News & Views
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.
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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.
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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. 
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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.
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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.
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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
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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.
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The bottom line on pipelines and hot commodities
Exports, primarily in natural resources, are how we pay for needed imports: economist Patricia Mohr
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Small businesses signal green shoots for Canadian resource sector
Highest level of confidence since June 2014: Canadian Federation of Independent Business
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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.
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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.
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Natural resource development gets majority support from millennials
Forget the stereotypes – these young Canadians are calling for shovels in the ground, writes Scott Simpson.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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."
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Meet the man behind a remarkable renaissance in North East BC mining
Low demand for metallurgical coal led to shuttered coal mines and lost jobs. And then this happened...
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An inherited human facility causes us to be fearful, despite the evidence
We are so conditioned by fear that it takes only one situation or event to establish a long-term aversion to the prospect of it happening again.
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The 7 myths of BC's resource economy
It can be difficult to grasp just how important the resource sector is to the province's economy. But a research report produced by economist Philip Cross for Resource Works gives us a useful picture
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REACTION: Businesses big and small applaud Trans Mountain decision
But industry players and analysts caution the $6.8-billion project approved Nov. 29 still has a lot of hurdles to jump before it gets the final green light, reports Don Hauka for Resource Works.
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Leader in engineering, academia named Resource Works chair
As John Turner, P.Ag, takes the reins of the Resource Works Board of Directors, our little organization is at a critical juncture with important decisions ahead on supporting a vibrant society that needs responsible resources.
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Vancouver residents are facing soaring costs for home heating and cooking because of a radical city policy
The province of Ontario also toyed with a ban on natural gas until seeing the $200-billion price tag. The City of Vancouver, meanwhile, is undeterred by impacts on consumers and the environment as it presses forward with its own ban.
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REALITY CHECK: What comes after coal?
News from Ottawa that coal is going to be phased out for Canadian electricity raises the question – what will replace this energy source?
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It's time for an open conversation on getting Canadian resources to market
Calgary's mayor Naheed Nenshi visited Vancouver to share his views on a wide range of topics, the most relevant of which for Resource Works involved access to markets for essential resource products.
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