Services Theme Mid-Term Review

1. Services ThemeMid-Term Review Greg Halseth University of Northern British Columbia halseth@unbc.ca 250-960-5826 http://nre.concordia.ca

2. Outline • Context: • rural services, capacity, new economy • 2 Projects • Examples of Findings • policy implications • knowledge mobilization • training

3. Rural Services Context • Large distances & low population density • Linked with population / market change • Service standards based on ‘urban’ models • specialized services rarely justified by rural demand • Challenges obtaining resources • human & financial / limited voluntary sector • Demographic change adds pressures • newcomers, urban commuters, youth, elderly • social exclusion How can rural communities best reorganize services for these new conditions?

4. Services and Capacity Services function within each of 4 types of capacity “relations”: • bureaucratic - public sector • market - private sector • associative - voluntary sector • communal - family and kinship • It’s about change: • service ‘eras’ have shifted capacity relation emphasis • assessing changes / and adjustments are part of capacity analysis • shifting roles and functions of relations • social, political, and economic restructuring

5. How has service organization and delivery changed in the New Economy? How does the context enhance or inhibit their effectiveness? How are adjustments related to capacity and change? What innovations do we find? Strategy Site Profile Series General, longitudinal changes Context effects Innovative Services Case studies Processes and challenges Research Questions and Strategy

6. Site Profiles • Site Profiles: 1998, 2000, 2003 • 2003 Site Profile: 22 sites • 6 sites in Atlantic Canada • 4 sites in Québec • 4 sites in Ontario • 8 sites in Western Canada • Conducted together with the Communications Research Instrument • Next iteration planned for 2005

7. Examples of Findings [Profiles project] • Few services available in a majority of sites • 24 / 116 services in more than 50% of sites • Limited in: health, legal, child & elder care • Service provision is declining • 63.5% of services previously tracked declined • Larger declines: health, protection, financial • Service declines in metro-adjacent sites: • health, protection, & community services • Over 90% of services accessible within 30 minutes • Some services are growing: • 911, ATMs, food banks

8. Policy Challenges [Profiles project] Messages: ‘Service changes’ • Changing services demands • population numbers/structure • Changing services delivery options • must be suited to rural context • E.g. Non-Metro-adjacent sites use more communal supports than Metro-adjacent • ‘Scale’ at which they are made available within places/regions • Smaller places cannot support specialized approaches

9. Innovative and Voluntary Services Project • To explore the changing capacity and roles of innovative / voluntary services, including the implications for vulnerable populations • 4 NRE Sites: • Mackenzie, BC • Wood River, SK • Tweed, ON • Springhill, NS • 10 services in each site

10. Examples of Findings [Innov. project] • Most feel they make a major contribution to local well being • outcome of delivering services to people (?) • Service delivery to site and surrounding area • achieve through partnerships • Under stress • staff / volunteer time • funding

11. Policy Challenges [Innov. project] Messages: ‘Links to social cohesion/ capital & community capacity’ • Services related to community capacity • Contribute to social capital, facilitate social cohesion • but, must consider the human capital limits • Tradeoffs between market/bureaucratic capacities and associative/communal capacities • Bureaucratic and Communal most often jointly used • Market and Associative low compatibility • Communal and Associative are stressed