News & Views
Reports
Report highlights forest sector's strong economic impact
The BC Forest Industry Economic Impact Study describes a sector that had a combined direct and indirect impact of $12.4 billion on BC’s GDP in 2013 and supported 145,800 full-time-equivalent jobs, more than half of which were in non-forestry industries. The report also finds that the industry directly and indirectly generated $1.4 billion in revenue for the provincial government and $150 million for BC municipalities
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Articles
BC'S low-profile forestry sector still an economic powerhouse
A new study shows that while it has declined in overall importance, it is still the largest manufacturer in the province, adding over $31 billion a year to the provincial economy and 145,800 jobs
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A free, public treasure trove of facts on natural resources
In this era of publicly accessible information, the world is at everyone’s fingertips. However, it is often the case that the first search results you find online are news articles – sometimes written without knowledge of, or access to, the most recent and relevant facts
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'Not afraid' - two words to rally around on social license topic
Society’s needs never flag, but Canada’s economic opportunities are constantly challenged by global events beyond our control
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It's 'glory days' for heavy wood timber in British Columbia
When Structurlam president Bill Downing talks about wood and the expanding role he sees for it in commercial and institutional buildings, he can be forgiven for using superlatives
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Energy transport: opponents want to have their cake and eat it too
It is astounding that Vancouver's mayor and the province's teachers' union actively oppose the very same resource activities that help to pay for infrastructure improvements and public-sector salaries
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Brittania Mine: rebuild it, and they will come
In the early days, it was difficult to distinguish the BC Museum of Mining from the abandoned Howe Sound copper operation that was closed for good in 1974 after the richest reserves had been extracted. Fast forward four decades and the century-old site is set to become a high-tech tourist attraction
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8 surprising facts about Canadian energy
The country's oil industry has released its 2014 forecasts for the next 16 years up to 2030. Here are its findings
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Seven signs BC's forestry sector is on the upswing
Stabilizing employment numbers, a more skilled workforce, and rising net investment and labour productivity are among the contributing factors
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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
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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
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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
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Reports
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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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Responsible development and public perception
Resource Works's Stewart Muir joins Mike Smyth on CKNW to talk about responsible resource development
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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