2016-2017 Pilot Projects Selection Announcement

The Rural Development Institute is excited to announce the successful applicant communities selected as pilot projects for the 2016/2017 projects. Ten communities have been selected as phase 1 pilot project communities:

• Climate Change Adaptation – communities will be tracking progress using the State of Climate Adaptation and Resilience in the Basin indicator suite. Communities will be gathering and analysing data, as well as evaluating and refining the process itself in order to generate a guide for other communities.
  • City of Kimberley
  • City of Rossland
• Asset-Based Rural Development – communities will develop and execute a place-specific plan to link and leverage local assets in order to attract and retain new residents, workers, and investors.
  • Lower Columbia (Trail, Rossland, Fruitvale, Montrose, Warfield, RDKB Electoral Areas A and B)
  • East Shore (RDCK Electoral Area A)
  • Village of New Denver
  • Village of Canal Flats
• Poverty Reduction – communities will be trained around performance measurement, using and evaluating indicators that will help to track and understand poverty in order to best address the issues.
  • City of Nelson
  • City of Revelstoke
  • City of Cranbrook
  • Lower Columbia (Trail, Rossland, Fruitvale, Montrose, Warfield, RDKB Electoral Areas A and B)
• Economic Development - communities will measure progress on economic development efforts using indicators in order to help inform residents, organizations, and governments regarding trends in economic development.
  • City of Revelstoke

Dr. Terri MacDonald, the Rural Development Institute’s Regional Innovation Chair at Selkirk College is excited about the upcoming projects. “We have a range of communities participating, all with different goals and strengths, which will help make the lessons learned applicable across the Basin Boundary region,” says MacDonald.
Watch for initial findings and calls for phase 2 communities coming in 2017!