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A good career choice In the Quebec region of Nicolet-Bécancour, the natural resources sector, including agriculture and agri-food, is a major employer - about one in four work in the industry. But, as in regions across Canada, it's not always easy to entice young people between the ages of 14 and 24 to stay in rural areas as they decide on their future plans. So, the Nicolet-Bécancour Société d'aide au développement des collectivités (Community Futures Development Corporation) recently launched an innovative project called Découverte en agroalimentaire (Discovering Agri-Food), designed to encourage youth to choose agriculture and agri-food as a viable career move. Funded in part by the Canadian Agricultural Rural Communities Initiative, the project contains three components, all aimed at promoting employment and entrepreneurial prospects in farming, food processing and other agricultural services. High school students of the region will be invited to participate in awareness sessions, farm and business field trips, and entrepreneurship workshops. It's hoped the project can be expanded to other rural areas across the country in the future. Esther Côté, Senior Policy Adviser,
(418) 648-4820, ext. 313 Celebrating co-ops Co-operatives across the country were celebrated during this month's Co-op Week, but one of the biggest events occurred in the summer, with the launch of the five-year, $15 million Innovation and Research component of the Co-operative Development Initiative (CDI). Of that total, $5 million was earmarked for the Advisory Services program for co-operatives. The CDI is a Government of Canada program designed to help people develop co-operatives and to research and test innovative ways of using the co-op model to respond to today's social and economic challenges. Co-operatives are jointly-owned enterprises formed by people coming together to meet their needs and play a key role in retail, banking, housing and service sectors, along with agriculture and agri-food. The Advisory Services component provides expert assistance to groups who want to start new co-operatives, or who need help managing existing ones. The Innovation and Research component will study and demonstrate how co-operatives can be used successfully in new ways. More information is available at: www.agr.gc.ca/policy/coop or by calling, toll-free, 1-888-781-2222. Susie Miller, Director, Co-operatives Secretariat, (613) 759-7195 Connecting rural and urban lives 'Making the Connection' was the theme of the sixth annual conference of The Ontario Rural Council (TORC), held in Huntsville Oct. 20-21. Participants, including economic development planning professionals, business people, environmental groups, youth, tourism, First Nations and representatives of all levels of government, were slated to reflect on their perceptions of rural and urban Ontario and explore how those perceptions influence action. The conference offered workshops on a variety of topics, including health, volunteerism, community economic development, rural youth, the environment, and leadership and capacity building. Funded in part by the Rural Secretariat, TORC brings together over 40 organizations, private corporations and government representatives who share a commitment to building strong rural organizations and communities. Members identify issues and collaborate to develop innovative solutions and strengthen rural voices. More information on TORC is available at www.torc.on.ca or by calling (519) 826-3418. Nadine Goman, Senior Policy Adviser,
Ontario, (519) 837-8400 ext. 2455 Rural women's health study McMaster University researcher Ivy Lynn Bourgeault wants to hear about the state of health care for women living in rural and remote Canadian communities. Backed by funding from Status of Women Canada, Dr. Bourgeault and colleagues with the National Research Steering Committee on Rural and Remote Women's Health have expanded on a preliminary study that gathered information from about 30 focus groups across Canada. Initial results found the top three issues for rural women were: the decline in access to health services, the impression that health professionals stereotype rural women and that this affects their care, and the need for more female healthcare professionals. Now, she's especially looking for voluntary input from women who were missed in the initial study, particularly those in Quebec, the far North and the Maritimes, those under 35 or over 65, Hutterite and Mennonite women, women of colour, aboriginals who live on reserves, and disabled women or those looking after a disabled family member. Dr. Bourgeault defines rural women as those living in towns with populations under 10,000 or more than an hour away from medical specialists or major hospitals. To participate in the study, which has a December 31 deadline, contact the 24-hour, toll-free line at 1-888-818-9172, ext. 18 or online on the home page of the Canadian Women's Health Network website at: www.cwhn.ca Dr. Ivy Lynn Bourgeault,
(905) 525-9140, ext. 23832; Going to Extremes Moncton, New Brunswick is the host city for the upcoming Extreme Entrepreneurship Extrême Conference from Nov. 20-22. The conference, sponsored in part by the Rural Secretariat and organized by the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, will present entrepreneurs some of the tools needed to expand their businesses, as well as offer expert tips on acquiring the enthusiasm and business savvy needed to make a business succeed in a competitive market. There will be workshops touching on everything from trade and marketing to human resources and e-commerce. Kiosks, guest speakers and the Canada Pavilion containing information on Government of Canada services will also be offered over the three-day event, being held at the Delta Beauséjour Moncton. More information is available on the conference web site: www.xentrepreneurship.org Valérie Roy, Communications Advisor,
Atlantic Region, Rural Secretariat,
(506) 851-3325
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