Bio

The International Centre for Governance and Development (ICNGD) refocused its mission and mandate to concentrate on the Circumpolar North and its relationship to Northern Saskatchewan in the winter of 2008-09. With an emphasis on innovation, the goal of the newly formed ICNGD is to further research, graduate training, and capacity building around the issues of governance and development – economy, environment, social and health – in partnership with northern and Aboriginal communities, industry, and government.

The ICNGD draws together an impressive network of researchers from not only the University of Saskatchewan, but also the Circumpolar world, to address questions of governance and development in the North. They examine everything from models of First Nations self-government, to innovation and wealth-generation strategies, to finding new ways to manage resource development and ensure environmental stewardship.

The Centre provides a powerful forum for partnerships among northern communities, including First Nations and municipal; provincial, and federal governments; industry stakeholders, and; the university community. The North has often led the way in developing partnerships, from local to international, that foster mutual understanding, cooperation and capacity building which together seeks prosperity for all.

Brandon University has been a cornerstone of the City of Brandon and southwestern Manitoba for over a century. Throughout this time, Brandon University has maintained its foundation as a rurally-based university with strong national and international links. Brandon University established the Rural Development Institute (RDI) in 1989 as an academic research center and a leading source of information on issues affecting rural communities in Western Canada and beyond.

RDI functions as a not-for-profit research and development organization designed to promote, facilitate, coordinate, initiate and conduct multi-disciplinary academic and applied research on rural issues. Fosters community development and resiliency through research and information sharing on issues and opportunities unique to rural, remote and northern communities. RDI provides an interface between academic research efforts and the community by acting as a conduit of rural research information and by facilitating community involvement in rural development. Projects are characterized by cooperative and collaborative efforts of multi-stakeholders.

 Assiniboine Community College (ACC) is an accredited college with the Government of Manitoba Council on Post-Secondary Education. ACC is committed to being a college that is the first choice of students, that students enjoy attending, that students are proud to graduate from and whose graduates are sought after by employers. The college has been in the business of providing quality education and training to residents of western Manitoba for almost 50 years. For staff and students alike, ACC offers a learning environment that is leading-edge and vital. Our students can obtain a solid, well-rounded and affordable education.

The Institute of Island Studies is a research, education, and public policy institute based at the University of Prince Edward Island, Charlottetown, Canada. With an emphasis always on Prince Edward Island, the work of the Institute focuses on the culture, environment, and economy of small islands. Since its founding in June 1985, the principal activity of the Institute has been the initiation and co-ordination of research projects and public engagement activities. Areas of special interest have included Island culture, sustainable development, land use, and the knowledge economy. The topics dealt with have ranged from the present state of the Gaelic language on Prince Edward Island to a profile of traditional agricultural practices. 

The Department of Geography and Environmental Studies provides undergraduate and graduate education in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The Department provides a breadth of geography and environmental studies training for students and is highly engaged with the broader community. The Department is also member of the Saint Mary’s University School of the Environment.

The Canadian Rural Revitalization Foundation (CRRF) was established in 1989 to contribute to the revitalization and sustainability of rural Canada through collaborative research for rural leaders in the community, private sector, and in all levels of government. CRRF works to create credible insights and to improve our understanding of issues and opportunities that are of common interest to rural residents across Canada. Knowledge and better understanding are the fundamental pillars for the welfare of rural communities and environments.

CRRF is an organization comprised of members from across Canada, with diverse international links, representing rural leaders, rural organizations, development practitioners, government policy makers, researchers, students, and other stakeholders interested in the future of rural Canada. CRRF explores a diversity of issues, including rural health and social provision, local and regional economies, local government and community governance, education, organization development, environmental management and stewardship, and many others facets of life and livelihood in rural Canada. Each year CRRF co-hosts a national conference to share lessons learned, research findings, and discuss key rural issues. In addition to the national conference, CRRF hosts and participates in workshops, forums, and symposia to advance rural issues in Canada.

The Canadian Community Economic Development Network (CCEDNet) is a national association of several hundred organizations and individuals in every province and territory committed to strengthening communities by creating economic opportunities that enhance social and environmental conditions. 

Founded in 1951, The Canadian Association of Geographers is the only national organization in Canada representing practicing geographers. Members include those who work in the public and private sectors and in universities, and draws from over 15 countries internationally.

Through the CAG journal, The Canadian Geographer (TCG) / Le Géographe canadien (LGC) the CAG is committed to the dissemination of geographic research. The aim of journal is to publish cutting edge geographical research with strong contemporary resonance that challenge the status quo, promote social justice and address significant social, scientific and technical issues in Canada and globally.

The Association of American Geographers (AAG) is a nonprofit scientific and educational society founded in 1904. For more than 100 years the AAG has contributed to the advancement of geography. Its members from more than 60 countries share interests in the theory, methods, and practice of geography, which they cultivate through the AAG’s Annual Meeting, scholarly journals (Annals of the Association of American Geographers, The Professional Geographer andAAG Review of Books), and the online AAG Newsletter. The AAG promotes discussion among its members and with scholars in related fields, in part through the activities of its affinity groups and more than 60 specialty groups.

The Regional Studies Association works with its international membership to facilitate the highest standards of theoretical development, empirical analysis and policy debate of issues at this sub-national scale, incorporating both the urban and rural and different conceptions of space such as city-regions and interstitial spaces. We are, for example, interested in issues of economic development and growth, conceptions of territory and its governance and in thorny problems of equity and injustice.

The Association’s journals, magazines and books, along with our global-to-local series of conferences and events position us as a key forum in shaping and disseminating advances in regional studies and science. Members come from economics, geography, political science, planning and sociology backgrounds. Most work in academia but many are working in policy and practice, and membership is truly global.

 The Economic Developer’s Council of Ontario provide leadership to enhance the professional development of its members; advance economic development as a profession and support our municipalities in fostering economic prosperity in the province of Ontario.

 Rural Resilience is a group of researchers (community-based, government, and academic) focused on rural and regional development issues. This website showcases current and recently completed research initiatives.