Four-in-five Canadians support resource development

The majority of Canadians are” tired of nothing getting built” in this country, according to a recent research study LNG Canada commissioned in February 2019. Conducted by Research Co, a Vancouver-based independent research company, the online survey was carried out among 800 adults in British Columbia, and among 1,000 adults in Canada. There was no overlap in participants from one study to the other. The data has been statistically weighted according to Canadian census figures for age, gender and region. The margin of error is +/- 3.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

The results of the study show that four-in-five Canadians support resource development, with 26% of British Columbians becoming more supportive as a result of opposition and protests. In B.C., over 70% say they support resource development projects, and in northern B.C., that rises to 83%.

Seven-in-ten Canadians believe the “national economy will suffer if we can’t build resource projects.” More than one-in-two Canadians believe the country’s reputation “is harmed by protests against resource development projects.” Less than a quarter of British Columbians (23%) think it’s possible to have unanimous support for resource development projects.

Seven-in-ten British Columbians foresee a positive economic impact from LNG Canada’s liquefied natural gas export project in Kitimat, B.C., which is scheduled to deliver first LNG cargo mid-next decade. Broken down by region, over half (56%) of those on Vancouver Island, two-thirds (67%) in metro Vancouver and 86% in northern B.C. anticipate positive economic impacts from the project. Only 6% are “very negative” towards the project.

In a news release about the results of the survey, Susannah Pierce, Director External Affairs for LNG Canada said, “LNG Canada received significant support from First Nations at the facility and along the shipping route, as well as from northern communities overall. We are committed to these supporters. A project like ours is vital to the creation of training, employment and contracting opportunities, and we’re pleased to see that British Columbians and Canadians recognize the importance of resource projects as drivers of the Canadian economy.”

The survey also revealed that three-in-five Canadians have a positive opinion of four energy sources: wind 80%, hydropower 76%, natural gas 69%, and geothermal 61%. Canadians are divided on oil at 43%. The lowest ranked energy source by British Columbians is coal at only 12% of residents having a positive view of it.

Sixty percent of Canadians believe Canada has a responsibility to “export natural gas to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in other countries.” LNG exported from LNG Canada’s facility can displace the use of coal for power generation, reducing global GHG emissions by 60 to 90 mtpa, which is the equivalent of all GHGs produced in British Columbia annually and 10% of the GHGs all of Canada produces in a year.