Prince George Hosts Workshop On Rural Issues
April 23, 2004 For Immediate
Release
Revitalizing rural regions across Canada is the objective of a national
think-tank that will be held on Prince George next Wednesday.
Organized by the Canadian Rural Revitalization Foundation (CRRF), the
Prince George event will attract 50 people from almost every Canadian
province who will discuss local governance and interaction between urban
and rural communities. Sessions will include municipal government issues,
education and health care, and technology support in rural areas. The
think tank will take place in the College of New Caledonia cafeteria from
9am - 5pm on Wednesday, April 28th. It will be followed by a reception
at UNBC's upper cafeteria that evening starting at 7pm.
"We'll be discussing fundamental issues related to the future of
communities nationwide," says Rob Greenwood from Newfoundland, President
of CRRF. "The Prime Minister's community agenda is sometimes interpreted
as a "big city" project, but all communities across Canada have
important issues that need to be addressed and a major one concerns the
interaction between urban and rural areas."
UNBC Geography professor Greg Halseth, a Canada Research Chair in Rural
and Small Town Studies, is part of CRRF's national research program focusing
on the New Rural Economy. "In northern BC, we've seen how Prince
George's growth as a retail, education, and health care centre has affected
its relationships with outlying communities. This experience is not unique
to our region and the interaction is essential for the long-term benefit
of both the urban and rural areas."
As part of the Prince George event, CRRF is signing an agreement with
the Federation of Canadian Municipalities to jointly explore opportunities
for rural Canada to enhance its economic, social, and environmental sustainability.
The signing of the agreement will take place during the reception at UNBC.
Over the past 16 years, CRRF has brought together researchers from more
than 20 universities and institutes across Canada, and published more
than 150 papers on rural community issues. Workshops such as the one in
Prince George have been hosted in nearly 30 locations across Canada.