Rural Ontario and Disruption: Identifying the Road to Full Economic Recovery

Rural communities often face difficulties recovering from disruptive events due to unique challenges related to low population density, lack of economic diversity, and limited digital infrastructure; along with other obstacles associated with geographies and scale. The COVID-19 pandemic is one example of a recent disruption which saw significantly negative and varied impacts on rural Ontario’s economy. This poster will highlight the preliminary findings of a mixed-methods project exploring the factors or barriers that may be hindering a stronger economic recovery in rural Ontario from the COVID-19 pandemic, using four rural case counties—Elgin, Huron, Norfolk, and Perth—and will identify key economic decisions made during the pandemic, along with policies and legislation, while exploring their successes and challenges. These case studies will act as proxies to identify the best practices and solutions that can be made to support and develop long-term strategies that ensure strong rural economies.