Rural Spark

It’s old school meets modern technology, a tale that starts with a mule named Bub and ends (for now) with good-paying jobs, a reversal of outmigration and hope in Jackson County, formerly one of the most impoverished areas of the U.S. Keith Gabbard, CEO of the People’s Rural Telephone Cooperative helped make it happen, and he joins us this week to tell the incredible tale.

New to the pod? Every week Helen Murphy, a rural newspaper editor and entrepreneur, invites guests to share fresh thinking, success stories and lessons learned. Be sure to subscribe to stay up-to-date on all things rural innovation! Thanks for listening!

Yukonstruct, the first community innovation hub north of 60, believes in the power of synergy. When entrepreneurs, makers and innovators come together, good things happen – good things that create jobs and drive the economy. Executive Director Lana Selbee joins us today to share some innovative northern thinking on rural innovation.

New to the pod? Every week Helen Murphy, a rural newspaper editor and entrepreneur, invites guests to share fresh thinking, success stories and lessons learned. Be sure to subscribe to stay up-to-date on all things rural innovation! Thanks for listening!

Cowbell Brewing is located in Blyth, Ontario, a town of around 1000 residents. But in its first two years of operations, Cowbell has served hundreds of thousands. In this episode we talk to Grant Sparling from Cowbell Brewing about how this enterprise finds success, how they share that success with their community, and how they got on track to become North America's first carbon-neutral brewery.

New to the pod? Every week Helen Murphy, a rural newspaper editor and entrepreneur, invites guests to share fresh thinking, success stories and lessons learned. Be sure to subscribe to stay up-to-date on all things rural innovation! Thanks for listening!

This week we look into the gap in post-secondary education access and achievement for rural students. To help explain what's being done to close that gap, we're joined by Dreama Gentry of Berea College in eastern Kentucky and John White, former Deputy Assistant Secretary for Rural Outreach in the US Department of Education.

New to the pod? Every week Helen Murphy, a rural newspaper editor and entrepreneur, invites guests to share fresh thinking, success stories and lessons learned. Be sure to subscribe to stay up-to-date on all things rural innovation! Thanks for listening!

This is a model worth replicating. The small town of Marathon, Ont. has a surplus of doctors. And that's benefiting not only locals, but also neighbouring communities that run short.

New to the pod? Every week Helen Murphy, a rural newspaper editor and entrepreneur, invites guests to share fresh thinking, success stories and lessons learned. Be sure to subscribe to stay up-to-date on all things rural innovation! Thanks for listening!

Physician shortages leave patients without family doctors and overwhelm emergency departments. Our guest today reframes the discussion around primary healthcare and the role of nurse practitioners in filling the gap.  Deborah Hart highlights how nurse practitioners are especially equipped to address the needs of rural and aging communities. 

New to the pod? Every week Helen Murphy, a rural newspaper editor and entrepreneur, invites guests to share fresh thinking, success stories and lessons learned. Be sure to subscribe to stay up-to-date on all things rural innovation! Thanks for listening!

With apologies to John Denver, country roads should indeed be able to take us home, to work, to school and shopping on two wheels. Cycling infrastructure isn't just for cities. Laurie Newton explains why, and shows us where it's done right.

New to the pod? Every week Helen Murphy, a rural newspaper editor and entrepreneur, invites guests to share fresh thinking, success stories and lessons learned. Be sure to subscribe to stay up-to-date on all things rural innovation! Thanks for listening!

Changes to news media are hitting rural Canada hard. From community papers closing or amalgamating to digital gaps limiting online solutions, access to stories about what's going on in rural communities is becoming increasingly difficult. This week we talk with Ryerson Journalism Professor April Lindgren about how we got here and what we can do about it. 

New to the pod? Every week Helen Murphy, a rural newspaper editor and entrepreneur, invites guests to share fresh thinking, success stories and lessons learned. Be sure to subscribe to stay up-to-date on all things rural innovation! Thanks for listening!

Tiny homes have the potential to help address numerous challenges in rural Canada. But first, their proponents have to take on local bylaws. Terrilee Kelford of Cornerstone Landing in Lanark Co., Ont. is on the front lines and shares her story with us.

New to the pod? Every week Helen Murphy, a rural newspaper editor and entrepreneur, invites guests to share fresh thinking, success stories and lessons learned. Be sure to subscribe to stay up-to-date on all things rural innovation! Thanks for listening.

A pilot project in N.S. is showing how our libraries can be so much more.

New to the pod? Every week Helen Murphy, a rural newspaper editor and entrepreneur, invites guests to share fresh thinking, success stories and lessons learned. Be sure to subscribe to stay up-to-date on all things rural innovation! Thanks for listening.