Mineral Exploration

18 Mineral Exploration | amebc.ca Getting to "Yes" in British Columbia How to win friends and influence people in the resource development debate By PETER CAULFIELD T he British Columbia election will take place two short months from now – May 9 – and political opinion in the province is as polarized as ever. What a surprise. The source of much of this fractiousness is the ongoing debate over the best way to develop the province's abundant natural resources. Or whether to develop them at all. No matter what the subject is – mineral exploration, mine development, pipeline construction or liquefied natural gas terminals – the debate always seems to be reduced to the economy versus the environment, as if one was the predator and the other the prey. But most British Columbians are not extremists and they reject the exaggerated claims of anti-development activists. In fact, they're receptive to – and even hungry for – objective information about resource projects. Should the resource industry try to reach them? Or should it stick to refuting the claims of strident, publicity- savvy environmental activists? To find out what resource industry watchers think the right approach is, Mineral Exploration talked to three people with years of experience in di¤erent aspects of resource development. The following interviews have been condensed and edited for clarity. STEWART MUIR Executive director, Resource Works Society, Vancouver We see ourselves as honest brokers in a di¤icult conversation. How can the question be resolved so that everyone wins? There are a few loud voices on the extremes of the debate, but there is also – according to the polls – a broad middle ground of opinion that demands our attention. According to an October 2016 Abacus Data poll on oil pipelines, 78 per cent of British Columbians said they were positive about pipeline development if it was linked to a transition to a lower-carbon economy. We who favour resource development have a duty to talk to the people who either aren't sure or are opposed. When we're talking to them, it's important to seek common ground and to avoid needless conflict on issues that aren't central to the discussion. Use plain English as much as possible and avoid jargon-ridden, complex language. Try to communicate in metaphors – word pictures – as much as possible. More people will become open-minded about resource development if you help them, without any pressure, to gain a better understanding of the subject. ROBERT SIMPSON President and CEO of PR Associates, Vancouver and Ottawa Many of the people who say they are opposed to resource development have, in fact, a much bigger target in mind. The ultimate goal of many people in today's environmental movement is to change the content and contours of global capitalism. "We need to change the way we do business," they say. What they really mean is, "We want a society that is free of oil and gas." Think of Naomi Klein, the author of This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. the Climate. Although Klein lives in Toronto, she has plenty of supporters in British Columbia. Many people out here are very passionate about protecting the PHOTO: PATRICE DUFOURœAME Bridging multiple perspectives and providing objective information are essential to conversations regarding natural resource development.

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