A big reason B.C. is a beacon of prosperity
Resource economy is key to future, writes Stewart Muir.
B.C.’s forestry, energy and mining industries are the economic foundation of our province, yesterday, today and tomorrow. They are essential to job creation in every B.C. community.
Families have been working in the resource economy for generations and they will continue to for generations to come, taking pride in the work they do.
It’s rewarding, high-technology work that builds strong families and communities. As many as two out of every three dollars in B.C. are generated in the resource regions and spent throughout the province’s economy.
And this may come as a surprise, but more than half of new natural resource jobs are located in the Lower Mainland.
These jobs pay the highest of any industry and are more likely to be full time. This is surely linked to the fact that jobs in resourceproducing regions have up to six times the GDP impact the average British Columbia job has.
In addition to jobs, our natural resources help to pay local taxes for communities that need them, and fund critical services we rely on such as health care and education.
B.C. companies work hard to meet federal and provincial environmental standards, knowing that it pays to innovate and exceed standards and be a world leader. And when we make mistakes — everyone does — we choose to learn and improve.
B.C. has a proud history of environmentalism that provides the foundation for responsible resource development. B.C.’s resource economy helps drive the development of world-leading environmental best practices and investments in clean-tech innovations.
When we export our cleaner B.C. resources, such as LNG, we can help other countries
B.C. has a proud history of environmentalism that provides the foundation for responsible resource development.
reduce their unhealthy practices that damage the global environment.
Developing British Columbia’s natural resources can be a risky business. It has taken many years to develop a culture of safety and there is still much work to do. It requires many partnerships among B.C.’s workers, unions, communities, regulators and companies to keep us safe and to work to make us safer.
And when there are mistakes, we need to continue to learn and improve. These are values that have always been recognized by elected leaders no matter their particular perspectives.
B.C.’s natural resources have shaped where we live in the province with towns that were built around a mill, port, smelter or river.
B.C.’s resource economy creates jobs and skills training opportunities in rural areas through specific resource projects. Building new mines and keeping up with market demand for petroleum products has required a vast amount of investment. Only housing is bigger.
During the past two decades, $108 billion was spent on resource equipment and installations (not including utilities). Along the way, thousands of new businesses were incorporated, resulting in further spinoff employment.
British Columbia has an important role in Canada as the gateway for resource exports to growing parts of the world. B.C. also has important cultural links to Asia and South Asia that we can capitalize on for everyone’s benefit.
Having the ability to export our resource products to foreign markets means that we can always get the best prices for Canadian goods.
Other parts of the economy may struggle in competitive global markets. Resources are why British Columbia can consistently punch above its weight class. The continuing diversification of resource-based product lines shields us from the boom-and-bust effect at a time when minerals, lumber and the ingredients for fuel and plastics are in greater demand than they have ever been in the history of humanity. Resources are the future, not just our past.
There are many challenges to doing all this successfully. As we celebrate B.C. Day on Monday, it is impossible to imagine our success as a province without the daily contributions made by resources and resource people.