June 30, 2009

Over the course of its strategic planning process, Prince Edward, Lennox & Addington Community Futures Development Corporation (PELA CFDC) has identified a variety of issues that are significant barriers to rural economic development.  Some of these issues include a lack of relevant, recent and specific data to rural Eastern Ontario areas, lack of cooperation between the communities in Eastern Ontario, and lack of attention paid to Eastern Ontario by many academics, researchers and politicians.  The Prince Edward, Lennox & Addington Institute for Rural Development started in 2007-2008 and is responsible for providing resources and encouraging research on topics specific to economic development within PE/LA Counties.  Topics of study include amenity migration, skills training of the labour force, rural innovation, the creative economy and demographic changes.

The objective of the PELA Institute for Rural Development (PELAIRD www.pelaird.ca) has been to facilitate the gathering of information, exchange of ideas, provide policy alternatives and attract the attention of academics, researchers and government to specific rural development issues in PE/LA Counties specifically and eastern Ontario generally.

Short-term/immediate beneficiaries are the clients and community served by PELA CFDC.  With better information and better policy alternatives available for consideration, the organization- businesses, community groups and municipalities can make better decisions.

Long term, this Institute provides rural communities with:
• Better awareness of rural development challenges and more solutions/policy alternatives presented
• Better linkages to academic centers in eastern Ontario
• Real solutions to real community problems
• Better urban/rural partnerships

To date, PELAIRD has accomplished a number of its objectives through involvement in the Knowledge Impact in Society (KIS) Project – a three year, $300,000 research project funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.  The project is an effort to help stimulate Eastern Ontario’s economy by bringing researchers and organizations together to generate value through knowledge.  The project is collaboration between Queen’s School of Business’ Monieson Centre, PELA CFDC, and the Eastern Ontario CFDC Network Inc., as well as over thirty community partners.  KIS is bridging the gap between academic knowledge and Eastern Ontario’s economic development needs.  The knowledge products of the KIS project are available to the public at no charge through www.easternontarioknowledge.ca.

For more information, contact:
Craig Desjardins
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