Funding programs

• The Canadian Agricultural Rural Communities Initiative (CARCI) developed through consultations with industry and stakeholders, was designed to enhance the viability of agricultural rural communities, especially those affected by changes in the agricultural sector. CARCI was allocated $9.3 million over three years (2000-2003) from the Canadian Adaptation and Rural Development fund in response to the fund's rural development priority. In all, 207 projects received approval. In Quebec CARCI funded 40 projects, resulting in an investment of $ 1 245 337.
• The Pilot Projects Initiative operated in four rounds, with a total of 321 projects approved for close to $12 million. Between 1998 and 2002, the Initiative addressed priority areas identified by rural Canadians for focused attention, such as the need for better access to financial resources and employment opportunities for youth, as well as better program and service delivery in rural areas. To be eligible for up to $50,000 per project, proposals were encouraged to be innovative, have local impact, respond to one of the 11 priorities identified by citizens, contribute to government priorities, develop a multi-partner approach, including shared contributions, and include an evaluation framework.
• The Rural Development Initiative (RDI) was a one-year program which approved 112 projects for almost $2.7 million in the 2001-2002 funding year. The primary focus in the RDI was on the fourth of 11 priority areas developed by rural Canadians: "Strengthening rural community capacity building, leadership and skills development." The overall objective of the RDI was to help rural and remote communities respond to community development challenges by supporting the development and adoption of long term, sustainable rural development strategies that strengthen their ability to build local solutions to local challenges. In Quebec, RDI funded 17 projects which represents an investment of $ 271 268.
• The Agriculture Rural Minority Language Community Planning Initiative (ARMLCPI) has approved close to $2 million to 42 approved projects in Canada. Its goal was to assist agricultural rural minority language communities build consensus on development options that draw on the community assets and balance economic, social and environmental objectives. The Initiative aimed to nurture the leadership already present in those communities, to strengthen communities to maximize their development potential by taking advantage of local opportunities and to diversify local economies. The Initiative ended on December 31, 2003.

Pilot Projects Initiative (1998-2002)

In Quebec, the Pilot Projects Initiative has funded 42 projects, resulting in an investment of $1,468,198.

Some examples of pilot projects carried out over the last four years are:

• The First Maison familiale rurale in North America (1998-1999)
• Portrait de villages (1999-2000)
• Integrated management of D'Alembert intramunicipal lots (2000-2001)

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The First Maison familiale rurale in North America (1998-1999)

In June 1998, a dozen volunteers from the Regional County Municipality of Le Granit in the Eastern Townships established a Maison familiale rurale (MFR). This new type of work-study school (alternating two weeks of work on a farm with two weeks of classes at the Maison familiale rurale) enables rural young people to receive an education adapted to their needs while remaining in their own community.

In its first year, the new educational institution welcomed 28 youth from the rural region of Le Granit and the surrounding areas who had completed Secondary II or III and wanted general and vocational training in agriculture and forestry. In 2001-2002, approximately 68 students in Secondary III, IV and V attended the Maison familiale rurale in Le Granit. The Coopérative de solidarité en formation et développement rural du Granit, the initiator of the project, acquired and expanded its premises and currently has six employees who provide food services, co-ordination and supervision to youth boarding at the school during the program.

The Coopérative de solidarité en formation et développement rural du Granit has 97 members, including the parents of students, workers at the Maison familiale rurale, farmers interested in acting as work experience instructors, various stakeholders in the agriculture and forestry sectors, and several caisses populaires. The Cooperative's role is to provide the residential and classroom premises and support staff required to run the school. The Cooperative also takes part in recruiting students and work experience instructors and promoting the institution. It worked with the Hauts-Cantons School Board to develop the educational project.

Getting the community involved enabled the Cooperative to collect over $160,000 in a fundraising campaign to build a residence to house 84 students.

The project's success helped the Coopérative de solidarité en formation et développement rural du Granit win the Distinction Nouvelle coopérative award last year, given by the Coopérative de développement de l'Estrie (CDE).

In August 2001, the Honourable Lyle Vanclief, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, also honoured the Cooperative by presenting it with the 2001 Rural Development Award for its outstanding contribution to rural development.

The Maison familiale rurale in Le Granit is also now part of an international network of similar establishments in about 30 countries. This international exposure gives the region tremendous visibility in terms of tourism and potential business exchanges.

This project was made possible by financial contributions from partners such as the Hauts-Cantons School Board, the Centre local de développement du Granit, the Maison familiale rurale de France, the Quebec Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (Eastern Townships office), the Coopérative de solidarité en formation et développement rural du Granit and the Government of Canada, which provided $51,000 through the Canadian Rural Partnership Pilot Projects Initiative to help get the project off the ground. The project was implemented thanks to a contribution from the Quebec Department of Education and the Hauts-Cantons School Board, which are leading partners in the Maison familiale rurale in Le Granit.

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Portrait de villages (1999-2000)

The Coalition urgence rurale du Bas-Saint-Laurent implemented a general education program for youth in the outlying rural communities of the Lower St. Lawrence seeking to know their community better. The aim of this activity/training program was to allow young people to learn more about their villages (history, governance, and present and past heritage) by guiding them through a seven-stage exploratory process, culminating in the production of an artistic work completed by the participants in each village. Over the longer term, the project was seen as a way of instilling in young people the desire to return to their villages after their post-secondary education, and to participate in the development of these communities to which they are strongly attached.

Sixty-five young people, supervised by regional instructors, participated in the project and presented 11 village profiles at a regional exhibition held at the University of Quebec at Rimouski (UQAR) in December 2000, and other local exhibitions. The project gave young people the opportunity not only to develop their capabilities but also to acquire a greater knowledge of their communities and to act as ambassadors of their villages at regional events.

This training project also had the benefit of establishing intergenerational links by involving adult volunteers as resource people in coaching youth in their exploration and production process. Eleven activity leaders were hired for one year to coach the youth in the discovery of their villages. These young professionals were assisted by a network of volunteers from agencies, schools and institutions in the community, who guided them in selecting and teaching the participants. The success of the Portrait de Villages project was ensured through contributions from local community service centres in Matane and Témiscouata, the Villes et Villages en Santé network, University of Quebec at Rimouski, Carrefour jeunesse emploi, Place aux Jeunes Rimouski-Neigette, representatives of the 11 participating municipalities and the Coalition urgence rurale du Bas-Saint-Laurent.

This project was made possible by financial contributions from partners such as the University of Quebec at Rimouski, the regional Carrefours jeunesse emploi, the municipalities, the Internet Community Access Centres, Health Canada, Human Resources Development Canada and the Canadian Rural Partnership Pilot Projects Initiative, which contributed $55,000.

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Integrated management of D'Alembert intramunicipal lots (2000-2001)

The municipality of D'Alembert in Abitibi-Témiscamingue was given the responsibility of managing its intramunicipal lots by the Quebec Department of Natural Resources. The undeveloped woodland covers an area of almost 4000 hectares (40 square kilometres).

Développement Opasatica, a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to contribute to the sustainable development of the agri-forestry sector while promoting training, research and the emergence of related organizations, proposed to develop the intramunicipal lots in D'Alembert using a community-based approach involving the integrated management of local resources. The sectors of activity targeted by this approach were: wildlife, flora, resorts, landscape protection, recreational tourism and development of the forest biomass.

The approach used in D'Alembert is innovative in two respects. The land will be managed and used according to a community-based approach. This means that a structure will be set up to allow each resident to actively participate in development of the land and the community's collective enrichment. At the same time, integrated resource management will require the harmonious development of all of the community's resources.

Two study projects were carried out to evaluate the potential of using the area's multiple resources within a framework of sustainable development and biodiversity conservation. These studies were performed in co-operation with several stakeholders, including the Quebec Department of the Environment and Wildlife, the Quebec Department of Natural Resources, the Fondation de la faune du Québec and the municipality of D'Alembert.

This project was made possible through the financial participation of the Quebec Department of Natural Resources, Développement Opasatica, the Fondation de la faune du Québec, Natural Resources Canada and the Canadian Rural Partnership, which contributed $15,500 through the Pilot Projects Initiative.

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