together! presents a significant opportunity for the First Nation communities, the oil and gas sector, the provincial government, and the NRRM to work together to ensure a sustainable and prosperous future for the region. The partnership signifies a special kind of collaborative process that could result in substantive benefits to each of the parties. Initial work began in April 2009, and already there are several initiatives underway to start this partnership dialogue process.
Links:
http://www.northernrockies.ca/
http://www.unbc.ca/nres/institute_overview.html
United Way of Northern British Columbia 2009 COMPLETED
The United Way has recently reorganized the way it delivers programming across northern BC. The United Way of Northern British Columbia now serves a region that extends from Quesnel to the Yukon border, and from the Alberta border to the Queen Charlotte Islands. The CDI at UNBC is working with the United Way of Northern British Columbia to collect and organize information that will support United Way activities in these northern communities.
Information to be collected includes socio-demographic summaries for incorporated municipalities and surrounding rural areas, as well as local interviews to identify emerging issues and needs within communities. Collected through a consistent and rigorous methodology, the information will assist communities and regional districts to better understand the social challenges and pressures faced by their communities and work within local partnerships to address those issues. Addressing social issues will have a direct impact on the economic stability, quality of life, and sustainability of northern communities. It will also assist the United Way of Northern British Columbia with strategic planning, fund-raising campaigns, and program investments. The research will take the CDI team to more than 26 communities.
Link: http://pguw.bc.ca/index.php
United Way of Northern BC - Summary Report
National Network for Urban Aboriginal Economic Development 2008 - 2011 COMPLETED
The National Network for Urban Aboriginal Economic Development was supported by three year grants from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, the Office of the Federal Interlocutor at Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, and by a one year grant from the Economic Development Branch at Indian and Northern Affairs Canada. The network is coordinated by Greg Halseth from UNBC’s CDI and Ray Gerow from the Prince George Aboriginal Business Development Centre.
The objective was to develop an open and inclusive multi-stakeholder national network of researchers, practitioners, and policy makers working in urban Aboriginal and Métis communities. This includes organizations, universities, federal/provincial/municipal governments, private industry, community groups, and NGO’s. The network’s focus is on mobilizing economic development knowledge and strengthening organizational capacity.
The tasks included building the network, fostering a better understanding of the key issues, hosting national conferences, and establishing local Learning Circles to facilitate knowledge exchange and capacity building. The network includes more than 25 organizations across Canada.
Link: http://abdc.bc.ca/uaed/
Omineca Beetle Action Coalition’s Future Forest Summit 2009 COMPLETED
On September 19th, 2008, a Future Forest Summit was hosted at UNBC
through a partnership between UNBC’s Community Development Institute
(CDI) and the Omineca Beetle Action Coalition (OBAC). Results from the
Summit were to inform OBAC’s “Future Forest Products and Fibre Use
Strategy”. With a focus on future forest and fibre opportunities, the
central message was that communities want the future forest to support
economic opportunity (for a range of small to large economic players),
quality of life, and the environmental services that protect both
economic and quality of life assets. The discussion focussed on the
need to create viable community futures. This included attention to
keeping resource revenues in the north to sustain social and economic
development, and to renew infrastructure for moving into more diverse
and viable future economies.
Funding for this project came from Western Economic Diversification Canada’s Community Economic Development Initiative and OBAC.
OBAC Non-Timber Forest Resources, Information Compendium
OBAC Non-Timber Forest Resources, Overview
CDI OBAC Future Forest Summit Final Report
Community Transition Toolkit 2008 COMPLETED
The CDI has combined available community transition best practices with its own Economic Emergency Transition Toolkit (created in partnership with the District of Mackenzie). In partnership with Omineca Beetle Action Coalition (OBAC), we now have a suite of tools for assisting community transition and preparedness planning. Click here to view the Community Transition Toolkit reports.
Northern BC Economic Development Vision and Strategy Project 2004 COMPLETED
The Northern BC Economic Development Vision and Strategy Project coordinated a set of meetings across northern BC to collect input and recommendations from a diverse set of stakeholder groups. Through a series of individual interviews and facilitated workshops, this input focused on the key issues of a northern vision, supportive policy development, community and infrastructure investment, and regional coordination.
The project undertook a community driven process that reviewed key challenges and opportunities relative to the economic development and diversification of northern BC communities. The final report identified a framework for action aimed at creating the mechanisms necessary to engage, mobilize, and coordinate key resources and stakeholders for the creation of a northern economic development strategy. Since completion, many of the report recommendations have been enacted by various levels of government.
Funding for the project came from Western Economic Diversification.
From Planning to Action: Reconciling Community Development Strategies with Regional Assets and Infrastructure 2006 COMPLETED
The
purpose of this project is to produce information that will help to
overcome a persistent barrier in economic development planning: the gap
between planning and implementation. Across northern BC, people
have told the research team that their communities are frustrated by
being “studied to death” while not seeing their efforts translated into
viable action. The findings and ongoing research associated with
the Northern BC Economic Development Vision and Strategy Project
illustrate that there are two significant gaps that contribute to this
impasse: 1) community economic development options, plans, and
strategies fail to adequately address and integrate the capabilities
and capacities of the local and regional infrastructure and assets; and
2) proposed strategies fail to adequately comprehend or consider
practical questions of competitive advantage, on their own and in
association with a more regional approach. The project used a
case study approach to explore this gap between planning and
implementation with a view to demonstrating how to reconcile
local/regional assets and aspirations with the array of economic
development possibilities.
Warmth of Welcome
Project 2007-2009 On-going
Through
collaborative and action research plans, Catherine Nolin, Greg Halseth, and
members of the Immigrant and Multicultural Services Society (IMSS) will work
together to highlight the barriers to, and needs for, the strengthened
participation of new immigrants in northern community life as well as develop
recommendations and concrete initiatives which foster more inclusive and
welcoming communities for new immigrants in northern BC. A dearth of research
on non-metropolitan immigrant settlement in Canada means that
the experience of whole regions of the country is little understood. Activities
are being carried out in Fort St. John, Prince
George, and Terrace.
Service Industry
Sector Project 2009 COMPLETED
Much has been written about the
transformation of the North American economy and the rise of the Service
Industry sector. As knowledge and information become increasingly valued
commodities, the need for workers in all components of the Service Industry
sector will be crucial to extracting increased value and GDP
from the traditional basic sectors of the economy. Employment
pressures/shortages within the Service Industry sector means that this has
emerged as a critical labour market issue in northern BC. With funding from
Service Canada, this project seeks to delineate this labour market issue and
identify practical responses to addressing gaps/needs in both the short and
long term.
These project reports include:
Old Massett Village Council 5 Year Human Resources Strategic Plan 2007 COMPLETED
The Old Massett Village Council (OMVC)
identified this project as a way to create a five year human resource strategy
for the community. The goal is to take the ideas and things that people want to
do, and organize them into a plan that Old Massett can start working on today
that builds towards broader goals and objectives for the community.
John Disney at the economic development
department of the OMVC took the lead on developing the Our Future in Motion
Five Year Strategy. The Community Development Institute (CDI) from the
University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC) was asked to help the community
identify its priorities and to write a report using what the community had
said. Funding for the Our Future in Motion project was provided by Service
Canada.
For further information on this project
please contact John Disney, Economic Development Officer, Village of Old Massett
at: ecdev@mhtv.ca
Village of Old Massett Economic Development Strategy 2007 COMPLETED
The purpose of this project was to
develop an economic development strategy for the village
of Old Massett. The work was
carried out by a research team from the Community Development Institute at UNBC
with the goal to provide community decision-makers with information relevant to
local economic development strategies. Funding for the project was through the
Office of Economic Development of Old Massett Village Council. The project
involved a review of existing economic development materials and an analysis of
existing Old Massett economic development materials so as to create a
comprehensive Economic Development Strategy for the Village
of Old Massett.
RV
Travellers Study 2007 COMPLETED
The RV market has been largely neglected by
tourism bureaus in their marketing efforts and also remains under-researched.
With more and more baby boomers retiring, RVing is expected to boom. Increasing
sales figures for RVs in North America despite rocketing gas prices suggest that the RV market is growing.
Destinations, attractions and campgrounds that would like to cater to this ever
greater number of RVers will need to understand how to serve this particular
type of traveler.
To this end, a research study was conducted
by Dr. Anne Hardy at the University of Northern British Columbia and Dr. Ulrike
Gretzel at Texas A&M University with the support of the BC Real Estate
Foundation, the Elkhart County Convention & Visitors Bureau, Tourism
British Columbia, the Northern British Columbia Tourism Association, the
Northern Rockies Alaska Highway Tourism Association, Tourism Dawson Creek and
the Texas Association of Campground Owners. The goal of the study was to elicit
motivations and expectations from RVers and to gain insights into their
specific travel and trip planning behaviours.
A research methodology including
quantitative and qualitative methods was developed to reach the study goal. Dawson Creek, BC was selected as
the study site as it represents an important RV destination. Two focus groups
with 12 participants each were conducted at the Dawson Creek
visitor center in early June 2006. A total of 50 in-depth interviews with RVers
were conducted at various sites in Dawson Creek from
mid-June to the end of July. A total of 860 self-completed surveys were
collected from RVers in the area from early June to late August 2006.
For further information on this study
please contact the Project Directors:
Ulrike Gretzel
Assistant Professor and Director
Laboratory for Intelligent Systems in
Tourism
Dept. of Recreation, Park and Tourism
Sciences
Texas A&M University
2261 TAMU
College Station, TX 77843-2261
EMAIL: ugretzel@tamu.edu
WEBSITE: http://www.rpts.tamu.edu/list
Anne Hardy
Assistant Professor
Outdoor Recreation and Tourism Program
University of Northern British
Columbia
3333 University
Way
Prince George, BC
Economic Development Framework of Small Communities in Canada 2004 COMPLETED
In 2003 – 2004, the Community Development Institute partnered with the Rural and Small Town Studies Centre at Mount Allison University on a project to create an analytical tool to assess the size, population density, economic characteristics, and economic maturity status of small communities in Canada. The project developed a framework by which to gauge the stage of economic development of small communities, and the presence and direction of any trends. The project was funded by CMHC as a result of their interest in Special Risk Communities.
The project included 4 phases:
Phase I – develop an inventory of “small” communities, with appropriate definitions/rationales
Phase II – develop a method for “clustering” communities into economic sectors or activities
Phase III – develop a framework for assessing stage of economic development activity
Phase IV – test framework with real world Canadian examples
Housing Transitions in Single-Industry 'Instant Towns' 2000 COMPLETED
The local housing market in single-industry, resource dependent communities is influenced by the health of the local resource industry. Restructuring pressures within the resource sector directly affect local housing markets. This research examined two single-industry 'instant towns' in Canada (Mackenzie and Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia) and tracked transitions in the local housing market as the economic fortunes of the local industry and community changed over time. An understanding of these isolated markets is needed to inform government policy, resource companies, local decision-makers, and households/investors in these housing markets. The project:
1. Developed an historical portrait of single-industry instant town housing markets.
2. Identified and tracked past corporate strategies around the local housing stock.
3. Identified the nature and scale of economic benefits or costs which may accrue to households in the housing market.
4. Identified the nature and scale of economic benefits and costs which may accrue to institutions such as resource companies or Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation.
The project was funded by Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation’s Standard External Research Grant program.
Tumbler Ridge Community Transition Study 2002 COMPLETED
The community of Tumbler Ridge is in a state of
transition. Rapid changes since the March 2000 announcement of
the Quintette mine closure are being undertaken as part of a community
revitilisation strategy. During the transition, informaition on
the makeup and needs of local residents will be useful to a range of
groups, service providers and decision-makers in Tumbler Ridge.
This need for timely and relevant information about how the community
is changing has been made more urgent as a result of a second round of
playoffs involving Quintette's reclamation crew and the success of the
Tumbler Ridge Housing Corporation's sale of properties.
Types
of information needed during this transition include socio-economic
profiles of residents to see how the town is changing, identification
of program and activity needs for the recreation centre and for local
service providers (especially unmet needs), patterns of housing use, a
review of community quality of life issues, and patterns of local
participation by residents. People and groups in Tumbler Ridge are
interested in this survey because of the information they need to
adjust to changing local circumstances.
As a result of pressures associated with community
transition, a questionnaire survey of residents and property owners was
undertaken in the fall of 2001. The questionnaire process was developed
in concert with a number of partners including the District of Tumbler
Ridge, the Tumbler Ridge Employment Development Services Committee, the
Community Transition Branch in the Local Government Department of the
Provincial Ministry of Community, Aboriginal, and Women's Services, and
the University of Northern British Columbia's Northern Land Use
Institute. The questionnaire was carried out under the direction
of Greg Halseth of the Geography Program at the University of Northern
British Columbia.
Trusts Governance
Review 2007
COMPLETED
At the request of the
Cariboo-Chilcotin Beetle Action Coalition, the CDI
completed a review of various regional trusts within BC and around western North
America. Products included a summary of key features and issues
faced by each of the reviewed trusts. A ‘Trusts Review’ report summarizes
information on over 17 regional trusts, while a ‘Trends Report’ outlines
emerging issues in the structure and organization of trust governance.
Northern Medical
Program Evaluation 2007-2009 On-going
A group of researchers at both UNBC
and UBC, led by Dr. Neil Hanlon in UNBC’s Geography Program, received a
research grant from the BC Medical Services Foundation to evaluation the impact
of the Northern Medical Program on physician recruitment and retention in its
host community. A specific focus was to be on the role
of social capital and social cohesion. The CDI
will design a questionnaire and use it to interview local physicians and NMP
organizers. The CDI will also provide
analysis of the social capital building aspects of the NMP.
Tourism and Development Foundation Project 2005
COMPLETED
Between May and October of 2005, CDI staff along with faculty from
UNBC's Resource Recreation and Tourism Program developed new
connections with organizations in the tourism sector. Our
research has shown that tourism plays an important but little studied
part of northern BC's economy. Building upon the Northern BC
Economic Development Vision and Strategy Project, and with funding
support from Western Economic Diversification Canada, this project
explored some of the opportunities and challenges for the tourism
sector.
These project reports include:
New Rural Economy Project - Canadian Rural Revitalization Foundation 1998-2009 On-going
Under this initiative, 15 university researchers
(across Canada) are joining with rural people and policy makers to help
build capacity in rural Canada. Their research and education
projects pursue four themes relevant to rural society: communications,
environment, services, and governance.
Experiences of Occupational Therapists Practicing in Northern BC 2008
COMPLETED
Rural and remote communities often have more limited health and care services. Part of this is due to diffculting recruiting and retaining health care professionals. This study aims to learn from the experiences of occupational therapists practicing in northern BC in order to contribute to the planning and provision of better systems of professional support. The study examines various aspects of occupational therapy practice in the region, and various issues around recruitment, retention, and the skills and supports required to practice in rural and remote settings.
Click here for a PDF copy of the report
McBride and Area Skills Inventory Assessment Survey 2004
COMPLETED
The community of McBride, and its surrounding area, is emerging from
a transition period. During the past two years, some dramatic changes
have taken place with moves of late contributing to an improving
economy in the McBride area.
The McBride and Area Industrial Adjustment Committee has identified
a community priority to support the expansion of existing businesses
and be ready for the introduction of new businesses. A Skills Inventory
Assessment Survey will help identify the skills, education, experience,
and local interests of the workforce in the McBride area. This tool
will be very useful for existing businesses that are expanding as well
as for new businesses.
For more details: http://web.unbc.ca/geography/faculty/greg/print_research.shtml
Quesnel 2020 Project 2003-2005 On-going(change to be completed)
The Quesnel 2020 Project was an initiative of the Quesnel Community and Economic Development Corporation (QCEDC) designed to address the significant economic and social opportunities and challenges facing the community by envisioning a desirable economic future and mapping out a clear and practical strategy to get there. CDI Director Greg Halseth assisted the Quesnel 2020 Project Team. This project is being updated through an integrated community sustainability planning exercise.
For more details: http://www.quesnel.ca/Sustainability.html
The Heart Of The Community:
Tracing The Role Of The Peace River Women's Institutes 2005
COMPLETED
Social and voluntary organizations play a central role in the
creation and maintenance of rural and small town communities. For more
than 100 years, the Federated Women's Institutes of Canada have been
active in Canada's agricultural communities. At present, limited
historical records are available on the Peace River region's Women's
Institutes. Through a research partnership involving faculty at
Northern Lights College, the University of Northern British Columbia,
local museums, archives, and libraries in the Peace River region, this
collaborative and interdisciplinary project seeks to record and
document the history of the area's Women's Institutes (WIs). The
project will collect information through a set of oral histories with
long-time WI members and will digitally scan and record photographs and
other documents which trace the history of individual WIs. This digital
information will then be returned to participating WIs, stored in
regional museums and archives, made available via a website linked to
local history websites, and copies stored at the Northern BC Archives
at the University of Northern British Columbia.
For more details:
Implications of Changing Commuting Patterns on Non Resource Town Sustainability:
The Example of Mackenzie, British Columbia 2000
COMPLETED
Single-industry, resource-based towns remain a dominant feature in
Canada's north. Many of these towns struggle with the dual pressures of
single-industry dependence and resource sector restructuring. To move
away from this position, attention is now being given to providing
people with information about the kinds of changes occurring within
their community so that they can deal with risk factors, ameliorate
negative impacts, and plan for their town's future. This report looks
at one issue facing many small resource towns - the loss of population
to larger centres - and provides information which local
decision-makers can use to build strategies suited to their community.
In particular, this study looks at the phenomena of “extra-community”
commuting in Mackenzie, British Columbia, among employees of the major
forest product facilities. The research was a partnership between UNBC,
the District of Mackenzie, the Mackenzie Chamber of Commerce, and the
three major forest industry firms and their union locals operating in
town.
For more details:
Greg Halseth, UNBC, halseth@unbc.ca
Click here for a PDF copy of the report
2003 Northwest Shopping Study 2005 COMPLETED
The University of Northern British Columbia's Rural
and Small Town Studies Program works with residents, service providers,
voluntary organisations, business organisations, and decision makers to
identify factors that contribute to the changing social and economic
nature of rural and small town places in British Columbia. This
study focuses upon three key aspects of local economies including
changing residential and employment patterns, chanding shopping
patterns, and economic leakage. In particular, this research
explores shopping and commuting patterns in the Northwest region of
B.C. with a specific focus upon Kitimat, Prince Rupert, and
Terrace.
Over
the past thirty years, transportation infrastructure has been greatly
improved in northern B.C. With these improvements, and an increase in
alternative media and communication methods, the rural and small town
retail landscape is changing. Consumers are choosing to shop in other
communities (out-shopping) where they perceive the shopping may be
better or they use alternative methods, such as the Internet, to
purchase goods. This ‘extra-community’ commuting for shopping results
in economic leakage where wages earned in one town may be spent on
goods and services in another town. Studies have shown that the
availability of goods and services, perceptions about local shopping
services, and community satisfaction are important in shopping
behaviours.
This report provides information to help residents,
businesses, service providers, and policy makers of each community
adjust to changing circumstances. This research is funded by the Canada
Research Chair in Rural and Small Town Studies. The work was carried
out under the direction of Greg Halseth of the Geography Program at the
University of Northern British Columbia.
Bulkley Valley Community Resources Board Project 2003
COMPLETED
This project explores how public input was
conceptualised and incorporated into the Bulkley Land and Resource
Management Plan (Bulkley LRMP) process with the purpose to analyse the
level of input that was achieved. The following steps were
taken in efforts to realise this task:
- Identification of past public participation in resource
management processes in the Bulkley Valley and contrasting their level
of input with the Bulkley Valley Community Resources Board (BVCRB);
- Illustration of how the BVCRB was established;
- Determination of how the members of the Board were selected and whether they represent the public of the
Bulkley Forest District (BFD);
- Exploration of the role the Board played in developing the Bulkley LRMP.
Robson/Canoe Valleys - Services and Community Development Project 2003
COMPLETED
One of the key sources of historical information used
by the Rural and Small Town Studies Team are local newspapers. For
this project we read all the editions of the papers we could get a hold
of and identified issues and stories for later references and analysis.
In the Robson and Canoe valleys we used the time period 1970 to 2002 to
frame our research. The year 1970 is about 10 years before the
recession of the early 1980s, a point in time considered by many to
have marked a turning point in B.C.'s resource economy. For this
time period we read through available editions of the:
-
Robson Valley Courier;
-
Canoe Mountain Echo; and
-
Valley Sentinel
In this process, we recorded article topics and
headlines, by date and by page number. This report includes a summary
list of that newspaper information and we are pleased to make it
available to the people of the Robson and Canoe valleys. We hope that
it can be a useful starting point for research into issues from the
recent past.
BC Resource Communities Project - Public Participation in Resource Management
2003
COMPLETED
This
research investigated community dynamics and factors influencing effective
participation and decision-making in British Columbia’s resource dependent communities.
The research identified defining elements of “community” which are key to
effective participation in community development decision-making and resource
planning, allocation and management. The research findings will be of direct
value to managers seeking to maximize returns on community development
assistance and those seeking to make effective use of community involvement in
the new types of consultation processes.
Can New Information Technology Build/Maintain a Civil Society: Community Economic Development Centre, Simon Fraser University 1997
COMPLETED
Distance Education
Lessons: The case of McBride - Prince George BC
2007-2009 COMPLETED
Under the direction of visiting
scholar Dr. Rosemary Raygada-Watanabe, the CDI
is examining the video education linkage between McBride
Secondary School and DP Todd
Secondary School in Prince George.
Given the challenge that rural and small town places have with providing
services, it is crucial that new information technology be investigated as a
possible source of assistance. This project examines the case study with a view
to identifying lessons on the application of distance teaching video
technologies.
'North First'
Community Dialogue Project 2007-2009 On-going
The purpose of
this project is to conduct community-based interviews in UNBC’s service region.
Across community landscapes that are experiencing increasing pressures from
social, demographic, economic, and political change, part of UNBC’s mandate has
been to provide needed education and research services. This project is being
undertaken at the request of UNBC’s Vice-President and Provost as part of an
initiative to better connect UNBC’s activities with the needs of its service
region. Two basic questions drive the interviews; “what do our communities need
to know?” and “what would they like the university to do?”
|
|
