The State of the Family report draws on data generated from last year’s Teck Serv Summer Student Research Internship and from indicators research compiled by the RDI’s research team. Each year Selkirk College, with the support of the RDI’s Regional Innovation Chair, administers a community-based summer research internship with funding from Teck Trail Operations. Last year’s … [More]
RDI Presents to the Association of Kootenay Boundary Local Governments

Dr. Terri MacDonald, Regional Innovation Chair at the RDI presented to over 100 local government officials at the April 2016 Annual Conference in Kimberley. Her presentation entitled, Transitioning to the New Rural Economy & Economic Development Consideration, presented findings from a number of studies exploring aspects of rural communities in … [More]
Announcing Projects for 2016-17

Projects for 2016-17 have been scoped as 18-month projects that could be extended beyond the community-based pilot projects based on an assessment of impact and ‘phase 1’ learnings. Each project adopts an approach that works with individual pilot communities addressing areas of regional importance, similar to the approach undertaken by the Regional Business Retention and … [More]
RDI Concludes Regional Food Systems Research

The purpose of the 18-month Regional Food Systems research project was to identify opportunities to enhance regional food production in ways that promote economic, social, environmental and cultural well-being. Funded by the BC Real Estate Foundation (in addition to the RDI’s core funding from the Columbia Basin Trust), the project adopted a multi-method approach to better … [More]
Transitioning Youth Into the Workforce

Youth are vital to the success of rural communities and regions, however rural youth can face a range of challenges. As part of a project entitled Training, engagement, and retention: a ‘learning region’ approach to rural youth consultation was done in November-December 2015 in the West-Kootenay Boundary region to gather information specific to the local youth population in … [More]
Digital Basin Quick Start


Basin-Boundary Agricultural Planning: The Regional Perspective