This year I accompanied the Resource Works team to the BCNRF in Prince George. The last time I attended was in 2017. A lot had changed — the number of attendees, out-of-province participation, even a representative of the UK government.
Being retired and now writing commentary on resource industries and communities gave me the space to step back from policy detail and focus instead on the event’s overall tone and vibe.
A different economic consensus has emerged
Ten years ago, the economic consensus within the province was still shaped by the EXPO 86 pivot. EXPO 86 marked a shift away from the resource sector and toward financial and professional services, technology, tourism, and the film industry.
The focus was urban. That shift rolled out gradually and influenced policy choices by the two governing parties from 1986 through 2000, not without tactical disagreements.
In the early 2010s, a shift back toward resources was underway, led by Christy Clark’s BC Liberals. A cross-party consensus did not re-emerge until 2018, when, under John Horgan’s leadership, the NDP moved to support both LNG development and the Site C hydro project.
Today, that consensus has strengthened and broadened. The Conservative and New Democrat parties are both advancing policies that support mining, expanded mineral and metal smelting and refining, faster permitting, port expansions, the North Coast Transmission Line, and increased power generation.
At the BCNRF, both Premier Eby and Opposition Leader Trevor Halford placed strong emphasis on the projects underway and openly championed the North. They declared their support for the direction BC is taking on natural resources and infrastructure, though there remain tactical disagreements.
From industry versus government to unity around communities
In the early years, the BCNRF’s focus was government and industry. First Nations and municipalities were included, but on the margins.
Today, First Nations, industry, and government are top-tier participants, but much of the discussion is focused on the state of affairs of workers and local residents, Indigenous and others. Communities are clearly moving up the ladder.
Last fall, Resource Works held its first Get It Done BC Forum alongside the annual Union of British Columbia Municipalities conference, where the Alliance of Resource Communities (ARC) was launched.
This year at the BCNRF, Resource Works and the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP) hosted the Alliance of Resource Communities (ARC) reception. It was well attended and well received. ARC is well positioned to advance the stories of resource communities going forward.
Hospitality, retail and care workers in short supply
The shortage of non-industrial workers, and the unreliability of the Temporary Workers Program, were a major source of discussion and frustration off the convention floor. It was often described as another case where the real-life experience of rural and remote communities is ignored.
Property taxes
While the BCNRF was in session, media reports highlighted the devastating impacts on municipal budgets when a mill closes, as was the case in Houston and the District of Vanderhoof following mill closures in 2025.
With the release of the 2026 property assessments, total tax revenues dropped by 20% in Houston and by 11% in Vanderhoof. Next year, 100 Mile House is expected to face the same dilemma.
The loss of vital property tax revenues is often glossed over by those focused on urban centres, a source of deep frustration in BC’s North.
A mostly positive vibe
When Fraser Lake Mayor Sarrah Storey was asked if she was optimistic during a taped interview in the Resource Works onsite trailer, her answer was yes.
That optimism was rooted in the number of mines operating and in development within her region, despite the closure of the Fraser Lake sawmill in 2024
The natural gas and LNG sectors are moving along as hoped. Mining is literally booming. Port developments are advancing at pace in Kitimat, Prince Rupert, and Stewart. The North Coast Transmission Line is in early development and on schedule.
The big downer is forestry
“The forest sector, without doubt, has been the hardest hit sector,” Premier Eby said in his keynote address at the BCNRF. Without question, forestry remains uncertain, and that uncertainty was felt by everyone at the forum — workers, communities, First Nations, and companies alike.
The premier also pointed to the government’s policy response. He highlighted reforms under the Path 45 program, aimed at increasing the province’s actual timber harvest to 45 million cubic metres through faster permitting, expanded harvesting, and the release of additional timber sales. Even so, the sector remains in a holding pattern as these measures work their way through the system.
At the same time, workers, communities, First Nations, and companies are beginning to mobilize. On January 20, 2025, Kim Haakstad, president and CEO of the BC Council of Forest Industries (COFI), announced that “a coalition of forestry workers, community leaders, and industry representatives have organized an online petition asking the BC government for immediate changes to forestry policies that are making it difficult for companies to operate.”
A full report was published by the Prince George Citizen, and further information — including how to support the campaign — is available through the coalition’s website at forestryisasolution.com.
The impact of First Nations investment within municipalities
The level of investment by First Nations within the municipalities where their members live was a frequent topic of discussion during networking conversations. Indigenous businesses and economic development agencies have become the leading investors in both legacy and new enterprises in many communities. Profits from procurement contracts, equity, and rents are now being invested locally, strengthening municipal tax bases.
My closing observations
The challenges to property rights did not distract delegates from their work, which speaks to the commitment of the entire room to the notion of economic reconciliation.
Equally impressive was the commitment shown by community leaders and First Nations leaders to foster social cohesion.
Together, those commitments were among the clearest signals of how much has changed.
Jim Rushton is a 46-year veteran of BC’s resource and transportation sectors, with experience in union representation, economic development, and terminal management.
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