Rural Development Network - Canada

10/13/2026

“Amazing session! I learned so much tonight. I had no idea about most of our Canadian immigration process,” shared one participant after our session at Town of Devon

On September 22, 2026, RDN’s Safe & Inclusive Communities team partnered with the Action for Healthy Communities Society of Alberta for Healthy Communities to deliver an information session, “Immigration Unpacked: Facts, Myths & Pathways to Canada”. Residents gathered at the Devon Public Library to learn how immigration works and share key perspectives.

Understanding immigration builds stronger, more welcoming rural communities. Learn how to bring this session to your community by reaching out to our team https://ruraldevelopment.ca/service/workshops-training/building-rural-capacity-to-support-newcomers.

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10/12/2026

Happy Thanksgiving! ❤️

This Thanksgiving, we’re grateful for the RDN team and all the hard work they put in every day to make a difference in rural communities across Canada.

We’re also thankful for the communities and partners we have the opportunity to work alongside. Your collaboration and support help make this work possible.

Wishing everyone a happy and restful Thanksgiving! 🦃

10/10/2026

Supporting farmers and ranchers means recognizing the challenges that come with the demands of agricultural life. ❤️

Today for World Mental Heal Day: We’re taking the opportunity to share a share a resource from Counselling Alberta, which provides farm-informed counselling designed to fit the needs and schedules of Alberta’s agriculture community.

Support is available through phone, online, and in-person appointments.

Learn more here: https://www.counsellingalberta.com/

10/09/2026

“I got a better understanding of the immigration process and experience.” That’s what one participant shared after our recent workshop in Leduc.

A 2025 City of Leduc FCSS highlighted anti-hate, diversity, and inclusion initiatives as community recommendations for fostering belonging.

In response, RDN's Safe & Inclusive Communities team was invited to lead a 3-hour workshop titled “Creating a Welcoming Community for Newcomers” on September 21, 2026 at the Leduc Public Library, where local participants shared diverse voices, perspectives, and experiences.
Building welcoming communities starts with open dialogue and learning together.

Interested in bringing this workshop to your community? Reach out to our team at https://ruraldevelopment.ca/service/workshops-training/building-rural-capacity-to-support-newcomers.

10/08/2026

🎤 Meet Tamara White, Co-Executive Lead, Planning Innovation at Small Housing (BC)!

We’re excited to welcome Tamara White as a speaker at National Housing Day 2026.

Tamara will share lessons from British Columbia’s experience using a systems-based approach to enable gentle density housing. She will explore how policy changes, zoning reform, and collaboration across sectors can help communities create more housing options while maintaining affordability, livability, and community support.

Join us on November 25 to hear from Tamara and other leaders shaping the future of housing.

🔗 Register today - Early Bird pricing available until September 1st: [https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/national-housing-day-2026-tickets-1993923643292]

10/08/2026

ENABLING COMMUNITY HOUSING IN RURAL MUNICPALITIES

Our team, through the Sustainable Housing Initiative, is currently embarking on a project titled "Enabling Community Housing in Rural Municipalities." We are seeking municipalities to partner with us to better understand the conditions that support successful community housing development and to address the barriers that impede it. In early 2026, we completed “Enabling Housing Choice North,” where we worked directly with four northern Alberta municipalities to develop recommendations to reduce barriers to the development of diverse housing types.

WHY PARTICIPATE:
Rural and remote communities face unique housing challenges that impact their ability to attract residents and support local employers. This project aims to provide your municipality with a clear path forward by:

• Local insights: We’ll review your current planning and land-use policies to find practical ways to remove development barriers for community housing
• Custom advice: You’ll receive a tailored report with actionable steps based specifically on your municipality’s community housing needs and goals.
• National impact: Your participation will help us create a resource guide for other municipalities across the country to learn from.

WHAT'S INVOLVED?
We want to keep this process simple and collaborative:
• Phase 1: Getting started
We’ll work with your community to identify your main community housing opportunities and challenges.
• Phase 2: Connecting
We’ll chat with local stakeholders to hear what really matters in your community.
• Phase 3: Customized recommendations
We’ll turn everything we learned into a clear, custom report with practical recommendations just for your municipality.
• Phase 4: National dissemination
We will utilise our national network to share the customized recommendations to help inform land-use decision-making for community housing in municipalities across Canada

Our team will complete this project over the course of a year, resulting in recommendations for your municipality in late 2027. The goal of these recommendations is to allow for the housing needs of community members to be met by reducing roadblocks to community housing development. Funding opportunities are currently being sought to ensure that the project is completed without any costs to the municipality.

IF YOUR MUNICIPALITY IS INTERESTED IN DISCUSSING THIS PROJECT FURTHER, PLEASE CONTACT: [email protected]

10/07/2026

RDN was excited to participate again in this year’s Economic Developers Alberta (EDA) Invitational Golf Tournament on September 24 at the beautiful Broadmoor Golf Course in Sherwood Park!

Economic development is key to supporting the sustainability of communities, especially in rural areas.

Thank you to EDA for the opportunity to connect with community leaders and celebrate the excellence being done at the local level across Alberta!

10/05/2026

🌾 RDN is hiring a Manager, Homelessness Research & Engagement!

We’re looking for a skilled leader to advance homelessness research, guide community engagement, and support rural, remote, and Indigenous communities across Canada.

This hands-on role leads HSNEs, PiT Counts, and related homelessness work, this position leads complex projects while translating research and data into practical, evidence-informed recommendations that support informed decision-making and strengthen community systems.

If this sounds of interest to you, or someone in your network please share.

🔗 View the full posting:https://ow.ly/wlR850ZKqfz

10/02/2026

Throwback to when Alyce Wickert presented at the 2024 our Enabling Housing Choice Project: Transformational, long-term policy change to support diverse, sustainable, and equitable housing development.

Looking back on the conversations and ideas that continue to shape the future of housing!