Articles
Here's what we need to know about competitiveness in the carbon pricing era
Carbon pricing in individual Canadian provinces—if not matched by equivalent carbon prices in other jurisdictions—can potentially create competitiveness pressures on individual economic sectors. Check out the Ecofiscal Commission's findings on this issue.
Articles
MYTH BUSTER: The joint panel reviewing Site C actually found much to like about the dam project
Supporters of clean energy investment were backed by the findings of a 2014 joint federal-provincial panel on the Site C dam project.
Read moreArticles
Local leaders find paths toward balanced understanding of mining
Opinions vary by region when it comes to mineral exploration and mine development. Courtesy of Mineral Exploration magazine, here's the experience of three British Columbia communities.
Read moreArticles
ATTENTION POLITICAL CANDIDATES: Growing the resource economy = more jobs
A recent Ipsos Reid poll for Resource Works confirmed that 83% of British Columbia residents equate natural resources with opportunity. And they are right to do so. Check out the stunning diversity of good jobs that come from a healthy resource sector.
Read moreArticles
"Where does your money sleep?" First Nations panelists challenge B.C. businesses at Nation2Nation Forum in Vancouver
Initially established in North East British Columbia, the forum was in Vancouver for the first time. Mission: to bring together those interested in pursuing and supporting First Nations business opportunities.
Read more
Articles
Thanks to you, we've hit a new milestone
The idea of a research group dedicated to building solid information, broader understanding, and a supportive movement wasn’t novel in 2014 when Resource Works came onto the scene.
Read moreArticles
Who decides our energy future?
At a conference in Ottawa this week, Resource Works joined a conversation about the ability of Canada to attract investment and foster innovation.
Read moreArticles
NGRAIN technology gives "super hero powers" to people
Using 3D scanners and laser scanning measurement devices, workers can scan a piece of equipment, feed the data into the NGRAIN platform and have it automatically identify problems. 
Read more
Articles
Here's the simple, non-partisan truth about crude oil: exporting it is how Canada pays the rent
Politics has absolutely nothing to do with the urgent necessity to build pipelines, like the Kinder Morgan expansion, to tidewater.
Read moreArticles
Because of the resource economy, high tech jobs are going from strength to strength
In the quest for resource innovation, high technology is creating jobs and building the green economy.
Read more
Articles
MYTH BUSTERS: Why building the bridge to our energy future is not as easy as it might appear
In part 2 of the Myth Busters series, we look at some of the challenges facing those committed to cleaner ways to power society
Read moreArticles
Disruptive innovation comes to mining
As the global mining industry struggles to break through all kinds of limitations, disruptive innovation strategies are suddenly in vogue.
Read moreArticles
The bottom line on pipelines and hot commodities
Exports, primarily in natural resources, are how we pay for needed imports: economist Patricia Mohr
Read moreArticles
Think again about natural resources
With future prosperity at stake, it's time to ask whether some of the things we think we know about natural resources are even true.
Read moreArticles
MYTH BUSTERS: Here's why log exports do not cost BC jobs
It's common to hear that selling logs to foreign countries is bad for British Columbia jobs. In fact, precisely the opposite is true. Stewart Muir explodes the myth in these six charts that take a long-term view of the evidence.
Read moreArticles
Poll shows most residents want to find a way to make resources work
Results suggest that discussion and debate can help solve concerns about honesty, transparency and inclusivity.
Read moreArticles
Small businesses signal green shoots for Canadian resource sector
Highest level of confidence since June 2014: Canadian Federation of Independent Business
Read moreArticles
Provincial budget delivers solid (though unglamorous) measures to support resource growth
Tax fairness demanded by union leaders, along with a raft of environmental and market development measures, is BC government's idea of recognizing resource sector needs.
Read moreArticles
A picture of openness
Are there ways to build public confidence that natural resource development aligns with the broader interest? A national report on this theme is of special interest to candidates for public office.
Articles
Natural resource development gets majority support from millennials
Forget the stereotypes – these young Canadians are calling for shovels in the ground, writes Scott Simpson.
Read moreArticles
Mining workers are among our leading breadwinners
With hourly pay for these jobs now topping $54, we wanted to hear directly from workers and communities that see the direct benefits.
Read more
Reports
Elk Valley mines a $1-billion contributor to the provincial economy
The Elk Valley steelmaking coal mines in southeastern British Columbia are a major economic driver in the province, says an independent economic study from Resource Works.
Articles
Natural gas is back: British Columbia drilling surge is behind $5+ billion in 2017 investment
In the midst of a particularly frosty winter, signs of spring for an industry that thousands of families depend on.
Read moreArticles
Real voices of LNG leadership: First Nations chiefs speak out
VIDEO: Chiefs explain the decision-making process that guided their evaluation of an economic opportunity on their traditional territory.
Read moreArticles
When these economists tried to explain how natural resources keep the economy in balance, here is what they came up with
And they looked no further than the nearest bathtub.
Read moreArticles
In the age of fake news, are resource industries failing to tell their story?
Fake news was around long before Donald Trump made it a thing, argues Bill Whitelaw, and that has hit Canada's primary producers hard.
Read moreArticles
Why Canadian pensions depend on natural resources
The average Canadian might not know it, but 42 per cent of Canada Pension Plan holdings are natural resource companies.
Read moreArticles
British Columbia’s pulp and paper industry is facing tough times despite its hefty impact on the economy
The problem is a provincial tax structure that hands an advantage to competitors in other parts of the country and elsewhere in the world.
Read moreArticles
Humanity's dependency on energy from the sun is sure to increase, though experts differ on how quick solar can be scaled up
Harvesting the power of the sun has been a human endeavour since the beginning of civilization. This infographic from SolarTech and Visual Capitalist details the history of solar energy starting in 4,000 BC.
Read moreArticles
Mining returns: Roundup 2017 conference opens in Vancouver
It's that time of January when thousands of mining people descend on Vancouver for a rite of their industry: the Association for Mineral Exploration's annual Roundup conference.
Read moreArticles
INDIGENOUS MISSION: Finding partnerships in BC's mining sector
At the recent Nation2Nation conference in Terrace, Lana Eagle spoke about taking personal responsibility on the path to building reconciliation relationships with indigenous partners.
Read moreArticles
LNG & flying pigs: In BC's case liquefied natural gas is already here
Transportation and industrial uses like mining continue to spur investment in a clean energy supply that British Columbia has in abundance.
Read moreArticles
Getting past polarization
Our homepage at Resource Works says it all: “We have a problem. British Columbia is polarized”. Well, it’s not just British Columbia. We are seeing polarization over many natural resources in many jurisdictions.
Read more
Articles
5 Conditions: Slacker's Guide
What were those 5 conditions the British Columbia government placed on approving the Trans Mountain Expansion Project? Here they are again.
Read moreArticles
A new way of seeing one Canadian oil pipeline
We need a fresh way of understanding what oil pipeline propositions mean for Canada if we are ever to get to the values that connect people.
Read moreArticles
OUTLOOK 2017: Experts convene to predict path of world's greenest resource export region
British Columbia is the planet’s leader in using the best technologies and standards to get our resources to the world while protecting the environment. Our recent symposium drew together recognized experts to look at how this balancing act will continue into 2017.
Read moreArticles
New Advisory Council member: Winston Stothert
A living legend of western Canadian industry and public service steps aboard our community group as we tell the story of British Columbia's green resource brand.
Read moreArticles
Stewart Muir provides fresh perspective, seeks middle ground at UBC pipeline panel discussion
They packed the room in C.K. Choi Building at UBC on a snowy Friday afternoon looking for insights into energy policy and climate change. And Resource Works Executive Director Stewart Muir delivered a fresh perspective on Canada's sometimes-puzzling public policy on pipelines.
Read moreArticles
Letter from a resource town mayor
"I am a mum and a grandma and I have lived in the north all my life. I am also the Mayor of Fort St. John, BC – right smack in the middle of one of the world’s largest supplies of oil and gas."
Read moreArticles
Why oppose responsible natural resource activities that pay for costly social programs?
The contribution of the B.C. resource sector is large enough to be the financial backbone of infrastructure projects like transit tunnels or of public-education improvements.
Read moreReports
When we start with shared values, progress is possible
Community Conversations by Resource Works is designed to foster better, more inclusive discussions about important issues.
Read moreArticles
TRUMP HEAVY, TRUMP LITE: Anticipating the new U.S. administration’s impact on BC resource sectors
"When trying to answer a big question without much information, it is tempting to assign great significance to the few facts that can be found. So it is with Donald Trump and the Republican Congress that will be sworn in next year." – The Economist, November 19, 2016.
Read moreArticles
These six 2017 trends prove Canada's future lies in more natural resources (not less)
That's the takeaway from this selection of charts from some of the country's leading economic minds.
Read moreArticles
Resource Works adds its research findings to a vital national process
Ottawa's expert panel on environmental processes hears about values-based principles developed by our made-on-the-west-coast initiative.
Read moreArticles