Northern British Columbia in an Era of Global Change

Abstract

This article explores the profound transitions that are currently impacting northern British Columbia, a sparsely-populated, resource-rich region located in the province of British Columbia in western Canada.  For over a century, the economy of this region has revolved around the production of natural resources such as timber and minerals. More recently, northern British Columbia has become a key transportation gateway and corridor connecting resources and markets in North America with Asia. The development of the Asia-Pacific Gateway and Corridor promised to bring prosperity and growth to communities across northern British Columbia. While this has certainly been the case in the larger transportation hubs in the region, smaller communities have struggled to realize the benefits of new transportation infrastructure such as the container port in Prince Rupert. Moreover, the proposed development of the Enbridge Northern Gateway Pipeline, which will link the Athabasca oil sands project in northern Alberta with resource markets in Asia, has divided the communities and inhabitants of northern British Columbia.