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Former B.C. premier Mike Harcourt might be big on urban sustainability, but he’s not afraid to weigh in on the rural economy.
In a recent interview with BIV, the former Vancouver mayor talked about everything from the Olympic legacy to HST, sustainability and the strength of B.C.’s resource economy. Although the province’s forest industry has been hard hit in recent years, Harcourt believes the downsizing was necessary for its long-term survival. "That decrease of capacity has happened, so I think we’re more in sync between capacity and supply and demand,” Harcourt said. The diversification of wood products is a key component to the ongoing viability of B.C.’s forest and paper industry, according to Harcourt, which includes getting more value from each log through wood pellets and fibre that can be used to generate energy. But many resource companies still lack the social license from First Nations groups to see their projects come to fruition, he added. Harcourt believes in the strength First Nations treaties for self-government. He is chairman of the Nisga’a Commercial Group. He said First Nations want to partner with forestry and mining companies to build their economies, but the treaty process isn’t fast enough. "The resource is there for them to become prosperous and self sufficient and self governing,” he said. “We’ve just got to finish the job.” Check out this week’s edition of BIV for more with Harcourt.
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