Rural Development Network - Canada

This past weekend, our team at RDN had the opportunity to attend the , connecting with government representatives, industry leaders, nonprofit organizations, and community partners from across Canada.

The weekend was filled with meaningful conversations, new connections, and opportunities to strengthen partnerships that will continue beyond the event.

A sincere thank you to for hosting several outstanding partnership-building opportunities. They were a great reminder that lasting impact is built through connection and collaboration, especially in support of rural, remote, and Indigenous communities.

🏡 Supporting Veteran Housing Security Across Canada

In 2025, RDN was proud to secure funding from Veteran Affairs Canada's Veteran and Family Well-Being Fund to lead a project tackling housing insecurity and homelessness among Canadian Armed Forces and RCMP Veterans — with a special focus on those in rural, remote, and Indigenous communities. Our goal: build practical resources that strengthen support systems so every Veteran can access the services they need.

Two milestones reached so far:
✅ Year 1 was about learning from the research and laying the groundwork — including the creation of our CAF and RCMP Veterans Advisory Committee.

✅ Year 2 is now underway, shifting focus to learning directly from service providers. On May 27th, we hosted our first roundtable discussion with a small group of Alberta-based service providers in the homelessness and veteran-serving space to better understand their perspectives on the ground.

A special thank you to all the organizations who participated in this first engagement session — your insight is shaping this work in meaningful ways.

📍 Up next: our second engagement session will take place in rural Nova Scotia this fall. Stay tuned!

(RDN)