S2E11-Opioid crisis in rural Canada – Pt. II

The opioid crisis impacts hundreds of thousands of lives across North America and rural areas are increasingly at risk. To investigate the impacts of opioids in rural contexts, we’re presenting a special two-episode edition of Rural Routes, featuring stories from both individuals and institutions with experience on the frontlines of the rural opioid crisis. These difficult and sometimes inspiring stories address important questions about the fight against opioid addiction; are rural communities disproportionately affected? How are individuals and institutions working, or not working, to help communities heal? Is enough being done? In this last part of our look at the opioid crisis you will hear from Michele Specht and Jodi Salvo from Ohio, Dr. Tara Gomes from Toronto, Mae Katt from Thunder Bay, and Justice Peter Wright from Perth, Ontario.

Resources and links:

Michele Specht bio
Anti-drug coalition Tuscarawas County
Dr. Tara Gomes profile at St. Michael’s Hospital
Mae Katt profile at Families for Addiction Recovery

Rural Routes Partners:
The Leslie Harris Centre of Regional Policy and Development, MUN
Canadian Rural Revitalization Foundation 
Rural Policy Learning Commons Partnership
The National Campus and Community Radio Association

CHMR Campus Radio

Music by Laura C. Bates performed by Trent Severn.

Episode 14: Rural Health with Lars Hallström

In Canada, we recognize 14 social and economic factors that influence human health. These social determinants of health range from income and education, to housing, to gender and race. Lars Hallström thinks we could add living rural to that list. This episode of Rural Routes is the first one in which we tackle health and well being in rural areas.

Resources:
Dr. Lars Hallström’s faculty profile

Social Determinants of Health on Canadian Public Health Association page

Rural Routes Partners:
The Leslie Harris Centre of Regional Policy and Development, MUN
Canadian Rural Revitalization Foundation 
Rural Policy Learning Commons Partnership
The National Campus and Community Radio Association

Music by Laura C. Bates performed by Trent Severn.

EPISODE 7: Mining legacy in the North

This week’s episode takes us to Canada’s Northwest Territories. Arn Keeling and John Sandlos, a geographer and an historian at Memorial University of Newfoundland study the mining legacy in Canada’s North. They will walk us through complex issues facing Aboriginal and Indigenous communities and settler communities alike who find themselves in close proximity to mining sites. Arn and John will introduce us to Giant Mine near Yellowknife on the shores of Great Slave Lake and tell us a story that, while disturbing given the magnitude of the issues surrounding Giant Mine, offers a hope of reconciliation and healing.

Resources:
Dr. Arn Keeling faculty profile
Dr. John Sandlos faculty profile
Toxic Legacies project
Abandoned Mines In Northern Canada
Mining and Communities in Northern Canada: History, Politics and Memory – free book
Guardians of Eternity
ArcticNet

Rural Routes Partners:
The Leslie Harris Centre of Regional Policy and Development, MUN
Canadian Rural Revitalization Foundation 
Rural Policy Learning Commons Partnership
The National Campus and Community Radio Association

EPISODE 4: Getting smarter about rural with Bill Reimer

This week on Rural Routes, my guest is Bill Reimer. You could think of him as one of the wise on the Grand Rural Council if such a thing existed. Our conversation spanned decades of Dr. Reimer’s quest for finding better and smarter ways of thinking about and working with rural regions. We discussed rural policy in Quebec and Norway as well as intriguing approaches to rural and community development emerging among Canada’s First Nations.

Enjoy the show.

Resources:
Bill Reimer’s faculty profile
Bill Reimer’s website

Rural Routes Partners:
The Leslie Harris Centre of Regional Policy and Development, MUN
Canadian Rural Revitalization Foundation
Rural Policy Learning Commons Partnership
The National Campus and Community Radio Association

This is program is supported by a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada Connection grant.