Broadband and job opportunities are important, farmers said
By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com
Canada’s new rural economic development minister will soon engage with citizens on how to improve rural communities.
Prime Minister Trudeau appointed Bernadette Jordan to the role during a cabinet shuffle last month.
Her conversations with Canadians will help her develop a rural economic strategy.
“What can we as a government do to help with the vibrancy of rural economies? What can we do to help make sure that we don’t continue to lose population from rural communities? What can we do to help businesses grow on the world market?” she said, DiscoverMooseJaw reported.
“So, those are all the kind of the questions that we’re asking, and that’s going to be a big part of how we develop the strategy, but it’s going to be a whole government approach.”
Farmers certainly have ideas to share on how to help rural economies thrive.
Legislators should look at rural economies with a wide lens, said Ian Chitwood, a cash crop and cattle producer from Airdrie, Alta.
“Rural economic development can be anything from rural policing to transportation to broadband connectivity,” he told Farms.com.
“The availability of seasonal labour is an issue I’ve talked to consumers about, and we also need to find a way to attract people to rural communities. If they come here, spend money here and put down roots here, it would help immensely.”
Larry Gerelus, a beef producer from Shoal Lake, Man., agrees.
People often leave rural communities to pursue a higher education but getting them to come back is challenging.
“Any student going out and getting an education or work experience, they don’t come back home very often,” he told Farms.com. “The job might take them to another part of the province or the country, or to (a different) country altogether.”
Changes in the broader landscape are also affecting the viability of some rural economies.
Shoal Lake is about an hour away from Brandon, Man., which is receiving investments from large retailers, Gerelus said.
“We’re lucky to have a grocery store and a hardware store in our area, but why would a big box store expand here when they can go somewhere else that’s already got enough people to make it seem like a good decision?”