WESTARC has served for almost two decades as a nonprofit consulting group that has concerned itself with the applied research, training and economic development needs of communities and organizations in western Canada.

[1] The role of the RDI Advisory Committee is to provide general advice and direction to the Institute on matters of rural concern.

On a semi-annual basis the Committee meets to share information about issues of mutual interest in rural Manitoba and foster linkages with the constituencies they represent.

Members of the Advisory Committee include: Dr. Scott Grills (Chair, Brandon University), Mona Cornock (Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives), Larry Flynn (Public Health Agency of Canada), Monika Franz-Lien (Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives), Reg Helwer (Shur-Gro Farm Services), Ben Maendel (Baker Hutterite Colony), Jonathon Maendel (Baker Hutterite Colony), Darell Pack (Rural Secretariat), W.J.

[2] RDI researchers include: Robert Annis, Marian Beattie, Kenneth Beesley, Kenneth Bessant, Jill Bucklaschuk, Susannah Cameron, Wayne Dibgy, John Everitt, Barbara Gfellner, Ryan Gibson, Diane Martz, Alison Moss, Beth Peers, Fran Racher, Doug Ramsey, Karen Rempel, and Ray Silvius.