Rural Ontario Institute (ROI) CEO Rob Black and director of policy and stakeholder engagement Norm Ragetlie spoke on the institute at the Jan. 16 dinner meeting of the Alma Optimists.
A Centre Wellington resident, Black has worked extensively with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) and 4-H, in various positions within each organization.
Ragetlie is based in Owen Sound but works in the organization’s Guelph office from Tuesday to Thursday. Previously employed as a land use planner with OMAFRA and the Ontario Land Trust, Ragetlie focuses on policy for rural issues.
Established in 2010, the ROI is the result of a merger of the Centre for Rural Leadership and the Ontario Rural Council. The institute offers programs that develop leaders that are critical voices around opportunities and key issues facing rural and northern Ontario.
Black said, “The Rural Ontario Institute’s key values include diverse perspectives and collaboration; respectful, open and honest communication; innovation and entrepreneurship; economic, social and environmental sustainability in rural and northern Ontario; and continuous improvement and excellence.”
A not-for-profit, Ontario incorporated institute with charitable status, the organization has 12 board members and directors across Ontario. Each commits to a three-year term and attends four to five meetings per year.
The institute employs three staff members at its Guelph location near Marden.
“You can hear and smell rural at this location, which makes it perfect for us. Additional contract staff are hired when needed for project work,” Black said. “The institute enjoys a working relationship with a large number of partners, funders and sponsors, ranging from the University of Guelph, Ontario Federation of Agriculture to Farm Credit Canada.”
The Advanced Agricultural Leadership Program, now in its 33rd year, also operates through the ROI. The 19-month leadership development program is an opportunity for men and women in the agricultural and agri-food sectors and rural communities to fully understand Ontario’s agri-food industry by expanding their networks.
Participants include farmers and business people ranging in age from 20 to 50. The program looks at social, political, environmental and economic issues and how they relate to agriculture, agri-food and society.
Learning is accomplished through lectures, study tours, discussion forums, webinars, briefing sessions, study tours and practical applications. Through this customized leadership programming, graduates have gone onto employment with major agricultural organizations. Others use their newly-obtained skills while involved in politics, Sports organizations, schools and religious organizations.
“Good leaders are needed by agricultural and rural communities that are facing intense pressure due to a smaller resource base, in order to gain a perspective into agricultural and rural issues,” Black said.
“Leaders need to be well rounded individuals with the ability to network and get involved and are people that understand governance and succession planning.”
Connecting rural stakeholders, facilitating dialogues, transferring knowledge obtained through forums, workshops fact sheets, foresight papers and submissions of policy and trends to government is a large part of the institute and Ragetlie’s focus.
Data is available on a community basis but analysis across Ontario requires time to understand the differing and unique rural and urban trends. Municipalities and organizations across the province don’t necessarily have the resources to compare local trends with other areas, making it difficult to tell the rural story. At present, 60 to 70 socioeconomic conditions exist in rural Ontario.
“The release of the Rural Ontario Foresight papers on October 19, 2017 revealed the changes ahead for rural and northern Ontario,” Ragetlie said. “Changes are always happening. They always are and always will be. Especially in the field of technology.”
Each Ontario Foresight Paper focuses on one issue facing rural and northern Ontario areas. The papers suggest what direction stakeholders, governments or non-profit groups could follow to keep rural development vital with considerations made of trends and opportunities the authors foresee.
The issues undertaken by the six papers include: Growth Beyond Cities: Place-Based Rural Development Policy in Ontario, the Impact of Megatrends on Rural Development in Ontario: Progress through Foresight; Broadband Infrastructure for the Future: Connecting Rural Ontario to the Digital Economy; Rural Business Succession: Innovation Opportunities to Revitalize Local Economies; Rural Volunteerism: How Well is the Heart of Community Doing?; and The Visitor Economy and Rural Cultural Amenities.
“There were 230,000 rural businesses in Ontario in 2016, each employing under 99 employees. The average age of the owner was 57 years, “Regetlie stated. “How many of these businesses are undergoing succession planning? It is predicted that 48% of these businesses will exit in the next five years.
“Rural Ontario is facing infrastructural issues, youth need to be retained in business succession, tourism and cultural amenities need attention. The way people volunteer is changing. New blood is needed to rise to the challenge rural communities face with the diminishing number of volunteers. These rural issues must be addressed in order to keep the quality of life that we want.”
The ROI encourages rural and northern Ontario residents to download the findings of the institute around rural issues and present them to community and political leaders. They urge the public to use the information as a tool to get people talking in the community and pass on the information to individual politicians in the upcoming provincial election.
Topics sought
The Rural Ontario Institute is currently seeking the next round of topics and themes for the 2019 Foresight Papers. Issues could include aging rural populations, rural transportation, the disappearing rural church and the fallout from NAFTA negotiations.
Suggestions may be submitted online at www.ruralontarioinstitute.ca or call 519-826-4204.
