David Bruce
Creating a Welcoming Community: an Example from Rural Nova Scotia, Canada.
This presentation summarizes the experiences of Cumberland County, Nova Scotia, as they struggle with out migration of youth and shrinking of the labour force. The economic development agency prepared a county-wide “repopulation strategy” with a focus on immigration attraction and youth retention. A key focus of the strategy is the establishment of “settlement teams” to help build a sense of “a welcoming community” and to assist new resident settle into the county.
David is the Director of the Rural and Small Town Programme, Mount Allison University. He has a BA in Geography from Mount Allison and an MA in Geography from UBC. David also holds an Adjunct Professor position in the Department of Geography at Mount Allison University.
David has knowledge and expertise in the field of rural community development and associated topics of housing, information technology adoption, home business issues, organizational growth and development, and community economic development. He has participated in more than 50 major research and outreach projects in rural Canada. He is a co-investigator in a $3M (CDN) research grant examining “Building Capacity of Rural Communities in the New Economy”, in which he heads up the “communication theme group”. David served as Secretary-Treasurer for the Canadian Rural Revitalization Foundation from 2002-2004. Most recently David’s work has involved project relating to population mobility and migration. He authored a discussion paper on Rural Repopulation for the Canadian government’s Rural Secretariat, in 2005, and he has worked with many municipalities and regional agencies in the development of community plans focusing on the intersection of labour force development, population issues, and migration.
David Bruce, Director, Rural and Small Town Programme
Adjunct Professor, Department of Geography
Mount Allison University
144 Main St., Sackville NB E4L 1A7
506-364-2395 fax 506-364-2601
dwbruce@mta.ca This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it , www.mta.ca/rstp
1. Regional Economic Development agencies
We have groups similar to the one in the West Fjords who are doing lots of work on all kinds of development activities
www.creda.net the group with whom we developed the repopulation strategy
www.nsarda.ca is the province-wide umbrella organization representing 13 such agencies
2. Research
- www.canada.metropolis.net - this is the homepage for the national network of research on migration and immigration, mostly urban-based.... go to the Atlantic network www.atlantic.metropolis.net for more rural and small town stuff - www.brandonu.ca/rdi/publications.asp#rural_immigration have done interesting things of interest to you
- www.ruralnovascotia.ns.ca
3. Federal government resources
- www.rural.gc.ca has some links on immigration and population issues
- www.cic.gc.ca/english/index.html - has all kinds of stats and programs and information of interest; they also have something called "Attracting and Retaining Immigrants: A Tool Box of Ideas for Smaller Centres" but I cannot find a web link for it.
Links:
This presentation summarizes the experiences of Cumberland County, Nova Scotia, as they struggle with out migration of youth and shrinking of the labour force. The economic development agency prepared a county-wide “repopulation strategy” with a focus on immigration attraction and youth retention. A key focus of the strategy is the establishment of “settlement teams” to help build a sense of “a welcoming community” and to assist new resident settle into the county.
David is the Director of the Rural and Small Town Programme, Mount Allison University. He has a BA in Geography from Mount Allison and an MA in Geography from UBC. David also holds an Adjunct Professor position in the Department of Geography at Mount Allison University.
David has knowledge and expertise in the field of rural community development and associated topics of housing, information technology adoption, home business issues, organizational growth and development, and community economic development. He has participated in more than 50 major research and outreach projects in rural Canada. He is a co-investigator in a $3M (CDN) research grant examining “Building Capacity of Rural Communities in the New Economy”, in which he heads up the “communication theme group”. David served as Secretary-Treasurer for the Canadian Rural Revitalization Foundation from 2002-2004. Most recently David’s work has involved project relating to population mobility and migration. He authored a discussion paper on Rural Repopulation for the Canadian government’s Rural Secretariat, in 2005, and he has worked with many municipalities and regional agencies in the development of community plans focusing on the intersection of labour force development, population issues, and migration.
David Bruce, Director, Rural and Small Town Programme
Adjunct Professor, Department of Geography
Mount Allison University
144 Main St., Sackville NB E4L 1A7
506-364-2395 fax 506-364-2601
dwbruce@mta.ca This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it , www.mta.ca/rstp
1. Regional Economic Development agencies
We have groups similar to the one in the West Fjords who are doing lots of work on all kinds of development activities
www.creda.net the group with whom we developed the repopulation strategy
www.nsarda.ca is the province-wide umbrella organization representing 13 such agencies
2. Research
- www.canada.metropolis.net - this is the homepage for the national network of research on migration and immigration, mostly urban-based.... go to the Atlantic network www.atlantic.metropolis.net for more rural and small town stuff - www.brandonu.ca/rdi/publications.asp#rural_immigration have done interesting things of interest to you
- www.ruralnovascotia.ns.ca
3. Federal government resources
- www.rural.gc.ca has some links on immigration and population issues
- www.cic.gc.ca/english/index.html - has all kinds of stats and programs and information of interest; they also have something called "Attracting and Retaining Immigrants: A Tool Box of Ideas for Smaller Centres" but I cannot find a web link for it.
Links:
