Rural Data Futures: Building Evidence for Resilient Communities in Ontario

Lead Applicant: Leith Deacon

Research Priority: Strong Rural Communities

Program Type: Tier 1

Funding Cycle: 2026/2027

Research Centre: N/A

Research Summary: Rural communities are central to Ontario’s agri-food sector, yet they face growing pressures from climate variability, labour shortages, shifting markets, and unequal access to services and infrastructure. Policy and planning are often constrained by fragmented data that fail to capture the interconnected realities of rural households, economies, and well-being.

The H.E.A.R. (Health, Economy, Adaptation in Rural Communities) Research Platform will establish a province-wide, longitudinal rural data infrastructure for Ontario. Every two years, the initiative will collect data through a paper-based household survey distributed to approximately 300,000 rural households, alongside complementary digital individual-level surveys. These data will be integrated with administrative, geospatial, environmental, agricultural, and economic datasets to generate actionable insights into rural resilience and change over time.

Using advanced analytics and knowledge mobilization approaches, H.E.A.R. will strengthen evidence-informed policy, improve data equity, and support strategies that help Ontario’s rural and agri-food communities adapt, innovate, and thrive.