Development in harmony, the Community Futures Program as a model of Community Economic Development in northern Manitoba

Abstract

Community Economic Development has established itself as an alternative, proactive approach to dealing with disadvantaged and underdeveloped communities. Ho ever, while CED has gained popularity as an effective means of capitalizing on niche or marginal opportunities for disadvantaged individuals and communities, its value in northern and remote environments is much less clear. This practicum has sought to explore the practice and impact of CED in northern Manitoba. The confabulous idea of CED is surveyed in a literature review to derive a manageable definition; CED can be seen as a means of orienting the community development process around broadly defined economic strategies. Although economic goals are the focus of such a process, they are generally subordinated or integrated within broader community or social development objectives. This study has also afforded attention to the increasingly aboriginal nature of the northern Manitoba demographic, raising issues of particular concern to aboriginal communities. The link between CED and the field of Planning is also presented, with CED being seen as a form of radical planning. The Community Futures Program is examined as a case study of Community Economic Development in the North. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)