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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2013-05-23, Page 20PAGE 20. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MAY 23, 2013. Area resident and University of Guelph professor Dr. Wayne Caldwell is releasing a book about the challenges rural Ontario and rural Canada face with population degradation and the lack of immigration. And while it would be easy to point out the negative in the situation, Caldwell chose to focus on the positive. The book, titled Rural Community Economic Development, is a good news story according to Caldwell. “In the sense that it speaks to success stories and possible ways to address population issues, it's a good news story,” he said. “The research focuses on rural centres that are struggling and succeeding to maintain their population.” Caldwell said that with the exception of 13 to 14 counties in and around the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), non-city centres are facing population stagnation or decline in Ontario over the next 30 years and that now is the time to start acting against that trend. “There will be, in 13 to 14 counties near the GTA, huge population growth in the next 30 years,” he said. “An equal number of regions have lost population in the most recent census. Areas including Huron County, western Ontario and northern Ontario struggle to maintain population because they are removed from the mostly beneficial economic impact of the GTA.” He said that while that may not seem like a particularly positive stance on the issue, there are many examples of communities tacklingthat “malaise,” by talking about issues in a positive light and looking at ways of making things happen. “The book flows from a project that focused on the disparity between the quality of life and population growth,” he said. “All these areas have a great quality of life standard, but have low or negative population growth. We have to determine the best ways to use that quality of life to encourage immigration and population growth.” The major issues that rural municipalities face, according to Caldwell, are an aging population and a low growth rate due to low birth rates and the lack of immigration into rural areas. While the book would be a good read for anyone interested in how rural areas are going to need to address population growth problems, Caldwell said that there was a definite audience in mind when writing it. “It's targetted, really, towards two key audiences: rural municipal councillors across the province and the country and planners and community economic development workers,” he said. “It is really aimed at rural areas. The lessons are relevant to large cities, but all of the examples are done through rural centres.” The population issue is a major concern according to Caldwell, who said that, with immigration, 95 per cent of it goes to large cities. “As far as numbers go, 87 per cent of immigrants end up in the GTA, Ottawa and Hamilton,” he said. “Those three large centres aregetting larger. A small number of people are moving to the rural communities.” Caldwell believes that the groups that try and embrace change and move forward will be able to grow and sustain population in rural sections of Ontario and Canada. If a rural area can’t compete, however, Caldwell says that it could be a rough road ahead. “Municipalities that do not embrace change will not be able to sustain their population. There aren’t enough babies born in the country to sustain the population as a whole,” he said. The book is full of examples of locales that are trying to make themselves more attractive to immigration including Brandon, Manitoba. “They are really focused on immigrants there,” he said. “They have had significant success attracting immigrants. They have programs that help them and they have been able to maintain industries like their local abattoirs.” In this area, Caldwell said that organizations like the Huron Tourism Association are doing good things both for their sector and for the local population. The original research for the book included areas like Huron County and Prince Edward County and spread from there, identifying 20 locations across the province that were working towards resolving issues with growth. The ideas were then helped along through workshops across the country. The book can be ordered through www.municipalworld.com Caldwell writes new book Speed-roping Jumping and swinging to the sounds of the music at the Jump Rope for Heart event at North Woods Elementary School last week was the order of the day on Friday for students like Jordyn Johnston. (Denny Scott photo) RETIREMENT HOME Independent and Assisted Living 1-877-831-2585 Call for more information! Retirement life to discover!