We are indeed blessed with beautiful weather and scenery. These factors are B.C.’s strengths, and offer our communities more jobs, economic diversification, and pay more bills than extractive resources.
B.C. Stats identifies resource industries (Forestry, Fishing, Mining, Oil and Gas) provided 3.6% of province-wide employment in 1987, and 2.2% in 2013. Comparatively, Tourism, Culture, and Recreation consistently provided 5%; while Professional, Scientific and Technical services have increased from 5% in 1987 to 8% in 2013. Over this time, health care and educational services have doubled to 20% of provincial employment. Today, the largest sectors are Trade (16%), Health Care (11%), Construction (8%), and Professional, Scientific, Technical (8%). In summary, Service-Producing sectors have increased from 76% to 81% of provincial employment.
The contribution from resource-based activity continues to be absolutely marginal relative to knowledge and service-based activities.
B.C.’s beautiful environment, thoughtfully maintained, only helps us to leverage core human competencies.
Deborah Rasnick, Brentwood Bay