Rural Secretariat

1. Rural Secretariat Innovation and Collaboration: Learning and Changing Together October 27, 2009 Goose Bay

2. What We Do • Advice • Community Engagement • Collaboration (Support) • Community Based Research • Northern Peninsula Pilot

3. Advice • Councils give unsolicited advice to government • Government requests advice from Councils re: specific issues (YRAS) • Councils develop advice ‘with’ government depts.

4. Advice How do we enhance Regional Council advice? Community engagement Community-based research Input/ feedback from departments

5. Community Engagement • Citizen engagement activities can be Council-driven, Planner-driven or Provincial Office driven • Can be a one-off engagement or a series of engagements, organized alone/with Council or in cooperation with other Councils individuals/entities • Engagements can be open or targeted in terms of invited attendees (forum), depending on issue and goal of engagement activity

6. Community Engagement (cont’d) • Important to identify the policy, program or service issues underpinning activity - What question will the activity explore? • Consider the product/outcome of citizen engagement: How will the results of the citizen engagement activity be used?

7. Collaboration • Collaboration can originate from Council’s work, Regional Partnership Planners, Provincial Office, other or on request of other Councils, or government departments and entities. • Nature of collaborative work can range from planting seeds, nurturing, supporting preexisting, convening/brokering, or convening for other government departments (VNFPS sessions)

8. Collaboration (cont’d) • Focused on collaborative opportunities that cross multi-sectors, engaging government + stakeholders for sustainability • Intent is to build on collaborative culture within regions

9. Community Based Research: Starting Points • Mandate of the Rural Secretariat • Promote sustainable economic/social development • Carry out research and analysis on economic and social issues affecting rural NL • Ensure rural concerns considered throughout provincial government/promoted at federal level • Promote awareness of provincial/federal programs/services

10. Why CBR? • A key task for Councils is to provide evidence-based and/or informed advice • Implies advice is “based upon some form of information gathering or research process” • Key to successful community development • Harnesses capacity/knowledge of community • Ensures that relevant research questions are explored (as opposed to ivory tower interests) • With CBR, likelihood that knowledge produced will be used is strengthened

11. Some definitions of CBR • Involves research done/led by community groups often with universities/colleges as a collaborative enterprise between academics and community members; • Engages communities/citizens in design, implementation and use of research/knowledge that informs community action and helps identify policies needed to help address this action

12. CBR can… • Mobilize expertise/resources of college/university students and faculty • Partner these resources with government to create public policy solutions • Create evidence of what works and why, and what is needed in communities, that can be used to inform and/or influence government • Works with the expertise at the community level

13. Aspects of CBR in the RS • CBR activities can be Council-driven, Planner-driven or Provincial Office driven • At least one community entity • Someone who represents an entity known to do research (e.g., MUN; CNA; hospital; school; government; NLFL) • There is an important research question to be explored which emerges from the community/region (and/or has full support of the community partner)

14. Aspects of CBR in the RS (cont’d) • There is fair sharing of control, decision-making • Where possible local/regional students involved (endeavor is also learning/employment opportunity) • Proposed research question has possible Provincial policy implication • If appropriate, a government official is involved beginning with question-setting stage • Not critical that all be involved with all steps (e.g., it may be best to allow researcher to design methods)

15. RS Research Activities • Nine Regional CBR Projects • Working regionally • Youth at Risk Profile • Housing and Homelessness • Barriers to Health Care in Labrador • Organic Farming • Research Catalyst Committee • RS, College, Grenfell

16. Northern Peninsula PilotRS Lead • New approach to government/ community shared decision making • Membership • Regional Council • Nordic and Red Ochre • GPN Joint Council • Norpen Waste Management • INTRD, MA

17. Northern Peninsula Pilot • Pilot was publicly announced in the 2009 Speech From the Throne (March 25, 2009) • The Pilot initiative is led by a Ministerial Committee and is supported by a Deputy Ministers Committee • Operationally the Pilot is being managed by ADMs from the Rural Secretariat (lead), INTRD and Municipal Affairs • Stakeholders will: • i) provide advice to decision-makers re: how to better invest funds in region; • ii) work together to identify regional development initiatives and priorities; and • iii) provide advice to Government re: how best to develop/support innovative regional collaboration across the province.

18. NP Pilot • Transportation and Works and Municipal Affairs have presented to the group • Group has deliberated on TW spending and given input • Next: Tourism and INTRD • Committee to give input to each department on spending decisions

19. THANK–YOU Barbara Case Director of Partnership Development barbaracase@gov.nl.ca 729-3126 Ken Carter Director of Partnership Research and Analysis (A) klcarter@gov.nl.ca 729-6961 Rural Secretariat