Longtime CCEDNet member Bob Annis was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Canadian Rural Revitalization Foundation at their recent conference in Nelson, BC. 

Over the past four decades, Bob Annis has profoundly impacted the landscape of rural development in Canada and abroad. He has championed multi-year research initiatives, facilitated local entrepreneurship and economic development initiatives, advanced rural public policy, and mentored a generation of new rural researchers, policy makers, and community practitioners.

In his role as the Director of the Rural Development Institute at Brandon University (1999-2009) Bob worked in partnership with rural and northern communities to advance our collective understanding of community-based development strategies, multi-community collaboration, government-community partnerships, local economic development, and rural quality of life. In partnership with CRRF, Bob hosted the Think Tank on Rural Immigration. This seminal event served as a catalyst for over a decade of research on immigration in small places across Canada.

Bob’s commitment to rural Canada is evident through his leadership roles with Community Futures program (past chair of Community Futures Westman, Community Futures Partners of Manitoba, Pan-West Community Futures Network, and current chair of Community Futures British Columbia), Metropolis, Canadian Community Economic Development Network, International Comparative Rural Policy Studies Consortium, and CRRF/FCRR (board member and past president). Bob’s outstanding contributions have enhanced the betterment of rural Canada and the Canadian Rural Revitalization Foundation.

Sincere congratulations to Bob on this richly deserved recognition.