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.
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)