News & Reports
Articles
Are Canadians ready to transition to a lower standard of living?
If we're serious about both climate change and having a functioning economy, great care will be needed in crafting "just transition" imperatives. Stewart Muir explains why.
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BC salmon farms: What’s next?
The phrase "like a fish out of water" is taking on new meaning, thanks to what is sure to be an unnecessary and awkward transition away from open-net salmon farming in BC's coastal waters.
Read morePodcast: Virtuous but meaningless net-zero aspirations, with David Yager
On Episode 1 of Resource Works' new podcast, Cause & Affect, hosts Stewart Muir and Margareta Dovgal are joined by David Yager, a Canadian energy commentator, author, policy analyst, and former oilfield services executive.
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BC’s carbon tax is worse than you think
If one carbon tax kept workers from driving to their jobs, another is driving jobs from workers, Josiah Haynes writes.
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The oil-gas subsidies that aren’t
A new report claims Canada's oil and gas pipelines received over $23 billion in federal subsidies. But is that really true?
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Digging for the future
The world is electrifying. And it's looking to BC to supply the metals and minerals it needs.
Read moreActivists seeking to protect Canada’s old-growth forest say they are aligned with First Nations. Is that really true?
By protesting in places they’re not wanted, conservationists are being called out by Indigenous leaders like Huu-ay-aht Chief Dennis for exemplifying the colonial approach taken by their forebears, writes Rochelle Baker.
Read moreThe Methuselah Myth and the future of B.C. forestry
How did our understanding of forestry get so mangled? And how we can restore knowledge about a way of life that sustains communities and healthy ecosystems? Stewart Muir looks at the situation.
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From forestry to aquaculture: the need for economic reconciliation
Whether at Fairy Creek or Discovery Islands, economic reconciliation has never been so timely. Resource Works intern Oscar Judelson-Kelly explores.
Read moreOld Growth Forests in British Columbia: A citizen's guide
As anarchists, actors and pressure groups descend on the B.C. Coast to create a high-emotion summer drama they hope will affect our laws and way of life, let's pause for a moment to think and reflect.
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Forestry infographics
With so many British Columbians joining the conversation, there's never been a better time to share the facts on forestry in BC.
Read moreWhy the cancellation of Keystone is bad for the climate, the environment and Canada
As TC Energy officially abandons Keystone, scientist Blair King argues canceling Keystone neither reduces emissions nor Albertan oil production.
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Get past the slogans: what you need to know about old growth
When advocates call for ending “old growth logging,” what do they mean? And why is it being logged? A forestry worker gets past the rhetoric.
Read moreGet past the slogans: what you need to know about old growth
When advocates call for ending “old growth logging,” what do they mean? And why is it being logged? A forestry worker gets past the rhetoric.
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Top 5 forestry facts that anti-logging protesters would prefer you don't think about
As British Columbians are bombarded with emotional claims about old growth forest practices, the trained professionals who work in the field see a very different picture. Stewart Muir examines the facts.
Read moreTop 5 forestry facts that anti-logging protesters would prefer you don't think about
As British Columbians are bombarded with emotional claims about old growth forest practices, the trained professionals who work in the field see a very different picture. Stewart Muir examines the facts.
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What a viral photo tells us (and doesn't tell us) about a big log on a truck
Sometimes an image comes along that seems to encapsulate a moment in time – an iconic photo like an exuberant couple kissing on VJ-Day in Times Square, or a politician fumbling a football on the campaign trail. Stewart Muir looks at one interesting picture.
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Canadians view natural resources as an important pathway to Indigenous economic development: new poll
Western Canadians lead the country in understanding the importance of responsible resources for Indigenous economic development. But more work is needed to tell the story of how Canadian natural resource and energy companies have transformed partnerships with Indigenous communities.
Read moreWhat a viral photo tells us (and doesn't tell us) about a big log on a truck
Sometimes an image comes along that seems to encapsulate a moment in time – an iconic photo like an exuberant couple kissing on VJ-Day in Times Square, or a politician fumbling a football on the campaign trail. Stewart Muir looks at one interesting picture.
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Natural resources are more than 50% of BC's economic base. Surprised?
An economic study shows that British Columbia's endowment of natural resources remains a primary source of the province's wealth. Neglecting the health of these industries would come at the cost of our standard of living.
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Where is Canada’s “just transition"?
With thousands of jobs on the line and challenges meeting its net-zero emissions goals, Canada needs to get serious. That means being realistic, and it means having a plan for energy workers.
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How Canada can be a leader in the new global net zero pathway
The International Energy Agency has examined what exactly the phrase net zero by 2050 means in practical terms. Stewart Muir takes a close look.
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Sorting fact from fiction: BC forest conservation
British Columbia has suffered from division and radicalism fueled by misinformation. But when it comes to caring for our environment and respecting workers, sensationalism fails where facts succeed.
Read moreSorting fact from fiction: BC forest conservation
British Columbia has suffered from division and radicalism fueled by misinformation. But when it comes to caring for our environment and respecting workers, sensationalism fails where facts succeed.
Read moreForestry in BC: Setting the record straight
Are BC's forests in a state of crisis? This new Resource Works report responds to the rhetoric coming out of Fairy Creek and anti-logging activists.
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Forestry in BC: Setting the record straight
Are BC's forests in a state of crisis? This new Resource Works report responds to the rhetoric coming out of Fairy Creek and anti-logging activists.
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12 trends that foretell the future of energy
What does the smart money think about the intertwined issues of energy and climate? An annual investor report with insights from a Canadian expert reveals some interesting trends in 2021.
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CPC 101: Introduction to the climate plan
The long-anticipated Conservative climate plan provokes praise from some and critique from others. But what's in it? Josiah Haynes takes a closer look.
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Mining for a sustainable future
Canada has an opportunity to provide the sustainably sourced materials for electric vehicles, batteries, wind turbines, and solar panels that the world needs, Margareta Dovgal tells a House of Commons Committee.
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Energy Security and the Road to Net Zero by 2050
Canada is diversifying energy sources. But reaching net zero also requires energy availability and affordability writes Dr. Monica Gattinger.
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Energy regulator approves Trans Mountain's request for insurer confidentiality
The Canadian Energy Regulator's April 29th announcement is good news for Canadian energy and the integrity of the public process, writes Josiah Haynes.
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Don't ban plastics, recycle them
Inspired by BC’s model, Elena Mantagaris says Canada needs a national recycling program to boost jobs and the green economy.
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RNG: opportunity in unlikely places
BC has a lot of waste. But thanks to local innovators, BC companies are finding a way to use that waste to bring down emissions and supply renewable natural gas.
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What British Columbia's budget tells us about resources and Reconciliation
Numbers show how the province's forest sector is quietly the biggest contributor to the hopes and dreams of First Nations.
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Budget 2021 and natural resources
From R&D to low emission fuels and national trade corridors, Budget 2021 means big things for natural resources, says Margareta Dovgal.
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Nuclear power for Canada, IKEA-style
With immeasurable amounts of energy and zero CO2 emissions, it's nuclear's moment, says Resource Minister Seamus O'Regan.
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What happens if Canada loses an oil pipeline?
A Parliamentary committee has looked at what would happen if the United States goes through with Michigan's threat to cripple the Canadian economy by unilaterally shutting down the Line 5 pipeline.
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Pacheedaht First Nation: An example of reconciliation and development
In spite of a concerted pressure campaign to sideline the Indigenous group's economic opportunities, this Vancouver Island people is an example of how reconciliation and development go hand-in-hand, writes Josiah Haynes.
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What an educated millennial thinks about forestry
Social media stoked his belief that old-growth forestry was something to oppose. Now: "After seeing firsthand how forests are managed in British Columbia, I am firmly against a ban on old-growth harvesting."
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What kind of energy Bill are you?
In the battle for energy hearts and minds, are you a Gates or a McKibben? Stewart Muir weighs two different approaches to how humanity might be powered in future.
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Mining plans new future in BC
Amidst uncompetitive tax and regulatory regimes, a new roadmap from the province and the Mining Association of BC hopes to overcome challenges through innovation, ESG, and a revitalized workforce.
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Resource Works: Trans Mountain's request is about the integrity of the public process
In a last-ditch effort to stop TMX, its insurers are being targeted and intimidated. Resource Works supports Trans Mountain's request to make insurer identities confidential, support civil dialogue, and uphold the public process.
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Natural resources in decline? The reality is very different, yet perceptions persist
Renowned natural resource scholar Ken Coates tells Parliamentarians: "We don't see resource development as being particularly attractive or compelling these days. I think it's fair to say that our country's urban areas, which are very powerful and very appropriately powerful, are disconnected from the sector."
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"Shifting the forestry paradigm" requires getting down to serious efforts – but not violence
Those in positions of responsibility must work to lower the temperature on a brewing "war in the woods"
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Trans Mountain pipeline expansion: Why oil sands producers say they need it
Do changing attitudes about oil, and projected shifts in global demand for it over coming decades, affect whether the Canadian pipeline is needed? Stewart Muir looks at what oil sands companies are telling investors about this.
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Danish scientists say old-growth forests' climate role overestimated by 1/3
Incorrectly analyzed data led to mistaken view about the climate mitigation impact of old and unmanaged forests.
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Here's the real story on Fairy Creek and the future of responsible forestry
If all your information is from high-volume advertising campaigns, the following might come as a surprise: the Fairy Creek watershed near British Columbia's Port Renfrew is not at risk because of forestry.
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Meeting Canada's aggressive green targets a tall order
OPINION: In this commentary for Resource Works, Jock Finlayson and Denise Mullen of the Business Council of British Columbia explain what a green recovery from COVID-19 might actually look like – and what it might cost.
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