A new report says rural communities across the country are in crisis.
The report by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities urges the federal government to develop a long-term plan to diversify rural economies.
It says rural communities need "a champion" at the federal cabinet table to ensure their priorities receive the proper resources and attention.
Rural areas have been struggling for decades with shrinking populations and tax bases, lower-than-average incomes, and higher rates of poverty and chronic health problems.
The problems have been exacerbated by the global economic meltdown.
The report argues the national economy depends on reviving the economic health of rural areas - noting that industries such as agriculture, forestry, fishing and natural resources account for more than half of Canada's exports.
FCM vice-president Basil Stewart, the mayor of Summerside, P.E.I., calls the report a "wake-up call" for the federal government.
"This crisis has been quietly growing for decades but the global recession is now threatening to push many rural communities past the tipping point," he said.
"We need a national plan to help rural communities diversify their local economies so they are less vulnerable to the boom and bust cycles of global markets."
Rural Canada in crisis: report
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Published on
May 26, 2009
- Published on July 1, 2010
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The Canadian Press ~ The News
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Comments
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- AT
- - July 2, 2010 at 14:51:54
It is rural areas that keep the wheels of industry going. Urban people are not the farmers, wood harvesters and fisher people. If we are so lucky as to get a few rural living people elected to parliament, they soon become city dwellers urbanites and turn their attention on their conventional cocktail hour life style. I am an old man now. I have had three years in my long life working on a salary. I always created employment for others. I understand 5% create employment for all the other people? I am among that 5% and loved it. No help from the city dwelling misguided administrators, they do not even know how to help industry and protect taxpayers money. Sad. They throw our money around like drunken sailors to get themselves elected and we wonder why rural Canada is reaching a crisis, more sad.
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- Brad
- - July 2, 2010 at 14:48:01
How do you get money for one of these so called studies? Anyone with either brain cell in their head could tell you that this has been happening for decades, just look around your own small town and you can see the evidence, duh. This isn't new,it is just another waste of taxpayers money to tell us something we already know.
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- AT
- - July 1, 2010 at 21:35:48
It is rural areas that keep the wheels of industry going. Urban people are not the farmers, wood harvesters and fisher people. If we are so lucky as to get a few rural living people elected to parliament, they soon become city dwellers urbanites and turn their attention on their conventional cocktail hour life style. I am an old man now. I have had three years in my long life working on a salary. I always created employment for others. I understand 5% create employment for all the other people? I am among that 5% and loved it. No help from the city dwelling misguided administrators, they do not even know how to help industry and protect taxpayers money. Sad. They throw our money around like drunken sailors to get themselves elected and we wonder why rural Canada is reaching a crisis, more sad.
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- Brad
- - July 1, 2010 at 21:29:04
How do you get money for one of these so called studies? Anyone with either brain cell in their head could tell you that this has been happening for decades, just look around your own small town and you can see the evidence, duh. This isn't new,it is just another waste of taxpayers money to tell us something we already know.
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