With the dust now settling on the provincial election, the focus has turned to how quickly the re-elected BC Liberals will deal with the province's inventory of major resource projects.
But some business leaders remain more cautious about embracing the potential resource boom and have organized a forum to discuss the potential risks and alternatives to a future perceived to revolve around resource extraction and pipeline expansion.
The CREDible Conversations Forum, scheduled for May 29 at the Creekside Cultural Centre, will feature speakers and guests from a host of business backgrounds, including Vancouver's large tech sector.
Entrepreneur Michael Tippett, founder of pioneering citizen journalism site NowPublic and current director of new products at HootSuite, is scheduled to be the forum's keynote speaker.
"My main thing is, there's a problem with the way we think about our economic development. The frame is always either for resources, or not to develop at all. That's fundamentally flawed."
The current list of major resource projects proposed for B.C. includes Kinder Morgan's expanded Trans Mountain pipeline, Enbridge Inc.'s Northern Gateway pipeline and numerous LNG plants in northern B.C.
One sector, however, that deserves more attention, offered Tippett, is the technology industry. The tech scene in Vancouver is well respected, and those working locally in the field are often recruited to work for top firms globally. But Tippett added that more support is needed.
"We're not going to build an Apple (Nasdaq:AABL) or Facebook (Nasdaq: FB) because we're living in the past," said Tippett.
"Of course, we need resources to build computers. But … what we need to do to get past our resource focus requires imagination and a reframing of the economic debate."
Bradley Schende, founder of M20 digital agency and another participant in the event, told BIV that it's important for those in service-based careers to discuss their interest in being part of a growing sector and in helping foster a successful economy.
"We're not entirely a resource-based economy. I'm in a service-based economy. Tech startups are jobs, too. I like nurturing that community."
