Annual Rural Conferences

Since 1989, CRRF has hosted or co-hosted an annual rural policy conference. The theme of these policy conferences varies from year to year, as does the conference location.

Upcoming Rural Conference

2025: Brandon, Manitoba. TBA – We hope to have the conference website live by the end of summer 2024!

Past Rural Conferences and Workshops

2024: Northern Dialogues, May 21-24 in Whitehorse, Yukon with Yukon University.

2023: Moving In, Moving On, and Moving Up: Living Well in Rural Canada, June 20-23 in Lethbridge, Alberta, co-hosted in partnership with the Prentice Institute for Global Population and Economy at the University of Lethbridge.

2022: Northern Directions, 16-18 November in North Bay, Ontario. Co-hosted with the Northern Policy Institute.

2021: Creating Inclusive Economies: Building Bridges between Public-Private-Civil Society Sectors, was hosted virtually from 28-29 September, followed up by an in-person conference in Rimouski, Québec from 25-27 May, 2022. The conference was co-hosted in partnership with CEDEC.

2020: Supporting Rural Recovery and Resilience, 1-2 October 2020 hosted online.

2019: Sustainable Communities Conference, 1-5 October 2019 in St John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador. Co-hosted with the North Atlantic Forum and Memorial University.

2018: Health and Shared Prosperity, 10-12 October 2018 in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Co-hosted with the University of Saskatchewan.

2017Different by Design: Exploring Innovation for Rural Prosperity, 20-24 September 2017 in Nelson, British Columbia. Co-hosted with Selkirk College.

2016: Building Vibrant Rural Futures, October 12-15, 2016 in Guelph, Ontario. Co-hosted with the Rural Policy Learning Commons

2015: Building Resilient Communities: Innovation, Culture and Governance in Place, September 16-19, 2015 in Summerside, Prince Edward Island. Co-hosted with the North Atlantic Forum and the Institute of Island Studies, University of Prince Edward Island.

2014: New Realities, New Relationships (Prince George, British Columbia). Co-hosted with the Community Development Institute, University of Northern British Columbia

2013: Rural Canada: Ready to Grow, October 24-27, 2013 in Thunder Bay, Ontario. Co-hosted by Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association,  Nishnawbe-Aski Nation Economic and Resource Development Unit, and Lakehead University.

2012Creating Rural Connections (Olds, Alberta). Co-hosted with the Alberta Rural Development Network

2011Culture, Place, and Identity at the Heart of Regional Development (St. John’s, Newfoundland). Co-hosted with the North Atlantic Forum, Small Islands Culture Research Initiative, and the Leslie Harris Centre for Regional Policy and Development at Memorial University. 

2011From Policy to Research and Back (Ottawa, Ontario). Co-hosted with the Federation of Canadian Municipalities and the Rural and Co-operatives Secretariat (Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada).

2010On the Bright Side: Rural Works (Brandon, Manitoba). Co-hosted with the Rural Development Institute, Brandon University

2009: From Rural Recession to Revitalization (Quebec, Quebec)

2008Boom Bust Economies: Impact on Rural and Northern Communities (Inuvik, Northwest Territories)

2008CRRF-NRRN Northern Dialogue Session (Whitehorse, Yukon)

2007: CRRF Annual Conference (Vermilion, Alberta)

2006: A Rural Canada: Meeting of the Minds (Gatineau, Québec and Lankark, Ontario)

2005: CRRF Annual Conference (Twillingate, Newfoundland)

2005National Rural Think Tank on Immigration in Rural Canada – Research and Practice (Brandon, Manitoba)

2004: Local Governance of Rural-Urban Interaction (Prince George, British Columbia)

2003: New Economy Brainstorm (Ferintosh, Alberta)

2002: CRRF Rural University (Miramichi City, New Brunswick)

2002: NRE Spring Workshop (Altona, Manitoba)

2001: The NRE: From Challenge to Action (Muenster, Saskatchewan)

2001: Workshop: The NRE: From Challenge to Action (Sackville, New Brunswick)

2000: The New Rural Economy (Alfred, Ontario)

2000: The New Rural Economy Workshop (Nanaimo, British Columbia)

1999: FCRR Universite Rurale Quebecoise, Entreprendre Chez-nous (Trois Pistoles, Québec)

1999: NRE Research Vision Workshop (Newtown, Newfoundland)

1998: National Conference on Rural Marginalization (Nelson, British Columbia)

1998: Workshop on Rural Marginalization (St Donat, Québec)

1997: The New Rural Economy: Rural Revitalization (West Prince County, Prince Edward Island)

1997: The New Rural Economy Workshop (North Bay, Ontario)

1996National Conference on NAFTA and the New Rural Economy (Gimli, Manitoba)

1996: Workshop on NAFTA and the New Rural Economy (Quesnel, British Columbia)

1995National Conference on International Perspectives on Rural Employment (Coaticook, Québec)

1995: Workshop on International Perspectives on Rural Employment (Corner Brook, Newfoundland)

1994: National Conference on Rural Institutional Restructuring (Grande Prairie, Alberta)

1994: Workshop on Social Networks and Institutional Restructuring (St Clement, Québec)

1993National Conference on Development Strategies for Rural Canada: Evaluating Partnerships, Jobs, and Communities (Wolfville, Nova Scotia)

1993Workshop on Progress and Partnerships for Local Initiative Programs for Rural Development (Merrickville, Ontario)

1992National Conference on Manufacturing and the Service Sector in Rural Development Strategy (Goderich, Ontario)

1992: Workshop – The Potential for Manufacturing in Rural Economic Diversification (Brandon, Manitoba)

1991National Conference on Stimulating Rural Economies for the 2000s (Camrose, Alberta)

1991: Workshop on Development in Resource-Dependent and Single Industry Rural Places (Coaticook, Québec)

1990: National Conference on The Databases for Monitoring and Researching Rural Restructuring (Ottawa, Ontario). Co-hosted with Statistics Canada.

1990: Workshop on Globalization and Agricultural Restructuring (Ottawa, Ontario)

1989: National Conference on Sustainable Rural Communities in Canada (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan)

1989: Sustain Rural Development (Ottawa, Ontario)

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