Yours,
British
Columbia
Paul josePh (mIddle); IstoCk (rIght) maY 2015 BCBusiness 39
software development, and that's going to make a
big difference over the next few years.
In conclusion, dear neighbour, please allow us
a baseball metaphor, since our wintertime soccer
fields have now been converted to summertime
ball diamonds (something that always happens
this time of year just as your province is buried
in spring blizzards). Let us be the first to admit
that since forestry's semi-retirement, our economy has hit no
home runs, or even a stand-up triple. Instead, we have strung
together so many singles and doubles (along with the odd walk
and a hit batter or two) that we're winning our share of games.
Indeed, somehow we've turned into the unflappable middle
sibling of Canadian provinces, producing reliable annual eco-
nomic growth of between two and three per cent annually. We've
also become the country's most diversified economy not only in
the sense of depending on lots of different industries but because
we no longer rely so heavily on the U.S. market, as
most other provinces do. We send our stuff around
the world.
None of this has come easily, let us be the first to
admit. There's a price to be paid when a dominant
industry goes down, and we paid it in the form of
several decades worth of slow growth and declin-
ing incomes. Even today, beyond the boundaries of
Metro Vancouver and northeastern B.C., the province remains a
relatively poorer place than it was 35 years ago.
Still, back in 1980, no one would have predicted that B.C.
could endure a steep, long-term decline in its dominant indus-
try and emerge a better place. What we're saying, Alberta, is
that maybe it's time to make
some lemonade. If you're look-
ing for a recipe, you know who
to call.
■
MANY EGGS,
MANY BASKETS
Tech, mining, film, ship
building, education,
green energy. These
days, B.C. does it all
