The True Price of a Resource Economy in Canada’s North – Pembina

Published in World Policy Journal (January 28, 2015) .

It is often said that resource extraction is the “cornerstone“ of northern Canadian economies. The gritty pursuit of minerals, oil, and gas shaped a ‘frontier’ culture, and in the modern era is said to be the only way northerners—particularly indigenous people—can make a decent living, despite the environmental trade-offs. Indeed, perhaps more than elsewhere, resource development debates in the North are almost always framed as the economy versus the environment.

No one has yet produced a comprehensive analysis on whether jobs, taxes, and royalties provided by resource-extraction industries really justify significant government subsidies and associated environmental liabilities. However, there are good reasons to believe that resource extraction is leaving northerners in the red—financially, socially and environmentally.

Read More: http://www.pembina.org/op-ed/the-true-price-of-a-resource-economy-in-canadas-north