- This event has passed.
Look West. Now Look Closer.
The executive forum on the political, commercial and Indigenous forces shaping Canada’s Pacific gateway.
BRITISH COLUMBIA IS THE GATEWAY.
Calgary is where it begins. On October 2, Resource Works brings political, commercial and Indigenous intelligence into one room for a decisive day examining Canada’s Pacific gateway.
BUILT ON 2025’S BOTTLENECKS & BREAKTHROUGHS
Building on last year’s candour and momentum, Look West. Now Look Closer. goes deeper into the people, policies and partnerships determining whether major Canadian projects move forward. As LNG exports expand and Canadian energy production grows, decisions made in British Columbia increasingly shape market access, investment confidence and opportunity across Western Canada.
CONFIRMED SPEAKERS
Senator Duncan Wilson joins a confirmed program featuring Greg Lyle, Jen Gerson, Mike McDonald, Sharon Singh, Khelsilem, Ray Cardinal, Margareta Dovgal, Brian Fehr, Sean Surerus, Aaron Aerts, Lori Ackerman, Barry Penner, Amarjeet Sohi, Aaron Pete and Stewart Muir. Additional confirmed speakers will be announced soon.
WHY THIS EVENT MATTERS
– A sharper read on the people, politics and partnerships shaping what happens next.
– Evidence-led perspective on Pacific market access and investment risk.
– New relationships with leaders across government, Indigenous business, industry and capital.
Join us for the first step in an ambitious new chapter: a gathering built to deepen relationships, sharpen understanding and connect Canadian resource opportunity with investment audiences at home and, ultimately, around the world.
“A level of candour from the stage unlike anything else in the industry calendar.”
— Attendee, 2025 Bottlenecks & Breakthroughs
REGISTRATION
Standard admission: CA$495 plus fees.
Reserved Table of Ten: CA$4,750 plus fees.
Early-bird pricing has ended. Additional confirmed speakers will be announced soon. Attendance is limited.
Agenda
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Arrival, check-in and coffee
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Opening remarks
Stewart Muir. Why the province next door decides what your barrels are worth, in five minutes.
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B.C.’s shifting public opinion landscape
Greg Lyle opens the day on Alberta separatism: what it means for British Columbia, and how B.C. public opinion responds. Fresh polling, followed by audience questions. Find out whether B.C. voters are moving toward you or away from you, with numbers, not vibes.
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Getting it built
Two men who got billion-dollar projects through B.C. tell you what moved them, what stalled them and what they would do differently. With Aaron Aerts, VP Policy with the Business Council of British Columbia. Take notes.
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State of play on First Nations and projects
What consent costs in B.C. this autumn, and what replaces DRIPA if it goes. Sharon Singh, McMillan LLP; Khelsilem, former Chairperson of the Squamish Nation, whose Nation ran its own environmental assessment of Woodfibre LNG; and Ray Cardinal, Indigenous Co-Chair of the Trans Mountain Indigenous Advisory and Monitoring Committee. Moderated by Margareta Dovgal, Resource Works.
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Networking break
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Lunch
Lunch service begins promptly: a three-course meal, plated and served at your table. Substitutions for special dietary needs must be selected using the Eventbrite ticket app no later than 5 p.m. Mountain, Tuesday, Sept. 29.
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Special presentation on Western Canadian energy cooperation
Special guest Senator Duncan Wilson, Senator for British Columbia and former Vice-President, Environment and External Affairs at the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority, in conversation. Interviewer to be announced.
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Break
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Perspectives on B.C. decision making
A First Nation COO, a former B.C. environment minister and a former federal resources minister explain why Victoria says no, and what makes it say yes. Chaired by the interviewer who does not let people off the hook.
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The Great Divide: a conversation
Mike McDonald, Chief Strategy Officer, Kirk & Co., and co-host of Hotel Pacifico, in conversation with Jen Gerson of The Line, drawing the day together. Leave with a playbook for getting things done in B.C., from someone who has run the war rooms.
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Close
Stewart Muir. What to do Monday morning.
Fortifying Canada’s relationship with our natural resources.
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