This guest blog provided by Laura Ryser, Sean Markey, Greg Halseth from the Rural and Small Town Studies Program, University of Northern BC, Resource and Environmental Management, Simon Fraser University
It doesn’t matter if your community is experiencing an economic downturn, an economic boom, or just trying to stay the course; small communities are confronted with a variety of challenges: rapid policy and economic change, aging infrastructure, increased demands on limited revenues, an offloading of services to municipalities and non-profits, and stressed staff and volunteer resources. In BC, changing senior government policies have threatened the viability of many rural service agencies through reduced funding, increasing calls for integrated, shared, and, in some cases, regional models of service delivery. Without renewed infrastructure and service arrangements, small communities will struggle to control operating costs, retain control over the provision of services and build assets that are so vital to supporting residents and new development opportunities.
The purpose of the Smart Services and Shared Infrastructure project is to investigate how small communities in BC are dealing with the challenges of rural service delivery. The research has found many examples of local governments and non-profit agencies seeking to implement innovative practices and strategies, including:
- moving from operating older, dispersed and inefficient building assets to investing in multi-purpose facilities to streamline operations;
- making smart investments in technology and energy efficient infrastructure;
- creating synergies with key service partners;
- repurposing rural schools slated for closure as community learning and business centres;
- investing in shared buildings and technology assets for non-profit service agencies; and,
- scaling up community services to work together on regional service contracts in order to retain a strong voice for rural service models.
Despite these innovative examples, the pursuit of new service and infrastructure arrangements has been challenged by inappropriate policies that have limited the transformative capacity of local governments and organizations in smaller places. The reports, released through the Rural Policy Learning Commons, share the experiences of small local governments and service agencies in British Columbia. Together, the reports provide a foundation for dialogue and action as small communities continue to strengthen the voice of rural Canada.
Source: ROI