Rural Canadians want some indication that there is a future for their children if they stay in rural areas, says the federal cabinet minister responsible for rural affairs.
On Dec. 13, secretary of state for rural affairs Andy Mitchell said he was trying to offer some of that hope.
He announced $3 million worth of rural pilot projects to create some small-town activity. They included a health project in Jasper, Alta., adult education for natives in the Yorkton, Sask., area, and a tourism project that focuses on historic elevators of Inglis, Man.
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“These projects are designed to try some experiments in rural areas that will create jobs,” Mitchell said.
“It’s really important to ensure that young people see rural Canada as a place for the future. It is something these pilot projects build on and something I am personally committed to promoting.”
The Ontario member of Parliament said his travels have convinced him that while there are hard times in parts of rural Canada, there still is optimism.
“Rural Canadians have not given up on rural Canada,” said the junior minister who was appointed to handle rural affairs last summer.
“That is clear. There is a determination to make rural areas and the rural economy work.”
The projects announced by Mitchell will be paid for out of a four-year, $20 million federal rural development fund.
The proposals come from local people and associations and are judged by a federal committee.
Range of ideas
They range from tourism and service delivery to creation of improved access to capital for women in rural Quebec and support for youth jobs in central Saskatchewan.
Mitchell conceded that in light of the widespread rural economic crisis and falling farm incomes, 71 projects with a $3 million budget seem like a small response.
“But consider these as experiments. They are attempts to see if local ideas for rural development and service improvement work and if they do, can they be exported to be tried elsewhere?”
