Rural Spark Podcast
1) People are coming, but will they stay?
Rural communities are benefitting from a new wave of urban-to-rural migration during the pandemic. Especially in coastal communities of Atlantic Canada and B.C., new families are providing a much need...Show More
2) The rural-urban divide in Canadian elections: cause for concern?
The recent federal election result builds on a trend in the rural-urban vote split in Canada. At what point is that cause for concern? Should our electoral system and political parties take any steps ...Show More
3) Rural medical students to urban counterparts: try rural practice
A group of medical students from Ontario medical schools are reaching out to those in urban schools to extoll the benefits of small town practice. Their efforts could be one part of the puzzle in solv...Show More
4) The secrets of seaweed: New festival celebrates the art, food, science and economic potential of marine plants
Scotland is about to host its first seaweed festival -- an artistic, culinary and environmental event on Isle Martin. Festival curator and environmental photographer Julia Barton shares the story and ...Show More
5) Piloting innovative ideas for rural communities
Test driving new, innovative ideas for rural communities makes sense. It's a low-risk, low-cost way of seeing what might work, what doesn't and what could be a success with a little adaption...Show More
6) Youth Hackathon tackles pressing rural problems
Young people from countries bordering the North Atlantic recently spent a weekend working in teams to tackle some of the urgent challenges facing our rural communities. We talked with Paula Haapanen w...Show More
7) Recruiting rural doctors? Don't forget those studying abroad
While studying medicine in Ireland, Canadian Sarah Kaip is building a network of future doctors there, encouraging them to consider rural medicine back home in Canada. There's no shortage of Cana...Show More
8) Gurdeep Pandher on joy-making during COVID-19
Who could have predicted that videos of Bhangra dancing from the wilds of the Yukon would help so many of us get through COVID-19? Gurdeep Pandher had to step back and try to make sense of it all hims...Show More
9) From dairy byproduct to vodka: the Dairy Distillery story
Got milk? In the small town of Almonte in Eastern Ontario, the Dairy Distillery is using a byproduct of the dairy industry to make vodka -- to rave reviews. It's a terrific example of rural busin...Show More
10) Mental health on the family farm
The risk of mental illness among farmers is much higher than in the general population, with often devastating results for individuals, families and communities. DoMoreAg is a non-profit working to ra...Show More