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.

2017: Different 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.

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

2011: Culture, 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. 

2011: From 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).

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

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

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

2008: CRRF-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)

2005: National 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)

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

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

1995: National 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)

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

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

1992: National 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)

1991: National 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)