News & Reports

Articles

BMO economists see strength in BC forestry and LNG, but difficulties in mining

BMO Capital Markets has released its impressions of the BC economy in its latest BMO Blue Book. Here are some key points

Posted by | November 01, 2014 2:15 PM

Articles

Canada lacks the data to make informed decisions on temporary foreign workers

The federal government has not collected precise information about job vacancies for decades, according to a report

Posted by | November 01, 2014 2:00 PM

Articles

Port Coquitlam company thrives on resource links

A groundbreaking new study by Peter Severinson, research director for Resource Works, should dispel any lingering doubt that resource development is the foundation of Metro Vancouver’s economy

Posted by | October 17, 2014 3:25 PM

Reports & Series

How rural BC packs a punch in the big city

What is the economic impact of resource companies, especially in urban areas? Resource Works sets off in search of the answer

Posted by | October 11, 2014 4:10 PM

Articles

What does responsible resource development mean to you?

Community Breakfast Conversations on Natural Resources aims to bring together residents with diverse views, values, interests and priorities

Posted by | October 11, 2014 11:27 AM

Articles

Northern resource development brings life-changing decisions, opportunities

Seaspan CEO Jonathan Whitworth gazes out across Douglas Channel towards a marine jetty reaching out from the Kitimat shoreline and listens to the hum of industrial activity floating over the calm water

Posted by | October 08, 2014 12:32 PM

Articles

Longshoreman union chief appointed as adviser

Mark Gordienko, president of the ILWU (International Longshore and Warehouse Union) Canada, has joined the Resource Works Advisory Council

Posted by | September 16, 2014 8:25 AM

Articles

UBC forestry leads the revival and rethinking of BC's biggest industry

The faculty is going through a revival at the University of British Columbia, drawing a new wave of urban students like Robert Smidstra, who see not just a profession, but also a way to bring about social change

Posted by | September 04, 2014 9:28 AM

Articles

Signs of hope for BC wood-frame houses market in China

The new five-year memorandum of understanding signed recently between British Columbia and Zhejiang province, which lies just south of Shanghai, seems like a long-held dream coming true

Posted by | August 27, 2014 2:27 PM

Articles

Stewart Muir: BC natural resources debate needs balance

Exclusive to The Georgia Straight: Recently, a young man in Vancouver gained overnight notoriety with a crude video game enacting a massacre in the Main Street SkyTrain station. When television news caught up with him to find out why, he reeled off a list of frustrations he claimed led to him making the game. Among them: natural resource development and an inadequate transit system

Posted by | August 27, 2014 1:22 PM

Articles

Six charts showing how BC depends on natural resources

The sector remains a critical part of the British Columbian economy, as confirmed in the latest review published by the provincial government

Posted by | August 18, 2014 2:12 PM

Articles

Building a better life on the banks of the Fraser River

Sawmill worker Hasrat Begg has a son with a master’s degree teaching at Simon Fraser University and a daughter with a diploma from Douglas College who is working at the Vancouver Film School

Posted by | August 17, 2014 9:54 AM

Articles

Responsible development and public perception

Resource Works's Stewart Muir joins Mike Smyth on CKNW to talk about responsible resource development

Posted by | August 15, 2014 3:05 PM

Articles

The benefits are desirable and the risks can be managed

Back in 1985 when I was editor of The Whistler Question, I remember writing a column on the coming rise of tourism and the inevitable decline of forestry

Posted by | August 12, 2014 8:43 AM

Articles

Getting a better understanding of the Mount Polley accident

One of the most frequently asked questions after the Cariboo mine's tailings dam spill was, 'What is in the tailings?! And furthermore, are they 'toxic', as has been claimed repeatedly in media coverage? Now that new details have been provided from the mine owner, we are better able to answer these questions

Posted by | August 10, 2014 11:02 AM

Articles

Getting a better understanding of the Mount Polley mine

British Columbians are justifiably concerned about the major failure at the operation in the Cariboo region that released an estimated 10 million cubic metres of water and 4.5 million cubic metres of fine particles into nearby streams

Posted by | August 07, 2014 12:10 PM

Articles

Different approach to overcoming aboriginal opposition

The federal government has made new commitments to help secure First Nations support for big energy projects in BC

Posted by | August 01, 2014 1:36 PM

Articles

Five facts every British Columbian needs to know

Infographic presentation on oil shipping in the province

Posted by | July 24, 2014 12:04 PM

Articles

Carbon and competition: lessons from BC’s agriculture sector

Back in 2012, the BC government gave greenhouse growers a hefty carbon-tax exemption, with the justification that the tax was unfairly hurting the industry’s competitiveness. But new research suggests there was no justification for this move; the industry was doing just fine

Posted by | July 23, 2014 1:17 PM

Articles

Ongoing uncertainty over BC’s LNG industry

Peter Severinson writes that he has been reading a lot of crazy, confusing and contradictory things about the sector lately. To clarify things, here are his answers to some good questions posed by no one in particular

Posted by | July 22, 2014 3:22 PM

Articles

Failing to develop our resources risks losing out on long-term security

The future for our families and our children depends on our ability to develop our resource endowment efficiently and responsibly

Posted by | July 16, 2014 1:54 PM

Articles

Building trust on safe natural resource development

Professional codes of ethics ensure that the public can be confident that assessment work is carried out properly, argues environmental scientist Scott Weston

Posted by | July 15, 2014 11:51 AM

Articles

Opinion: The future looks brighter for northwest BC

It’s been challenging to be a participant in the region's economy over the last dozen years. In fact, I’ve sometimes struggled to explain to Lower Mainlanders just how bad it was

Posted by | July 15, 2014 11:41 AM

Articles

Reports: industry activity and sustainability can coexist

Is it possible for a region to be both resource-dependent and also green? If so, recent research suggests that region would look a lot like BC

Posted by | July 15, 2014 9:39 AM

Articles

No longer just hewers of wood and drawers of water

This generation of young professionals is shattering stereotypes about what it means to be a resource worker

Posted by | July 14, 2014 1:08 PM

Articles

Looking for a job? Look no further than natural resources

New information released under the government of Canada's open data program, which is illustrated by the accompanying chart, shows that the sector grew more than any other

Posted by | July 10, 2014 12:37 PM

Articles

It’s time to start trusting the judgment of those most affected by development

Recently, I attended a visit to Ottawa by a delegation from Germany. Virtually the whole discussion was taken up with energy issues, something one of the participants remarked would not have even been mentioned five years ago

Posted by | July 10, 2014 12:00 PM

Videos

Here’s a unique voice on economic prosperity and environmental sustainability

Posted by | July 04, 2014 8:47 AM

Articles

Four views on one pipeline

Resource Works is an organization that, quite uniquely in British Columbia, examines the economic consequences of natural resource development

Posted by | June 20, 2014 10:10 AM

Articles

Top 10 reasons BC stands to gain from LNG

It is highly advantageous for the province to sell its liquefied natural gas to Asia. Here's why

Posted by | June 19, 2014 12:00 PM

Articles

Why the future of LNG lies beyond North America

Even the long, cold winter that swept across most of Canada and the United States won’t be enough to fuel a recovery of British Columbia’s shrinking natural gas market

Posted by | June 18, 2014 12:41 PM

Articles

Poll: Canadians underestimate economic importance of the East

It’s quite a contradiction. Canada is relying more and more on trade with Asia, but people are less and less convinced that it matters

Posted by | June 17, 2014 6:59 PM

Articles

BC’s dysfunctional resource debate, part 4: The elephant in the room - climate change

Report: 'Our reputation is hurting us. It is especially hurting our ability to address perceptions in key markets and to generate support for many resource projects'

Posted by | June 17, 2014 9:05 AM

Articles

Our unacceptable ignorance about labour shortages

There is a longstanding, legitimate fear in Western Canada that there will not be enough workers to fuel imminent economic growth. It’s a shame we don't know what we're talking about

Posted by | June 13, 2014 9:13 AM

Articles

Canada’s resource tide is in – will it miss the boat?

There is a tide in the affairs of development projects, as Shakespeare might have said, which taken at the flood, leads on to fortune. Omitted, all the voyage of their life is bound in shallows and in miseries

Posted by | June 12, 2014 4:33 PM

Articles

Report: BC’s economy to grow faster than Canada’s

The bank predicts healthy GDP growth rates above the expected rate of growth for the country as a whole

Posted by | June 12, 2014 1:25 PM

Articles

Coal sector ups and downs felt provincewide

News last week that Peace River Coal was idling operations in Tumbler Ridge is the latest sign of an industry slowdown that impacts jobs and revenue in every corner of BC

Posted by | June 12, 2014 11:43 AM

Articles

'Canada has to compete harder than ever to sell its resources'

The key message to emerge from an energy forum is that the country is at a crossroads: where once we supplied only one customer, now we’re trying to supply the world. It’s a big transition, and it won’t be easy

Posted by | June 10, 2014 6:31 PM

Articles

Northern Gateway poll: What does it mean for environment and jobs?

It’s the undecideds who have it in a survey showing a three-way split in support for the pipeline

Posted by | June 10, 2014 3:49 PM

Articles

Accessing tidewater is key to increasing oil revenue

Compelling evidence from Bloomberg confirms that pipeline expansion in British Columbia is worth tens of billions of dollars to the Canadian economy

Posted by | June 10, 2014 1:40 PM

Articles

BC’s dysfunctional resource debate, Part 3: Action not marketing

Previously in this series, I’ve discussed a few reasons why our public discourse on natural-resource issues has become so dismal

Posted by | June 08, 2014 8:56 AM

Articles

Former BC premier Dan Miller takes to airwaves to defend resource development

In case you missed it: Dan Miller's op-ed appeared in The Province newspaper

Posted by | June 06, 2014 3:45 PM

Articles

One in 10 Canadians is employed thanks to natural resources (and other neat facts)

According to new figures released by Natural Resources Canada, BC ranks in the middle in terms of both the number of people employed in the sector and its contribution to provincial GDP

Posted by | June 06, 2014 11:11 AM

Articles

The 9 Habits of Highly Effective Resource Economies: Lessons for Canada

The Canadian International Council released this whimsically titled but very serious report in 2012. The basic question it asked was: How can the country derive maximum benefit from its tremendous natural advantages?

Posted by | June 04, 2014 12:53 PM

Articles

Economy spins around urban log brokers

From his office in New Westminster, Probyn Log vice-president Bill Markvoort is about as far from the woods as you can get, but he is at the hub of a business that keeps the coastal forest industry humming

Posted by | June 03, 2014 12:34 PM

Articles

BC's dysfunctional resource debate, Part 2: It’s our institutions, stupid

This is the second post in a series looking at why our public discourse has become so toxic

Posted by | June 01, 2014 12:00 PM

Articles

How California’s natural gas champion raised the green roof at event

One of the most avidly listened-to speakers at the recent LNG conference in Vancouver was Richard Muller, a professor of physics at the University of California, Berkeley. He put natural gas into perspective in terms of climate change and water safety, arguing that it is a 'saviour' fuel

Posted by | May 29, 2014 3:22 PM

Articles

LNG in BC Conference attracting students for education, training and research opportunities

One of the more unexpected sights at the event is the crowds of young people strolling the halls of the Vancouver Convention Centre

Posted by | May 23, 2014 9:07 AM

Articles

Putting Russia's pipeline deal with China into perspective

For more insight, see the commentary piece by Stewart Muir

Posted by | May 22, 2014 11:59 PM

Articles

New pipeline rules raise pressure on industry to ensure safety

The federal government recently announced new regulations. Here’s a quick breakdown of the main points

Posted by | May 22, 2014 4:22 PM

News & Reports

BMO Capital Markets has released its impressions of the BC economy in its latest BMO Blue Book. Here are some key points

The federal government has not collected precise information about job vacancies for decades, according to a report

A groundbreaking new study by Peter Severinson, research director for Resource Works, should dispel any lingering doubt that resource development is the foundation of Metro Vancouver’s economy

What is the economic impact of resource companies, especially in urban areas? Resource Works sets off in search of the answer

Community Breakfast Conversations on Natural Resources aims to bring together residents with diverse views, values, interests and priorities

Seaspan CEO Jonathan Whitworth gazes out across Douglas Channel towards a marine jetty reaching out from the Kitimat shoreline and listens to the hum of industrial activity floating over the calm water

Mark Gordienko, president of the ILWU (International Longshore and Warehouse Union) Canada, has joined the Resource Works Advisory Council

The faculty is going through a revival at the University of British Columbia, drawing a new wave of urban students like Robert Smidstra, who see not just a profession, but also a way to bring about social change

The new five-year memorandum of understanding signed recently between British Columbia and Zhejiang province, which lies just south of Shanghai, seems like a long-held dream coming true

The sector remains a critical part of the British Columbian economy, as confirmed in the latest review published by the provincial government

Sawmill worker Hasrat Begg has a son with a master’s degree teaching at Simon Fraser University and a daughter with a diploma from Douglas College who is working at the Vancouver Film School

Resource Works's Stewart Muir joins Mike Smyth on CKNW to talk about responsible resource development

Back in 1985 when I was editor of The Whistler Question, I remember writing a column on the coming rise of tourism and the inevitable decline of forestry

British Columbians are justifiably concerned about the major failure at the operation in the Cariboo region that released an estimated 10 million cubic metres of water and 4.5 million cubic metres of fine particles into nearby streams

The federal government has made new commitments to help secure First Nations support for big energy projects in BC

Infographic presentation on oil shipping in the province

Back in 2012, the BC government gave greenhouse growers a hefty carbon-tax exemption, with the justification that the tax was unfairly hurting the industry’s competitiveness. But new research suggests there was no justification for this move; the industry was doing just fine

Peter Severinson writes that he has been reading a lot of crazy, confusing and contradictory things about the sector lately. To clarify things, here are his answers to some good questions posed by no one in particular

The future for our families and our children depends on our ability to develop our resource endowment efficiently and responsibly

Professional codes of ethics ensure that the public can be confident that assessment work is carried out properly, argues environmental scientist Scott Weston

It’s been challenging to be a participant in the region's economy over the last dozen years. In fact, I’ve sometimes struggled to explain to Lower Mainlanders just how bad it was

Is it possible for a region to be both resource-dependent and also green? If so, recent research suggests that region would look a lot like BC

This generation of young professionals is shattering stereotypes about what it means to be a resource worker

New information released under the government of Canada's open data program, which is illustrated by the accompanying chart, shows that the sector grew more than any other

Recently, I attended a visit to Ottawa by a delegation from Germany. Virtually the whole discussion was taken up with energy issues, something one of the participants remarked would not have even been mentioned five years ago

Resource Works is an organization that, quite uniquely in British Columbia, examines the economic consequences of natural resource development

It is highly advantageous for the province to sell its liquefied natural gas to Asia. Here's why

Even the long, cold winter that swept across most of Canada and the United States won’t be enough to fuel a recovery of British Columbia’s shrinking natural gas market

It’s quite a contradiction. Canada is relying more and more on trade with Asia, but people are less and less convinced that it matters

Report: 'Our reputation is hurting us. It is especially hurting our ability to address perceptions in key markets and to generate support for many resource projects'

There is a longstanding, legitimate fear in Western Canada that there will not be enough workers to fuel imminent economic growth. It’s a shame we don't know what we're talking about

There is a tide in the affairs of development projects, as Shakespeare might have said, which taken at the flood, leads on to fortune. Omitted, all the voyage of their life is bound in shallows and in miseries

The bank predicts healthy GDP growth rates above the expected rate of growth for the country as a whole

News last week that Peace River Coal was idling operations in Tumbler Ridge is the latest sign of an industry slowdown that impacts jobs and revenue in every corner of BC

The key message to emerge from an energy forum is that the country is at a crossroads: where once we supplied only one customer, now we’re trying to supply the world. It’s a big transition, and it won’t be easy

It’s the undecideds who have it in a survey showing a three-way split in support for the pipeline

Compelling evidence from Bloomberg confirms that pipeline expansion in British Columbia is worth tens of billions of dollars to the Canadian economy

Previously in this series, I’ve discussed a few reasons why our public discourse on natural-resource issues has become so dismal

In case you missed it: Dan Miller's op-ed appeared in The Province newspaper

According to new figures released by Natural Resources Canada, BC ranks in the middle in terms of both the number of people employed in the sector and its contribution to provincial GDP

The Canadian International Council released this whimsically titled but very serious report in 2012. The basic question it asked was: How can the country derive maximum benefit from its tremendous natural advantages?

From his office in New Westminster, Probyn Log vice-president Bill Markvoort is about as far from the woods as you can get, but he is at the hub of a business that keeps the coastal forest industry humming

This is the second post in a series looking at why our public discourse has become so toxic

One of the most avidly listened-to speakers at the recent LNG conference in Vancouver was Richard Muller, a professor of physics at the University of California, Berkeley. He put natural gas into perspective in terms of climate change and water safety, arguing that it is a 'saviour' fuel

One of the more unexpected sights at the event is the crowds of young people strolling the halls of the Vancouver Convention Centre

For more insight, see the commentary piece by Stewart Muir

The federal government recently announced new regulations. Here’s a quick breakdown of the main points

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