Business Council wants to bridge B.C.’s urban-rural divide

The B.C. Business Council wants to bridge our province’s urban-rural divide.

The goal is to demonstrate to the urban decision makers the importance of resource development for all of B.C.

According to an Ipsos Reid poll, in northern B.C., over two-thirds of the residents in a survey said resources are the back bone of the B.C. economy.

However, in Metro Vancouver only two in five people agree, and on Vancouver Island it’s one-in-three.

To help bridge the gap of misconception about our resources, the B.C. Business Council is going to take dozens of influential thinkers from Metro Vancouver, including school board trustees, teachers, business and union leaders, on tours of mining and oil and gas communities.

They hope that the influential people will return home and tell others how important the north is to our economy.

Although B.C. has been fracking for decades in natural gas fields, recent protests on the south coast create the perception that the practice is new and harmful to the environment.

The B.C. Business Council and others believes it hijacks the real success story that our resources and exports generate the billions in revenue needed to pay for health care, education and social programs.

Industries like coal mining create thousands of jobs in rural communities and with $200 billion in resource projects proposed in B.C., the business council wants to get the message out.

— with files Brian Coxford, Global News