The Alberta Centre for Sustainable Rural Communities (ACSRC) is proud to be a principal researcher of the ECHO Network. This national research project lead by UNBC's Dr. Margot  Parkes addresses health, environment and community impact of resource development, with specific emphasis on rural, remote and Indigenous communities.  Dr. Lars Hallstrom, director of the ACSRC, works with a regional team that includes key partner Battle River Watershed Alliance, based out of Camrose, Alberta. 

The ECHO Network is recruiting a Postdoctoral Fellow to contribute to the design and conduct of foundational research and evaluation relating to our Canadian and international team project. The ECHO Network is funded by a 5 year CIHR Team Grant with a focus on strengthening intersectoral capacity to understand and respond to the cumulative environment, community and health impacts of resource development. The network aims to: (1) make evidence-based recommendations on the form and function of a cross-jurisdictional ECHO that will foster understanding of the complex dynamics of resource development and health, and; (2) trial and evaluate intersectoral strategies to address the cumulative determinants of health that interact over time and space, targeting actions and responses that cannot be achieved by the health sector alone.

We are seeking a Postdoctoral Fellow for a position with the ECHO Network to contribute to knowledge synthesis and evaluation regarding integrative tools and processes relevant to the design of intersectoral-oriented observatory networks. The work will require a comprehensive understanding or experience with integrated knowledge translation research, partnered research, and integrative approaches to addressing environment, community, health issues and/or multi-stakeholder processes within environment, community or health contexts. 

For more information please click the link below. 

ECHO Postdoctoral Position

Sustainability 101: Environmental Sustainability

 

April 19, 2018 

Camrose, AB 

Through a combination of lecture, case study, and group discussion, develop a deeper understanding of environmental sustainability, how to measure it, why to          strive for improvements, and how to integrate it into your      day-to-day operations and long term planning.

Grant Writing Workshop *Repeat delivery due to high demand* 

 

May 16, 2018

Camrose, AB 

For small organizations and communities, grant writing      can present a real challenge in terms of time, completion,

    budgeting, and submission. 

   Join Dr. Lars Hallstrom, the recipient of over 80 research,     knowledge mobilization,  infrastructure and collaborative       grants, for this popular  six-hour activity-based workshop.

  

Advanced Municipal Leadership: Strategic Leadership - only 3 spaces left! 

April 26, 2018 

Camrose, AB 

Developed and delivered by Doug Griffiths best-selling author of  13 Ways to Kill Your Community , 'Strategic Leadership' e xamines the different types of political leadership and how to employ them effectively.  Evaluate and discuss the role of democracy in municipal politics and challenges it can present in complex decision making.

   For more info and to register see the link below. 

Biosphere 101 *New Program* 

May 9, 2018 

Miquelon Lake Provincial Park, AB 

Losing the Values of Prime Farmland In Alberta  

Dr. Brent Swallow is a professor at the University of Alberta as a member of the Faculty of Agriculture, Life and Environmental Sciences. He also sits as a member of the ACSRC Executive Committee. 

A new report from the University of Alberta's Alberta Land Institute shows urban areas are expanding, at the expense of high quality agricultural land. Urban encroachment is not new, but these numbers might surprise you. In the Edmonton-Calgary corridor between 1984 and 2013, the project shows urban areas expanded by 50 per cent.

Please click the link below to read more and view a short video of Dr. Swallow sharing information about the study. 

Rural Policy Learning Commons Upcoming Webinars

Forestry Skills: Thinking Beyond Current Paradigms 

Wednesday March 21, 2018 10:00 am CST 

 

Forestry is an important economic sector. For rural communities, forestry, and the related industries, play a significant role in community health and well-being, as well as influencing the health of the surrounding environment. 

However, achieving a sustained forestry workforce is recognized internationally as a complex challenge - including changes in the skills and size of the workforce. For example, increasing the human capital of the forest sectors is vital to ensuring the development of forest resources and safeguarding ecosystem services. Changing technology is important to planning and production, but is changing the skill sets demanded by employers. Provision of forestry specific higher education faces multiple challenges as student enrolment to forestry programmes declined over decades which is associated with negative perceptions of the land based sector generally and a lack of awareness of forestry career options. 

This webinar focuses on workforce development within the forestry sector, presenting findings from research undertaken in the United Kingdom and Canada.

To register click below. 

Rural Routes: Off the Runway: Rural Fashion Industry 

 

This episode of the Rural Routes podcast, takes a deep dive into the rural fashion industry. Included in the discussion is small manufacturing, the cultural significance of the fashion industry designs and products and how a pair of shoes or a hat can help us bridge the       rural-urban and North-South divides. 

    Guests are Liz Cohoe and Tracy Fillion from Nelson, BC      and Nicole Camphaug from Iqaluit, Nunavut..