Canadian Rural Partnership
Advisory Committee on Rural Issues

Report of Research Subcommittee

June 2003

The following four research areas represent a collation of topics. Within each area, sub-headings denote some of the specific research topics.

1. Rural-Urban Interdependence. Recognizing and measuring rural-urban interdependence is a priority for understanding the realities of mutual well-being and communicating the importance of a strong rural Canada. It is a complex intersection of dimensions such as social, economic, cultural, and amenity values and uses. Some of the questions that may be addressed are:


1. What is the value of rural (rural places, rural environment, rural amenities, rural population, rural markets, rural labour force) to Canada's urban population?

2. What is the value of urban (urban markets, urban centres of economic activity, employment opportunities) to rural Canada?

3. How can the rural-urban dialogue/communication be enhanced?

Specific issues that could form a more exact research focus might be the rural contributions and costs associated with national commitments in the Kyoto accord.

2. Rural Population Size Determinants. One of the most apparent problems encountered by rural communities is the loss of population, sometimes concentrated in particular age cohorts. The determinants of the spatial distribution of population and its age structure are complex and multi-dimensional. Some of the components are:

1. Dynamics: natural increase, net migration, age-sex bias in migration, migration patterns over time, e.g. who returns, time frame, how, why; impact of aging population on a range of factors; e.g. service provision and resiliency of voluntary sector.

2. Relationship between population size/structure and employment opportunities, infrastructure (transportation, schools, hospitals, etc.), and amenities. What are the trade-offs? What are the necessary and sufficient conditions?

3. Rural population size may be difficult to measure or define because rural residence involves varying degrees of engagement in rural places. Depending on time and method of measurement shifts can be the result of such factors as seasonal residence (e.g., cottagers) and industrial activity. A major source of rural population growth in Canada over the past twenty years has been bedroom communities where a population resides in rural space but in most other ways are fully integrated into the urban community. How can rural population size and composition be best understood and reliably measured?

3. New Economic Bases of Rural Areas. In many rural areas, the traditional economic base no longer supports the rural population to the extent it once did, either due to depletion of resources or to the adoption of increasingly labour‑saving technologies that are necessary for production to remain competitive. For many areas, a new source of economic growth and stability is required. Some specific research questions are:

1. What is the New Economy in the rural context? What is the nature of the transformative change that is taking place?

2. How can we ensure rural participation in the New Economy? What are the economic, social, institutional and infrastructure requirements/constraints?

3. Are there governance structures, infrastructure complements, or institutional arrangements that can increase the probability of attracting and retaining economic activity in rural areas?

4. How can we maintain and improve productivity growth of rural economic sectors? Are there rural‑urban productivity gaps and to what extent do they reflect intra‑ versus inter‑industry differences?
4. Defining Rural. The diversity of rural areas and communities in Canada requires recognition of the diversity of challenges and strengths and the variation in potential solutions and strategies to frame the relevant research questions. Acknowledging the categories already established (rural, remote, etc.), there is room for further refinement of these categories. A precise and functional taxonomy of rural will, in most cases, be necessary to both clarify the challenges faced by rural Canada and to define strategies for pursuing appropriate solutions.

It is intended that the research priorities generated as a result of this process will provide a strategic research focus on rural issues at the national level. For example, the priorities identified here may serve as the basis for identifying a strategic research area for such organizations (among others) as the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, and the Industrial Research Assistance Program. In addition, federal government departments may use the research priorities as a guide for their in-house research. It is recognized that in most cases previous research will form the basis for the continued investigations.

ANNEX—Advisory Committee on Rural Issues: List of Members, June 2003

Caroline (Kay) Young - Chair
Newfoundland and Labrador

Danny Huxter
Newfoundland and Labrador

Teresa MacNeil
Nova Scotia

Maureen Campbell‑Ross
Prince Edward Island

Sue Calhoun
New Brunswick

Bruno Jean
Québec

James Aquino
Ontario

Mike McCracken
Ontario

Owen McAuley
Manitoba

Margaret Rose Olfert
Saskatchewan

Bob Church
Alberta

Greg Halseth
British Columbia

Ed Schultz
Yukon

Kathy Tsetso
Northwest Territories

Leonie McKitrick
Nunavut

Donna Mitchell (Ex officio)
Executive Director, Rural Secretariat

Date Modified: 2006-03-08

Important Notices

[ Français | Contact Us | Help | Search | Canada Site ] [ Home | News Releases | Key Rural Initiatives | Site Map | Publications ]