Rooted in the earth, reaching for the future: Twelve years of Resource Works

Press Release

January 26, 2026

Since 2014, the organization has bridged the urban-rural divide to become a national voice for responsible resource development

In the spring of 2014, a small office in Vancouver quietly opened its doors with a mission that felt, at the time, like swimming against a very strong tide.

The goal was simple but daunting: to remind a rapidly urbanizing Canada that its high-tech, modern lifestyle was still rooted in the ground—in the mines, the forests, and the energy sectors that built the country.

This spring, as Resource Works marks its 12th anniversary, the organization is not just celebrating a decade-plus of survival; it is celebrating its role as the primary bridge between Canada’s resource-rich rural heartlands and its bustling city centres.

The spark: 2014

The story began when founder Stewart Muir, a former journalist with a knack for unpicking complex economic webs, saw a growing “urban-rural divide”. In cities like Vancouver and Toronto, the connection to where electricity, timber, and metals came from was fraying.

Resource Works was launched to provide “fact-based dialogue”. It wasn’t about shouting; it was about showing. The organization set out to prove that environmental stewardship and resource development weren’t enemies, but two sides of the same coin of prosperity.

The middle years: Finding a middle ground

Through the late 2010s, Resource Works became the “pragmatic voice” in the room. While others engaged in the “War in the Woods” or pipeline protests, Resource Works was busy publishing research on how many jobs a single mine created in a small town, or how LNG could help lower global emissions.

They became famous for their ability to translate dense policy into stories that mattered to everyday families. They didn’t just talk to CEOs; they talked to the truck loggers, the geoscientists, and the local mayors who saw their communities’ schools and hospitals funded by resource royalties.

The turning point: Indigenous partnerships

If the first five years were about economic facts, the next five were about human partnerships. Resource Works recognized early on that the future of Canadian resources was inseparable from Indigenous reconciliation.

One of their proudest milestones was the launch of the Indigenous Partnerships Success Showcase (IPSS). This initiative moved the conversation away from legal “duty to consult” and toward genuine “economic sovereignty”.

By 12 years in, the organization has helped highlight dozens of success stories where First Nations are not just stakeholders, but owners and leaders of massive energy and mining projects.

Spring 2026: The 12-year legacy

Today, as Resource Works celebrates its 12th spring, the landscape of Canada has shifted. The global race for “critical minerals” to power electric vehicles and the push for “net-zero” have put resources back at the centre of the national stage.

Resource Works enters its second decade as a veteran advocate. Their recent work—like the Power Struggle podcast and the “Unleashing Canadian Potential” initiative—shows an organization that has grown from a BC-centric start-up into a national lighthouse for economic sanity.

The story continues

The 12th-anniversary theme is one of “responsible prosperity.” In a world of polarized views, Resource Works remains the place where people gather to ask: How do we build a future that is green, wealthy, and inclusive?

From a small seed planted in 2014, Resource Works has grown into a sturdy oak—deeply rooted in the earth, but always reaching toward the future.

IBF4