As local governments from around northern BC gather in Smithers for their annual conference this week, a new book created by a UNBC professor sheds new light on the issues surrounding the renewal of rural communities in today’s global economy.

The Next Rural Economies is the result of a workshop held at UNBC two years ago that brought together rural and small-town experts from seven countries and more than 60 officials from northern BC to share their thoughts and opinions on the future of rural development. A unifying theme was to look beyond natural resource endowments and the challenges of isolation and distance to focus on the unique attributes of particular communities and regions.

“What emerged from the discussion was that northern BC is exceptionally well-placed with its abundance of assets and its understanding of the issues,” says Greg Halseth, a Geography professor and Canada Research Chair at UNBC who was the lead for the workshop and the resulting book. “What we still need, however, is more attention on mobilizing our assets in support of local aspirations.”

Dr. Halseth has coined the term “place-based economies” to describe this emerging focus on local advantages compared to previous rural development research that explored rural issues at the national or even international levels.

As part of the ongoing effort to connect communities with local research, the University’s Community Development Institute is presenting a number of talks in regional communities:

Victoria - May 5, co-sponsored by the Ministry of Energy and Mines, and the Ministry of Community Development
Dawson Creek – May 17, co-sponsored by the Lakeview Credit Union

Fort St John – May 18, co-sponsored by the Peace River Credit Union

Fort Nelson – May 19, co-sponsored by the Northern Rockies Regional Municipality

Williams Lake – May 27, co-sponsored by the Williams Lake and District Credit Union

Old Massett – June 8, co-sponsored by the Kluu Laanas Community Development Corporation and the Misty Isles Economic Development Society

Port Clements – June 9, co-sponsored by the Village of Port Clements and the Misty Isles Economic Development Society

Prince Rupert – June 15, co-sponsored by the City of Prince Rupert

Terrace – June 17, co-sponsored by the City of Terrace Burns Lake – June 18, co-sponsored by the Village of Burns Lake

Dr. Halseth is the Institute’s Director and founder.

The North Central Local Government Association annual conference is May 5-7 in Smithers. Part of the agenda will include a workshop on the proposed New North Foundation, which was originally proposed during the Premier’s Northern Economic Summit last year. The idea of the NNF is to further strengthen the relationship between communities and researchers to take advantage of “place-based” attributes.