William Ashton

• Canadian Institute of Planners

• Premier Economic Advisory Council, Manitoba
• member Canadian Rural Revitalization Foundation
• advisor to Board Manitoba Food Development Centre
• member Community Futures Westman
• member CEDNET - Canadian Economic Development Network
• member Manitoba Economic Development Association
• member CANDO - Canadian Association of First Nations Development Organizations
• member Southwest Regional Development Corporation, advisor to Board

Bill seeks to blend practice and theory, and research with teaching. After completing a Masters, Bill quickly moved to the rank of full member of CIP. His planning career while beginning with rural and regional planning, grew to include provincial policy, initially with land use planning matters and with different postings expanded to include local and municipal governance, fiscal policy, and settlement. As a professional, Bill has consulted on housing needs studies in the Yukon, immigrant settlement services across western Canada, developed leadership programs in natural resources in Ontario, facilitated comparative analysis of Quebec’s regional development structures, completed household surveys in Atlantic Canada. His publishing record is a testimony to advancing knowledge with peer-reviewed articles and book chapters, and equally so with research and evidence-base policy advice, reports, conference presentations, and workshops with practitioners and stakeholders. As Director of Brandon University’s Rural Development Institute, he used research projects as a teaching and learning tool for graduate students, clients, and other stakeholders, including him.

Thesis/Practicum Advisor