Alberta Rural Development Network

Rural Development Network
Founded	2009
Focus	Rural communities
Location	Edmonton, Alberta, Canada;
Area served	Rural Canada
Services	Rural development, research, rural homelessness, affordable housing, immigration, agriculture, food security
Members	9
Key people	Dee Ann Benard, Executive Director
Employees	16
Website	ruraldevelopment.ca
Formerly called	Alberta Rural Development Network

The Rural Development Network (RDN), formerly the Alberta Rural Development Network (ARDN), is an Alberta-based organization purposed towards supporting development in rural communities in Canada.^[1]

Established in 2009, RDN was created as a partnership of Alberta's 21 public post secondary institutions.^[2]

ARDN publishes a newsletter, The RTAB, at least once a month.

History

ARDN began operations in 2009 with a grant from the Rural Alberta Development Fund (RADF)^[3] and in-kind commitments from its post-secondary members.

Since its inception, ARDN has worked with several of Alberta's colleges, universities and organizations on projects, including Lakeland College and Portage College on a Regional Innovation Network in East Central Alberta,^[4] Mount Royal University on a Business Retention & Expansion Symposium,^[5] the Alberta Academy of Art and Design on the Company of Albertans,^[6] Pastor Tim Wray on the Young Adult Photovoice Project,^[7] and Lethbridge College on Social in the South.^[8]

More recently, ARDN administered the Homelessness Partnering Strategy's Rural and Remote Homelessness funding stream for Alberta.^[9] So far, this has resulted in the funding of seven rural homelessness projects, including projects in Drayton Valley,^[10] Chestermere,^[11] Fort Macleod^[12] and Cochrane.^[13]