As Premier David Eby prepares to address an annual gathering of leaders representing British Columbia's natural resources sector, his government is earning praise for listening to rural British Columbians.
“The current government has been challenged with a low number of provincial seats, but under the leadership of the current and former premiers, we've seen real concrete action,” said Sarah Weber, president and CEO of the C3 Alliance and chair of the Forum Advisory Board for the BC Natural Resources Forum. “Several ministries have been very collaborative and willing to work together.”
Weber made the comments as the BC Natural Resources Forum prepares to host a three-day conference in Prince George from Jan. 16 to 18. Eby, who is visiting the forum for the second time as premier, is scheduled to speak Tuesday evening, while BC Union Leader Kevin Falcon is also scheduled to speak on Jan. 17.
The BC Natural Resources Forum is billed as Western Canada’s largest natural resources conference, bringing together government officials from a range of sectors, Indigenous peoples and industry.
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Timing-wise, Eby's appearance at last year's conference marked his first high-profile appearance in front of a large audience. During his time in Prince George, he used the opportunity to announce several important agreements with First Nations and others, as well as support for forestry workers. Though he is self-aware from the suburbs, Eby also makes it a point to visit rural British Columbia, touring the South Okanagan, Similkameen and Boundary regions in the fall of 2023 after the release of his party's rural strategy. He is also a big advocate of a proposed green hydrogen project in Prince George.
In an interview with Black Press Media last week, Weber said he expected the administration to use the opportunity of the meeting to make some announcements: “I don't know what those announcements will be specifically, but be sure to keep an eye out Tuesday night and Wednesday morning.”
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Eby's visit to Prince George comes at a time when different parts of B.C.'s natural resource industry are at different stages of recovery: mining is showing signs of recovery, the forestry sector still appears to be struggling with timber availability and trade issues, while the energy sector is moving forward with both renewable and non-renewable energy projects.
Weber gave this assessment:
“I think we're at a really critical juncture right now,” she said. “We have a number of projects that are ready to go, but we just need a final investment decision. I'm very optimistic about the natural resources situation right now.” Reasons for this optimism include federal and provincial interest in critical minerals, innovative mining partnerships with First Nations and new technologies, she said.
On the forestry side, the British Columbia Forestry Council is also working to produce value-added products, she added. “Energy is certainly an exciting topic,” she said, noting that Shell recently agreed to buy liquefied natural gas from the Nisga’a Nation-led Energy Partnership. “But there’s still a lot of hard work to be done to get some of these projects to completion,” she said.
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Weber largely echoed calls from Michael Gehring of the British Columbia Mining Association for better regulation.
“Regulatory clarity, timeliness of statutory decision-making — these are all very important elements (of the broader economic environment) because it's about attracting foreign investment,” she said. “It's a very competitive world.”
One of the main topics being discussed at the conference will be energy costs.
“A lot of experts are going to be debating that very subject,” Weber said. “What are the climate goals? How do we achieve CleanBC?” she said. There are also questions surrounding BC Hydro's recent electricity demands, she added.
“There are a lot of smart people trying to solve this problem, and I've heard the premier himself talk about hydrogen,” she says. “How does that fit into the infrastructure across the state? But it's exciting.”
Weber said he expects the resources sector overall to remain an important component of B.C.'s economy.
“There are lots of other great industries that are growing, but these (resource) industries are not declining industries. They are modernizing and changing.”
Wolfgang Depner
Email: wolfgang.depner@blackpress.ca
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