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Youth exodus, the cost of living, government downsizing, and the dangers of a single-industry economy all put small communities on the "endangered species" list. Yet the revolution in telecommunications and the yearning for a simpler, safer lifestyle - not to mention the passionate devotion that some places command - continue to work in favour of rural life. Although "community" may have to be rebuilt in these parts, it likely doesn't have to be relearned. The following items from The CED Digital Bookshop concern the practice of CED in small towns and hamlets. A click on any title will forward you to the Bookshop to place your order. (Most items cost under $10. Many are free.) Nothing here that fits the bill? There's plenty more. Drop us a line to let us know just what you're after. Just for starters - something on that passionate devotion to place that defies economic logic. Silver Donald Cameron observes that the "Trehernes" of this world will not die because some people love them too much to ever let it happen. 2. A Nation's Economic Catalyst Here's that same love of place, but now from an Aboriginal standpoint, and with a keen strategic edge. Hupacasath, a small First Nation with a small city on Vancouver Island, is figuring out how to mine skills, resources, and connections from each business or project, and invest them in the next. In southwest Ontario, suburbanization and amalgamation are added threats to rural independence. Phyllis Winnington-Ingram finds that community co-operatives are a structure around which the identity and self-determination of rural towns can crystallize. Michelle Colussi describes how residents of Port Alberni, B.C. (the quintessential corporate milltown) have come to raise their expectations of local development and of themselves. In Newfoundland and Labrador, the Youth Ventures Program gets teens and pre-teens engaged in entrepreneurship in places where a "company town" mentality has long prevailed. What might a Wal-Mart might do for and to your town's economy? How do you find out? Maggie Paquet explains how to come to grips with a tough issue. Created to help small communities weighing the costs and benefits of any Big Box store to the local economy, this exercise allows government, business people, boosters, and opponents to confront each others' values and needs. Swift Current, Saskatchewan has become a showcase for Business Retention and Expansion, the strategy that calls upon the local private sector to spearhead community renewal. 9. Business Development as a CED Strategy It is not enough to own and manage businesses; they must also be tools of empowerment. With particular reference to the experience of Place Communautaire Rita-St-Pierre in Victoriaville, Québec, Bill Ninacs shows how community development corporations can help create a private sector based on social values as well as economic ones. Some rural public and nonprofit agencies find ways to overcome their "silos" of mandate, jurisdiction, history, and politics in order to fill gaps in local safety and employment development. 11. Revelstoke Community Forest Corporation Over the last twenty years, the mountain town of Revelstoke, B.C. has regained a say in its economic future. It created a community-owned forest corporation that strikes a balance between profitability, community interests, and provincial forestry standards. Check out these other Hotlists! |
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