Concordia University Magazine - Summer 2007 (Volume 30, Number 2)

2007·8.8 MB·English

by  Office of University Advancement and Alumni Relations

P8009_ConMag Summer07-Main 6/27/07 4:44 PM Page 1
u n i v e r s i t y m a g a z i n e
summer 2007 volume 30 number 2 magazine.concordia.ca
Rural Renewal
With the help of the New
Rural Economy project,
led by Concordia’s William
Reimer, Canada’s rural
communities are taking
steps to remain a vibrant
Cover: In regions
part of our country
such as Hussar,
by Julie Gedeon Alberta, the NRE
project has helped
reboot rural
economies.
Creating
Inquiring Minds 8
Concordia teachers discuss
how to stimulate students’
thirst for learning amid the
myriad distractions of today’s
world; also, professor Peter
Grogono, recipient of the
President’s Award for
Teaching Excellence
by Raphael Bendahan
12
Concordia University Magazine is published
four times a year for alumni and friends of
Concordia University. Opinions expressed
herein do not necessarily reflect the views of
the alumni associations nor of the University. Getting on Course
ISSN 0706-1005 Tanya Maier, BComm 91,
duD Qépuôétb elécg. a©l: 2B0ib0l7io. tPhrèinqtueed n inat Cioannaaled a. 16 advises women (and some men)
on the value of golf in the
Please address editorial correspondence corporate world
to the Editor, Howard Bokser,
Office of University Advancement &
Alumni Relations, Concordia University by Jennifer Westlake
1455 de Maisonneuve Blvd. W.,
Montreal, QuebecH3G 1M8
Telephone: [phone] ext. 4856
Fax: [phone]
E-mail: [email protected] 3 THE EDITOR’S VOICE
Website: magazine.concordia.ca
For advertising information, call 4 LETTERS
514-848-2424 ext. 3819.
Editorial Board 5 CONCORDIA NEWS
Howard Bokser, editor and chair.
Members: Kathy Assayag, Sami Antaki,
John Aylen, Igal Corcos, Susan Elias, 19 HOMECOMING 2007
Linda Kay, Richard King, Nicole Saltiel, Sandra-
Lynn Spina, Donna Varrica, Xurxo Vidal.
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P8009_ConMag Summer07-Main 6/27/07 3:23 PM Page 2
Ordinary people making
a $1 million difference
It’s difficult for academics to find work in the same city,
let alone the same university, yet Concordia hired us
both in our respective fields in 1974, and it has provided
us with a home since. Today, although we’re now both
retired, we continue to conduct our research, work with
graduate students, and teach — we’ll even be offering a
course together next year.
We are passionate about the importance of providing
young people accessible, quality university education.
We are also well aware that, unfortunately, an
increasing number of students need to juggle work
and family with their studies, and that financial hurdles
often block the path to their degrees.
In the early 1990s we met a financial advisor and
discovered that we were able to fund a $1 million life
insurance policy at an affordable annual deposit, with
Concordia University as owner and beneficiary.
It was a magical number and we really felt like we
would be making a difference.
Our policy is now paid up. The eventual $1 million
disbursement will set up the Kornblatt Bursaries and
Scholarships Endowment for Concordia undergraduate
students.
Concordia has treated us well, and now we’re repaying
an old debt.
Judith Kornblatt
Professor Emeritus, Chemistry and Biochemistry
Jack Kornblatt
Assistant Professor Emeritus, Biology
Concordia University
For more information on Planned Giving:
514-848-2424 ext. 8945
See how you can make a difference!
Please call Advancement & Alumni Relations at
1-888-777-3330 or 514-848-2424 ext. 4856.
P8009_ConMag_Sum07-Main 7/3/07 1:20 PM Page 3
Editor’sVoice
Voluntary service
Given that what we do at Concordia extended families, our community.
serves such an important func- Those communities can be defined
tion in our society — disseminat- in many ways — the movement to stop
ing and creating knowledge through global warming, for instance, affects
teaching and research — we in turn a pretty big community. But any kind
benefit from the involvement of a great of volunteering, even if slightly less
number of volunteers. From the Board ambitious, makes a huge difference.
of Governors and the Concordia fortunate to have these two and many Coaching a soccer team, sitting on a
University Alumni Association through others like them playing for our side. school association or working with an
Faculty advisory boards, fundraising At Loyola College, the Jesuits and alumni chapter serves a purpose and
campaign teams and countless commit- other faculty members explicitly taught ultimately reaps rewards — for both the
tee members — including this maga- their students to be “a man for others” giver and receiver.
zine’s editorial board — volunteers (they were mostly men). At Sir George, I recently witnessed a near-terrible
play an essential role in allowing the as several of this issue’s letters (see page accident involving a young boy who was
University to do what it does. 4) point out, Henry F. Hall, together struck by a car — remarkably, he walked
According to the Online Etymology with a long list of professors like away practically unscathed. The second
Dictionary (etymonline.com), a “volun- Douglas B. Clarke, Francelia Butler and he was knocked to the street, I reacted
teer” originally referred to “one who Neil Compton, embodied the same con- as if he were my own. So did dozens of
offers himself for military service” (we cept. At the Spirit of Inquiry conference friends and neighbours who ran to the
do expect much from our volunteers, but at the University in May (see “Creating injured child. Our instincts were the
not thatmuch) but eventually included Inquiring Minds,” page 12), the teachers same, as the African proverb goes:
those giving themselves to other causes. at today’s Concordia displayed their “It takes a village to raise a child.”
The word “voluntary” originates from passion to make our students better — The volunteers I’ve met, at Concordia
the Latin voluntarius,meaning “of one’s teaching is their vocation, but it is and elsewhere, naturally act like their
free will.” While some convicted offend- among the noblest kind, and for most community is their family, their village.
ers are pressed into community service it’s also their avocation. Most of us seem good at remembering
in lieu of jail time, I assure you that our These folks get it. They recognize that to forget what’s really important in life.
volunteers do, indeed, offer themselves our responsibility isn’t only to ourselves Fortunately, our volunteers are there to
to Concordia of their own volition. and our immediate families but to our remind us.
The Alumni Association recently cele-
brated its top volunteers and standout
members of the community at its alumni
recognition awards reception, where,
as usual, the good work by good people
was duly rewarded (see page 21). I also
recently was lucky to be able to interview
a couple of our volunteer alumni chapter
presidents, Constantin Loudiadis, BA
78, and Denis Kefallinos, BEng 91 (see
page 23). As always, I was struck by the
enthusiasm and commitment they bring
to their roles, despite (or maybe
because) it’s benevolent.
Clearly, people like Denis and
Constantin are successful at what they
do because they don’t know how to
approach something halfway. We’re
concordia university magazine summer 2007 | 3
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Letters
Hall deserves better to enter the ministry of the teaching and information ing an MSc (from McGill).
Iread the excellent article Presbyterian Church in this wonderful man sought At this time, I am undecided
by Brian Selwood, “The Canada, but before being to pass to his students. about journeying down to
Humanism of Henry F. Hall” eligible to enter the theologi- I have on my office wall my Montreal this fall to attend the
(Spring 2007), and it re- cal seminary I was required to original Sir George Williams 60th reunion Homecoming
minded me how upset I am complete a certain number of degree and also the special ceremonies, because 10 years
as an alumni by the disrepair courses in arts at a university commemorative degree from ago (at our 50th anniversary)
of the building that was level. I was advised by a 2005. After graduating, only six of us attended the
named after him. friend to seek an interview I subsequently completed affair. And since then, Ken
I entered the Hall Building with Dr. Hall. postgraduate theological Adams (one of the attendees)
as an arts faculty student in I did receive a very gracious courses and have now been passed away.
1969. I have wonderful mem- interview with him, probably an ordained minister in the But whether or not I
ories of my years of studies in the same location as the Presbyterian Church in attend, I want to take this
and all the special teachers photo in the magazine. He Canada for over 40 years. opportunity to reiterate my
and friends I met there. In listened with great interest I attribute a lot of this to Dr. thanks to all the great teach-
fact, I met my future husband and also a sympathetic Henry F. Hall. I am proud to ers I had during my student
in the seventh floor cafeteria. understanding, and said, have been one of his students. days at Sir George. They
The Hall Building doesn’t “If you are serious, get Rev. R.L. Inglis, S BA 69 provided me with a great
seem to have been Fabreville, Que. education – which I am still
renovated in its 40 using today – 16 years after
years of existence. my mandatory retirement
I think that Dr. Hall Well evolved in 1991.
deserves to be The article by Perry Now I spend part of my
remembered with Greenbaum on leisure time writing public-
more respect. Gad Saad (“Evolved interest articles (for my
Anne Cimon, Consumers,” Spring fellow condominium resi-
BA (Eng. lit) 93 2007) was a total delight. dents), and I published
Montreal I am at a loss for words my autobiography, Musings
to express my deepest of a Native Son, in 2005.
Ed’s note: There have appreciation for Gad Thomas F. Massiah, S BSc 47
been significant ongoing Saad, your magazine Toronto
renovations in the Hall and Perry Greenbaum.
Building in recent years, To top it off, the arti-
and there are plans for cle by Brian Selwood on
further renovations. the magnificent human
being, Henry Foss Hall,
was too much! I remember
university magazine
Thanking Dr. Hall some credits and re-apply all too well Dr. Hall’s great
Iwanted to thank you most here.” He also gave me lectures in the Salvation Concordia University Magazine
welcomes readers’ comments. Letters
sincerely for the beautiful the name of the Dean of Army Citadel; and, for that
should include the writer’s full name,
and also nostalgic article, Extramural Studies at matter, Professor H. Quin’s address, school(s), degree(s) and
“The Humanism of Henry Queen’s University. I was in political science. year(s) of graduation for alumni.
F. Hall” by Brian Selwood, accepted at Queen’s and Harry Barakett, S BComm 52 Letters may be edited for length and
clarity. No letter will be published
which highlighted and paid completed my first year, then Toronto without the full name of the
tribute to the wonderful per- re-applied to Sir George and correspondent. Correspondence
should be sent to the Editor,
sonality and also humanism was immediately accepted.
Concordia University Magazine,
of the late Dean of Sir George One of the first mandatory 60 and counting 1455 De Maisonneuve Blvd. West,
Williams University. courses I had was Natural May 30, 2007, marked a Montreal, Quebec,H3G 1M8.
Fax: [phone]
I came to Canada from Science, taught by Dr. Hall. double anniversary for
e-mail: [email protected]
Scotland as a qualified engi- No student who ever sat me, because it will be 60 years website: magazine.concordia.ca
neer in 1957. Two years later, through one of Dr. Hall’s since obtaining a BSc (from
in 1959, I made the decision lectures will ever forget the SGW), and 51 years since earn-
4 | summer 2007 concordia university magazine
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ConcordiaNews
P R E S I D E N T ’ SM E S S A G E
Last May I was honoured to Celebrating our teachers
acknowledge an individual
who stands for all that
makes our University special.
At the national conference hosted When I was a student
by Concordia, “Spirit of Inquiry: in Engineering Physics
Developing critical thinking, at École polytechnique de
creativity and community,” Montréal, I had the good
I presented the first President’s fortune of having many
Award for Teaching Excellence to outstanding professors.
Professor and Associate Chair in Two in particular stood
Computer Science Peter Grogono. out for me: Wladimir
One month later, at our June Paskievici and Roger
convocations, we celebrated the Blais. Their passion
mseot roef ft htoa na n3,e0w0 w0 ogrrladd. uIat’tse sfu wlfhilol- SERVICES ionns ptoi rmedy mgrea dtou actoen sttiunduiees
iCnogn tcoo krdnioaw s ttuhdaet nthtse saen fdo nrmewer CREATIVE ianll yth leed f imeled ,t ow ha iccahr eeevre nintu-
S
alumni are carrying with them T the academic world. I am
II
the wisdom and insight passed forever grateful to these
on to them by teachers such as leader in several key areas of research men, just as our graduates, I’m sure,
Peter Grogono. that will have a growing impact on soci- will remain grateful for the invaluable
Dr. Grogono represents the ideal ety. But in each case we have also education they received from our
Concordia professor: he’s a top ensured that these new faculty members committed teachers at Concordia.
researcher, having published many are enthusiastic educators, in line with
technical papers and six books, and his Concordia’s efforts to achieve the best
textbook,Programming in Pascal,has quality of teaching, research and inno- Claude Lajeunesse
sold over 1 million copies worldwide. vation possible. President, Concordia University
And as a teacher, he was already the
recipient of several awards recognizing
his talents, including the first ENCS
Teaching Excellence Award in 1998. F U N D R A I S I N GN E W S
The national conference, part of the
McGraw-Hill Ryerson Teaching, Hydro-Québec donates $8 million
Learning and Technology Conference
series, served to remind us all that, like to Concordia University
Peter Grogono, our faculty members
take their responsibility of teaching —
along with research and community “Energy efficiency is one of Hydro-Québec’s top priorities,”
service — to heart. said Thierry Vandal, President and CEO of Hydro-Québec,
In the past decade we have been for- as he announced Hydro’s $8 million donation to Concordia
tunate to have hired 500 new faculty University at a reception in the Engineering, Computer Science
members. These young professors were and Visual Arts Complex in April. Vandal added, “Concordia
brought on board in part because they University is a reputable institution that we are proud to count
are outstanding researchers, and as a as a partner in our energy efficiency efforts.”
result Concordia has reinforced its From the $8 million gift, $4.8 million will be used to create
research profile and has become a two new multidisciplinary research chairs in the Faculty of
Engineering and Computer Science. The chair in Electrical
Energy Conservation will research
areas including distribution continued on page 6 >
concordia university magazine summer 2007 | 5
P8009_ConMag_Sum07-Main 7/3/07 1:23 PM Page 6
ConcordiaNews
CSBN researchers: (standing in back)
R E S E A R C HS P O TL I G H T
exercise scientist professor Richard
Courtemanche; (front) psychology
CSBN reaps professors Shimon Amir, Peter Shizgal,
Barbara Woodside, Wayne Brake,
recognition and funds Andrew Chapman and Jane Stewart.
In the case of the Centre for Studies
in Behavioral Neurobiology (CSBN),
collegiality really works.
The research centre, one of the jewels
in Concordia’s crown, has been given an
infrastructure grant of $1 million over
four years by the Fonds de la recherche en
santé du Québec (FRSQ), the province’s
mah auesnd biivceeaerln sg igrtiyav nwetniitn hsguo acughte afnu fcnaycd.u iIlntt’ygs oitnhf emth feeird asirtc etiinam ee HUTCHINSON
of health. KATE
It’s not the first time, however, the
CSBN has turned heads. Founded in 1982 by senior “If you include cigarettes and alcohol, most people have
researchers Jane Stewart, Roy Wise, Zalman Amit and Peter experience with drugs. Everybody eats. Most people have sex,”
Shizgal, the Centre has earned much media attention over current director Barbara Woodside says. “What makes some
the years (including Concordia University Magazine,December people addicted or obese, and not others?”
2003). When the CSBN was launched, its primary focus was The FRSQ report remarked on the Centre’s wide application
on the neurobiological mechanisms involved in drug addiction. to health issues, and noted how dynamic and active the CSBN
As the years went on, that interest expanded to a much broader is. It has 11 regular members, all faculty at Concordia, and six
range of appetite motivation. associate members.
F U N D R A I S I N GN E W S
> continued from page 5 Concordia University
automation, demand-side and Hydro-Québec are
management, economic factors, collaborating on a number
epnrovfiirloinngm aenndta hl uismsuanes b, echonavsiuomure;r SERVICES oinf csluucdciensgs ftuhle p Srooljaerc Btsu,ildings
the chair in Distribution MEDIA Research Network, which is
ABuuitlodminagti Done saingnd aInntde gOrpaeterdation CREATIVE hanedad wqourakrste orne dth aet Cadoanpctoartdioian
S
will focus on multidisciplinary T and innovative integration
II
research to develop energy effi- At the Hydro-Québec donation announcement, April 12: of new and existing solar
cient, high-performance sus- Nabil Esmail, Dean of Engineering and Computer Science; and building technologies
tainable buildings at lower costs. Kathy Assayag, Vice-President, Advancement & Alumni for the Canadian climate and
Relations; Thierry Vandal, Hydro-Québec President and
The remaining $3.2 million will marketplace.
CEO; Marie-José Nadeau, Vice-President, Hydro-Québec;
be used for scholarships and and Concordia President Claude Lajeunesse. The Hydro gift follows the
fellowships (Bourses Hydro- announcement in January that
Québec) for Concordia students. the Desjardins Group had
Concordia President Claude Engineering Faculty and Hydro- donated $2 million to the JMSB, to
Lajeunesse told guests at the recep- Québec. These research chairs, provide students with scholarships
tion, “This announcement marks the together with other work being done and bursaries and establish the
latest step in a long and fruitful in the Faculty, make ENCS a leader Desjardins Centre for Innovation
partnership between Concordia’s in this field.” in Business Finance.
6 | summer 2007 concordia university magazine
P8009_ConMag Summer07-Main 6/27/07 3:35 PM Page 7
S T U D E N T S ’ C O R N E R
Record-setting year for JMSB students
New school and
deans set to begin The year 2006-07 proved
to be a bullish one for
This summer, Concordia will students in Concordia’s
welcome two deans into its fold — John Molson School of Business
along with a new school. (JMSB), as they set a record for
Noel C. Burkewill become the first Eastern Canadian universities by
Dean of the School of General Studies, winning overall gold at the three
bTwehilgeli fnSocnrhimnogaol lJl you flky Gi 1ce kfno oerfr faa alf tiS vttehu-edy iseeaasmr, wtee htriimmch.e, mcoomTshtp eep trsietuisoctcnigesis oisnu sbE ecagostamenrm nae tCr tcaheneada. HUTCHINSON
will address non- 19th TD Meloche Commerce KATE
credit studies, web- Games, hosted by HEC Montréal The team of JMSB students, coaches and faculty.
based distance edu- in January 2007, where the
cation, off-campus JMSB landed five gold, four silver and two bronze medals, finishing at the top for
education and cred- academic disciplines and overall score. Less than two weeks later, a team of under-
it studies, and serve graduates took home overall gold at Omnium Financier, also hosted by HEC
the specific needs Montréal, with four gold medals and one silver out of six disciplines. Finally, the
of independent, JMSB scored another overall gold at Marketing Happening in March, winning three
mature and visiting gold medals, one silver and two bronze out of six disciplines. The JMSB played host
students. The cre- to 10 schools from Ontario and Quebec at Marketing Happening.
ation of the School Noel Burke In total, 45 JMSB undergraduate teams competed in the 2006-07 competition
is part of meeting season, resulting in an impressive 32 podium finishes.
Concordia’s promise to be as accessible Mark Haber, Director of the Undergraduate Competition Program and Head
as possible while maintaining the high- Coach, received the Trophée Reconnaissance from the Commerce Games organizing
est academic standards. committee for his dedication. He said, “Our students have gone out to competitions
Since 2002, Noel Burke has been across Canada, the U.S. and internationally and shown that the JMSB is a winning
Assistant Deputy Minister for the school. My vision has been to make John Molson the number one undergraduate
English-Speaking Community in the case competitor in the world, and I think we are either there, or very close.”
Quebec government’s Ministère de
l’Éducation, du Loisir et du Sport. Before
that, he was Assistant Director General
and Educational Services Director for the
New Frontiers School Board. He has also
held several teaching positions, includ- in scholarship and The author and editor of numerous
ing for the Faculty of Graduate Studies in academic adminis- publications in the highest ranked
Education and the Faculty of Education tration. He is cur- journals in management, Sharma has
— Distance Education Department at rently the Canada participated in a number of international
McGill University, and for Concordia’s Research Chair and national research bodies and advised
Department of Education. Burke has a in Organizational several corporations and not-for-profit
BEd and an MEd in Administration and Sustainability and organizations, such as the World
Policy Studies from McGill. Professor of Policy Bank and the International Finance
One month after Dean Burke begins, in the School Corporation. He was a Fulbright Scholar
on August 1, Sanjay Sharmawill step of Business & Sanjay Sharma in 2001-2002 and has served on research
in as the new dean of the John Molson Economics at Wilfrid adjudication committees of councils.
School of Business (JMSB), for a Laurier University in Waterloo, Ont. Prior to his academic career, Sharma
five-year term. He will succeed Jerry Since 2005, he has been the director of had 16 years of senior management
Tomberlin, who has been the JMSB’s the Certified Management Accountants’ experience with international corpora-
dean since 2002. Centre for Responsible Organizations. tions in the U.K. and India. He earned
Sharma brings solid business He was at Saint Mary’s University in his PhD in Management in 1996 from
experience as well as a broad background Halifax before joining Wilfrid Laurier. the University of Calgary.
concordia university magazine summer 2007 | 7
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After a manufacturing
downturn, Newfoundland’s
remote Twillingate has
renewed itself as a whale
watching and iceberg
tours destination.
R u r a l
LOVERIDGE
DON
P8009_ConMag Summer07-Main 6/27/07 3:36 PM Page 9
W
hen the residents of nities are no longer necessarily bucolic five key elements: whether a communi-
Hussar, Alberta, met hubs dotted with small factories and big ty had a stable economy, since it’s hard
Professor William Reimer barns on family farms,” Reimer says. to plan anything without one; whether
of Concordia’s Department “And the people who live in them say it was connected to the global economy;
of Sociology and Anthropology and his their kids need jobs or they’ll leave.” whether it was near a major urban cen-
colleagues a few years ago, the people The shutdown of a mainstay business tre; whether it had schools, hospitals
from the tiny Prairie town believed doesn’t have to spell the end of a com- and other institutions; and, finally,
refilling their Dead Horse Lake would munity. For instance, unwilling to leave whether the community was leading
improve their fortunes. their young town, the residents of or lagging.
“Bad idea,” the leading researcher of Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia, After locating all of Canada’s rural
the New Rural Economy (NRE) project asked the government to maintain the sites, they randomly chose 32 commu-
and his colleagues thought. “Not school and social services for five years nities that provided a good mix of
only would the lake dry out again, while they came up with a new econom- Yes and No responses for the key
but tourists weren’t going to drive ic plan. “They redeveloped Tumbler categories. “Then we approached
out of their way to picnic there.” Ridge into a community where active, those communities about cooperating
As part of the research of the NRE outdoorsy retirees flocked,” Reimer with us,” Reimer says. Some agreed
project (nre.concordia.ca) into how rural says. “After some kids unearthed enthusiastically. A few hesitated.
economies are being affected and dinosaur tracks and a world expert veri- Others refused.
undergoing transformation, they began fied the site, Tumbler Ridge also set up Whatever the response, the
discussions with Hussar’s policymak- a dinosaur camp for 70 youngsters and researchers stuck with the same 32
ers, consultants, government agency their parents, generating customers for communities and the project officially
representatives, community organizers various businesses.” began in 1997. A major grant from
and other residents. They also later the Social Science and Humanities
arranged for a Hussar resident to be NRE efforts Research Council to investigate social
part of a cultural exchange to see what For more than 20 years, Reimer and his cohesion within rural communities
the Japanese were doing to keep their colleagues throughout Canada gathered meant that economists, sociologists,
rural communities vibrant. at the annual conference organized by anthropologists, geographers and other
Concordia Sociology and Anthropology professor William Reimer and the
New Rural Economy project’s research have helped municipalities of all sizes
B y J u l i e G e d e o n
“Immediately that person had a dif- the Canadian Rural Revitalization
ferent view of what Hussar needed to Foundation to discuss rural issues.
do,” Reimer says. “The community One year they realized that much of
began orienting itself as an asset to their findings were based on anecdotal
Calgary, about an hour’s drive away.” evidence rather than scientific data, so
It built a hockey arena and promoted they set out to establish a national pro-
its use to Calgarians eager for ice time. ject that would help them identify the
“It’s that kind of innovative thinking factors affecting rural communities.
that I’ve found most sustaining,” “We wanted a collaborative project
Reimer says. “It’s what’s made me involving local residents, policy-mak-
stick with the project for 10 years.” ers, government and non-government
Sociology and Anthropology professor
Canada’s rural communities have agencies, and practitioners such as William Reimer has seen many of Canada’s
been forced to redefine themselves to consultants who help communities rural communities help themselves by taking
a new approach to their economies and by
survive the reduced need for labourers with problem-solving or economic
working with other towns and even big cities.
as a result of mechanization and other development,” Reimer says.
“There are numerous possible long-term
technological changes. “Rural commu- The researchers decided to compare benefits of not treating a city as the enemy.”
concordia university magazine summer 2007 | 9
P8009_ConMag_Sum07-Main 7/3/07 1:41 PM Page 10
researchers could get involved. Another neighbouring communities to help out,” turns the wooden cores from plywood
grant from the same Council five years Reimer recalls. A regional strategy also manufacturing into bowling pins.
ago led to the project shifting its focus proved effective when salmon became Competitive motorcyclists from all over
to capacity building: the ways in which endangered in New Brunswick’s North America order fibreglass trailers
rural people and communities reorga- Miramichi River and the area’s munici- from a manufacturer near Taschereau,
nize themselves for the future. The palities, fishers, farmers, foresters and Quebec. The Internet has enabled many
Council’s funding gave the NRE project others who usually have little interaction small communities to advertise and sell
the long-term stability it needed. About gathered to determine how each of them their unique products and services
15 academic researchers have formally affected the watershed. around the world.
been involved and many others are
connected to it. More than a dozen
Rural communities are no longer necessarily
universities have participated at any
given time. bucolic hubs dotted with small factories and
The researchers worked intensely
with 21 communities. “We kept in big barns. And the people who live in them
touch with the others,” says Reimer.
say their kids need jobs or they’ll leave.
Some wanted to become involved when
they found out what another town was
doing; others when they found the
necessary volunteers.
“One of the first impor-
tant things we learned is
that small communities
The NRE project has worked closely with 21 communities in its 10 years. Pictured from left: Taschereau, Que., home of
the world’s largest spinning wheel; Tweed, Ont.; Cap-à-l’aigle, Que.; Mackenzie, B.C.; Taschereau, which hosted an NRE
workshop in 2006; Mackenzie; Ste. Françoise, Que.; and Hussar, Alta.
Remote communities have to go it Welcoming others
are very dependent on their volunteers, alone. Located towards the northern ometimes these enterprises
who sometimes get burned out, espe- tip of Newfoundland, Twillingate had hesitate to enter international
cially in towns losing their population,” to replace its diminished timber and markets because the accountants
Reimer says. sealing enterprises with something or business advisers in their communi-
Feeling isolated and alone with their that would literally make people go out ty fear the possible complexity. “Once
problems is another commonality. By of their way to visit. The community people have the proper information, it
getting the communities’ members to brainstormed and turned the town into often gives them the confidence to go
meet at a national conference, the a popular stop for whale watching and that next step,” Reimer says. “That’s
researchers saw the representatives iceberg tours. what happened in Quebec’s Beauce
identifying with each other’s concerns Finding an economic niche often region, where businesses just flour-
and sharing possible solutions. allows rural enterprises to establish a ished after they shared information
market. Springhill, Nova Scotia, had about expanding their markets.”
Success stories struggled after its coal mines shut down Some kind of manufacturing is often
These gatherings inspired communities in the 1950s. One day, a coalminer’s essential. “Our research concluded that
to step out of their comfort zone, as when son realized the water filling the under- if a community is going to survive, it’s
Tweed, Ontario, offered to host one year. ground shafts could be pumped to heat more than likely because it has a manu-
“Tweed had an old theatre, legion hall, or cool buildings. The inexpensive facturing base,” Reimer says. “Even
a couple of restaurants, but without geothermal energy attracted industry. small companies employing five or
conference facilities it had to call upon Near Mattawa, Ontario, a small business six people make a huge difference to a
10 | summer 2007 concordia university magazine