Resource Works Launches “Shaping the Peace,” First Report in New Shared Prosperity Series Spotlighting Northeast BC

/EIN News/ -- VANCOUVER, British Columbia, June 16, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Resource Works Society today released Shaping the Peace: Balancing Energy, Environment, and Reconciliation in Northeast BC, the inaugural study in its new Shared Prosperity series profiling key regions that power British Columbia’s economy.

Drawing on six months of field work, dozens of community interviews, and original data analysis, the report confirms that a region with less than one percent of the province’s population supplies virtually all of BC’s natural gas, more than thirty percent of its hydroelectricity, and a growing share of its renewable power.

The web report and PDF report are available online now.

“BC’s economic independence quite literally runs through the northeast,” said Margareta Dovgal, Managing Director of Resource Works and report co-author. “Ignoring that reality weakens the province, undercuts reconciliation, and leaves climate goals unfunded.”

Rawie Elnur, Lead Author and Research Manager, added: “Spending only a handful of days in Northeast B.C. showed me how quickly assumptions fall away when you listen to people who live and work there. This study captures that perspective and invites readers to do the same.”

Stewart Muir, President and CEO of Resource Works, said that “Without the Peace Region there is no credible path to a low-carbon, high-prosperity future for British Columbia. Producer regions carry the heaviest burdens; they deserve policies that match their contribution.”

Chamber of Commerce backs the study

“As someone who lives and works in Northeast BC, I see every day how deeply our communities contribute to this province — through our energy, our agriculture, and our people. Shaping the Peace reflects the lived experiences of our region and offers real, practical solutions. We support its call for policies that respect our realities, invest in our future, and ensure local voices are part of the path forward. This report gives us hope that balance is possible — between growth, environment, and reconciliation,” said Tiffany Hetenyi, Executive Director of the Fort St. John & District Chamber of Commerce.

Human stories at the centre

Award-winning communicator Julie Rogers, APR gathered frontline perspectives that ground the analysis in lived reality. A veteran of twenty years in municipal communications across the northeast, Rogers translated technical findings into plain-language narratives featured throughout the publication. She profiled local residents Valerie Askoty, Tim and Charlie Hartnell, Moira Green, Edward Stanford, and Amy Fraser.

Key recommendations

• Implement urban-focused public outreach initiatives to build province-wide awareness of Northeast BC’s vital contributions to energy security, export-driven industries, and agricultural prosperity.
• Align CleanBC climate targets with regional infrastructure capacity and reconciliation commitments.
• Expand revenue-sharing so resource communities can invest in housing, health care, and skills.
• Continue supporting Geoscience BC’s outreach and monitoring programs by providing stable funding to sustain independent groundwater, seismic, and methane monitoring.
• Commit long-term provincial support to diversification and skills training
  
  

About Resource Works Society

Resource Works is an independent, non-partisan not-for-profit that fosters informed dialogue on responsible natural resource development. We convene communities, Indigenous leaders, industry, and decision-makers to advance sustainable prosperity for all British Columbians.

Head Office: Suite 400 – 409 Granville St., Vancouver, BC V6C 1T2
Web: www.resourceworks.com | Twitter/X: @Resource_Works

Media Contact
Margareta Dovgal | info@resourceworks.com | (604) 518-4469