Clear message on resources – StarPhoenix

July 24, 2014

Western Canadians appreciate the vital economic and social benefits that flow from natural resource development, but as a recent poll conducted for the Canada West Foundation shows, their expectations in such areas as environmental sustainability, public safety and social responsibility carry a strong message to industry and governments.

The poll, with a sample of about 600 people from each western province, was meant to gauge support for and confidence in the farming, mining, forestry and energy industries.

Even though most respondents said they don’t consider farming to be a resource industry, this increasingly industrialized sector with huge corporate farms had a significantly higher level of public confidence than the others. Poll analysts suggest that outlook is likely based on a “romanticized view” of an agriculture industry that has “managed to maintain an image of small, local, family-run operations that are approachable, reliable and environmentally sustainable.”