Small (rural) communities in Canada are at a crossroads. Massive shifts in the economic and social structures of 21st Century Canada are having an escalating impact on our small communities, and, without change, the effects will continue to increase. We are determined that our communities will successfully buck the trends. We will shift gears and refocus our strategies to meet demographic and economic change, most strikingly marked by declining, aging populations and a reduced primary resource based economy.
A strategy based on solid research:
The 2010 Economic Assembly will benefit from a knowledge base of solid research. For example, Mark Partridge, Swank Professor in Rural-Urban Policy, The Ohio State University has conducted extensive research about rural (small) communities in Canada and the United States, and their future in the 21st Century economy. Rather than follow the latest economic fad or quick fix, he presents a more grounded and research-base view of the coming challenges and how to successfully address them.
His top-level observations include 1 :
- Recognize rural-urban interdependencies
- Regions that realize they are linked will have a competitive advantage in the global economy.
- Regionalism is the real sleeping giant for rural communities for sustainability.
- The 21st Century will belong to places that use their knowledge to leverage their assets.
- Rural communities should be attractive to knowledge workers
- Quality of life, pleasant environment, sustainable development—this is good economics!
- Business retention and attraction makes much more sense than tax incentives for outside investment.
- Treat all businesses alike.
- If you build a good climate for investment, your own businesses will thrive and STAY.
- Focus on realities such as emerging regions that the people have self formed—the politicians lag what the people are doing.
- Adopt good strategies that don’t require perfect foresight.
- You just need to make it such that the best firms want to be where you are.
- Education & entrepreneurship are keys.
A Call to Action:
Supported by high-quality information and creative thinking, the 2010 Economic Assembly will launch an action plan that works for our region. The Assembly recognizes that there are no “quick fixes,” and that meaningful change will take at least five years to gain traction and take hold 2 . Given the current state of the economy there is no better time to start than now.
(1) Prof. Mark Partridge, Swank Professor In Rural-Urban Policy, Department of Agricultural, Environmental and Development Economics, The Ohio State University
(2) IBID
