Discussion Paper: Policies to support sustainable, inclusive, and digital economic development in rural and smaller communities in Canada

Springboard’s Jamie Van Ymeren, Noah Zon and Jasmine Irwin join Matthew Mendelsohn on the economic future of rural and smaller communities.

For too long, rural policy has looked at small communities through the lens of seemingly inevitable urbanization and the growth of large city-regions. Government policies have often focused on remote and rural communities as places to subsidize instead of places that can thrive and innovate. But these assumptions and narratives are changing.

Fortunately, decision-makers are in a good position to confront conventional paradigms and established approaches in government programs. Some rural policies developed before the COVID-19 pandemic may not be equipped to meet the most pressing challenges rural communities are facing today. The renewed ambition and scope of policymaking prompted by COVID-19 and recovery planning — the need for decision-makers to both respond to and shape “a new normal” — has the potential to benefit Canada’s rural communities in an outsized way.