Memorial University's Leslie Harris Centre of Regional Policy and Development invities you to a lunchtime "Synergy Session" 

The Role of Central Governments in Sustaining Municipalities: Reflections While Cycling Through Canada

Registration, lunch and parking are all free!

If you can't attend in person, join via webinar! 

Rural towns and communities across Canada are responding to the vagaries of external influences, and their own internal changes, in different and sometimes innovative ways. The public policy question facing central governments – Federal  and Provincial – is: how much should they do for these communities versus how much should the communities do for themselves to ensure their ongoing sustainability? This question is also on the Australian public policy agenda.

In attempting to gain some insight into how Canadian communities are responding we travelled (by bicycle) across Canada this summer visiting many small communities. We stayed a few days in 12 places, typically one in each province, and spent many more visiting small communities along the way. I have enquired into the history of each place, how people make a living, how they work with each other, and what is special about their natural environment that sustains them. In this presentation, we will discuss these places and ideas about what makes for a sustainable rural community.

Professor John Martin is Director of the Centre for Sustainable Regional Communities at La Trobe University's Bendigo campus in the southern Murray Darling Basin of Australia. The Centre is involved in a wide range of social research relating to the sustainability of rural and regional communities. Small rural communities in the Basin are facing significant pressure primarily from the impact of climate change especially the dramatic decline in rainfall in this part of the country. His academic training in public administration and sociology, and his PhD in public policy from the Australian National University keep him focussed on local government and regional institutions, and on their relationship with the Australian Government and the state governments. He is a Fellow of Local Government Managers Australia and the Regional Australia Institute. John has been keeping a blog during his cycling tour of Canada (www.sustainablecanadiancommunities.com).

Registration is free but required. You may also register up to three of your colleagues.

If attending in person, you will be prompted to enter any special needs.

If attending by webinar, you will be provided with the URL prior to the session.