As a champion of rural issues, the Rural Ontario Institute (ROI) recently released its first series of Focus on Rural Ontario fact sheets.
Based on Statistics Canada data, these easy-to-read fact sheets highlight the changing dynamics of rural Ontario’s population, communities and economies.
“Small towns, remote northern communities, and communities on the ‘urban fringe’ are all experiencing dramatic changes”, said Janet Horner, Rural Ontario Institute board chair.
“Rural Ontario represents twenty per cent of the province’s population – about the same population as Toronto – so it is critical to understand the ongoing and emerging issues here.”
These Focus on Rural Ontario fact sheets are the first of a three-part series, and profile key facts and figures on what rural means in the province and compare county and regional trends to metropolitan areas.
The two remaining sets of fact sheets provide information on economic indicators and the components of population change and will be released in the coming weeks.
Horner continues, “This information is especially important for planning social services, health services as well as municipal, telecommunications and transportation infrastructure.
“By understanding what is going on in rural Ontario, community leaders can have informed discussions about the critical challenges facing our society – in both our cities and in our rural communities.”
Rob Black, CEO of the organization said, in a press release, “We are pleased to publish these Focus on Rural Ontario fact sheets.
“This information supports our mandate to build vision, voice and leadership for a strong and vibrant rural Ontario.”
Many larger public organizations have statistical analysts who can access Statistics Canada data directly. For the many who do not have that capacity, the ROI commissioned this series to help build understanding of key demographic and economic trends affecting this huge region of the province.
The ROI is a non-profit organization committed to developing leaders, initiating dialogue, supporting collaboration and promoting action on issues and opportunities facing rural Ontario.
The fact sheets are available for download at www. ruralontarioinstitute.ca/resources-reports.
