Creative Communities discussion in Eastern Ontario

The Creative Communities Blog on the Knowledge Impact Society website, focuses on issues related to economic development in Eastern Ontario and specifically, how these issues intersect with the concept of the creative economy and creative community. The blog is led by Dr. Betsy Donald of Queen's University's Department of Geography.

As part of the working paper series, Ontario in the Creative Age, Dr. Donald published "From Kraft to Craft: Innovation and creativity in Ontario's Food Economy". At MCPP we have often looked to Prince Edward County as an example of a local economy with culture as a driving force. "Local Food Debates & Eastern Ontario Success Stories" addresses the potential of the Creative Food Economy as a potential economic development and tourism strategy. In Prince Edward County, artisanal cheese-making has been positioned within the "Creative Rural Economy". This positioning has to do with the long history of cheese-making in Prince Edward County and the use of milk from local cows, goats and sheep. The practice of artisanal cheese-making in Prince Edward County is very much tied to place.

Something for municipal cultural planning practitioners to consider: What kind of local food production and local food are cultural assets?