On February 25, 2020, in partnership with the Ontario Good Roads Association (OGRA) and on behalf of the Building the Future research team [1], Ashleigh Weeden (PhD Candidate, Rural Studies) launched a survey for rural municipal officials and staff to learn more about their experiences in planning for and connecting infrastructure initiatives and economic development strategies. The survey launch was part of a workshop on the infrastructure deficit in Ontario that was delivered to a standing-room-only session that drew more than 75 participants. Municipal councillors and staff from across Ontario are invited to share their insights and experiences through the survey until April 10, 2020. The survey can be accessed at bit.ly/BTFSurvey2020 [2].

Ms. Weeden also presented insights on the important connections between rural broadband infrastructure and long-term economic development strategies at the 2020 OGRA Conference in a session alongside national leaders in broadband technology. She shared highlights from her recent policy brief on the subject for the Rural Policy Learning Commons to more than 75 conference delegates.

Resources from both presentations will be made available online by OGRA via http://ograconference.ca/ [3] in the coming days.

More information on the Building the Future research initiative can be found at www.ruraldev.ca/infrastructure [4] and more information about Ms. Weeden’s research can be found at www.ruraldev.ca/ashleigh-weeden [5]