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Copyright of Canadian Geographer is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Research in contentious and fluctuating political and economic conditions presents many challenges. Given the potential for the politicization of research in an era where information is rapidly changing, there is pressure to consider pathways to ensure quality and transparent research. This perspective builds upon a tradition of considering the methodological implications associated with conducting research within volatile settings. The paper reflects on the research process associated with interviewing mobile workers at BC Hydro's Site C Project (hydroelectric dam) in northeast British Columbia, Canada. Based on these reflections, we explore opportunities to extend the transparency of research in volatile settings by considering the broader political and subjective influences that shape credibility and validity as universities, industry, and labour engage with the research process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the role of place-based philanthropy in rural community development through a case study of the Skeena watershed. The Skeena is an ecologically significant region in Northwest British Columbia that is confronting the complex and layered forces of change being experienced by many rural regions in Canada. Through qualitative interviews and document analyses, the article illustrates how a robust ecosystem of environmental community-based organizations (CBOs), funded by philanthropic capital, is extending beyond traditional environmental advocacy to fill important structural gaps in community development. Though pressed by capacity issues, the sector is shifting towards highly integrated and collaborative responses to development pressures and is charting alternative pathways for development in the region. The complexity and scope of pressures in the Skeena offer insights for other rural regions and the dynamic potential and challenges associated with place-based philanthropy in community and regional development processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In resource-based communities, housing can be a contributing asset or challenge to attracting and retaining workers and families. In Kitimat, BC, Canada, a housing crisis threatened vulnerable, low income, and middle income residents during a period of rapid growth associated with renewed industrial investments. Even though housing policy and public housing provision falls under provincial government jurisdiction, the crisis response was largely mobilized by local stakeholders. Drawing upon a five year tracking study, this paper traces the rise of new governance arrangements to address local housing pressures. These governance arrangements fostered greater community awareness of housing issues; strengthened relationships across community, industry, and some senior government stakeholders; and renewed local housing assets. This collective capacity to manage housing pressures, however, remains vulnerable due to public policy incoherence that undermines or fails to adequately support local governance initiatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The growth of mobile workforces to support diversified resource extraction activities, compared to historically single-industry towns, represents a key change in rural and remote resource landscapes that has accelerated since the 1980s. Mobile workforces can present many opportunities to rural communities and economies. However, the capacity, viability and competitiveness of rural-based businesses to engage in supply chains serving mobile labour may be undermined by limited attention to how businesses manoeuvre downturns while maintaining a level of readiness to recover and scale-up in order to meet emerging mobile workforce needs. Drawing upon interviews with businesses in Fort St. John, British Columbia, Canada, our research uses the concept of resiliency to examine challenges and strategies associated with business capacity and agility to scale-up and scale-down in response to changing economic conditions associated with large-scale mobile workforces and related economic sectors. Our findings suggest that the capacity to scale-up and scale-down is shaped by capital, human resource and infrastructure strategies, inventory management and contract management strategies. Industry and state policies may also play a role supporting the conditions that will improve the agility, capacity and readiness of businesses operating in volatile resource-based economies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The political economy of labour landscapes in resource-dependent regions continues to transform with important implications for workers, families, communities, service providers, businesses, and industries. Over time, mobile work has created a new form of worker-employer dependence where some elements of traditional local labour relationships exist, but other elements have shifted. In this paper, we focus on evolving mobile workforce practices and their associated implications for workers in the construction sector. In particular, we look at how the changing demand for mobile labour in Canada has shifted the negotiating power of both industry and workers. Within this context, we find that underdeveloped industry policies and weak senior government regulatory regimes have not kept pace with the realities of these changing mobile work landscapes. Drawing upon our case study of BC Hydro's Site C dam project in British Columbia, Canada, we situate new institutionalism within the political economy of mobile work to expand understanding of how stakeholder behaviours are affecting labour practices. Among our key findings are that industry stakeholders have failed to renew workplace policies and processes to reflect mobile labour practices. The result has been a dis-orienting environment for mobile workforces where many of the impacts or externalities associated with mobile work have been transferred to workers, their families, and their communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rural resource-based regions are increasingly accommodating large mobile workforces to support renewed industrial investments. As large-scale resource development projects are mobilized, however, industries' use of mobile work camps and outsourcing with established global supply chain networks may exclude rural businesses and communities from associated economic benefits, particularly in the absence of local content policies. To date, however, research has largely focused on supply chain opportunities pertaining to the construction or operations of resource development assets, with limited consideration of the issues that must be considered in order for local businesses to capture benefits from mobile workforces. Drawing upon interviews with businesses in Fort St. John, British Columbia, Canada, we use issues unfolding in the new institutionalism discourse to explore the roles of senior governments in strengthening local benefits related to mobile workforces, as well as some of the challenges that existing policy roles and debates present to better position rural businesses in these resource-based regions. Our findings suggest that underdeveloped and under-resourced senior government policies, regulations, and processes are entrenching the role of rural regions as resource banks instead of creating a competitive playing field for rural businesses to capture, and locally anchor, economic benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With an increasingly political environment developing in western, industrialized resource sectors, the purpose of this paper is to explore Indigenous governments' ability to assert sovereignty over their territory as it pertains to resource development. Utilizing a relational self-determination framework, we present a case study of the Stk'emlupsemc te Secwépemc Nation and their role in governance over mineral development in their unceded traditional territory located in the interior of British Columbia, Canada. This article adds to the growing case examples that suggest that First Nations governments in Canada are exerting their selfdetermination strategically, transitioning the role of negotiated agreements from an Impact-Benefit transaction to gain greater participation in resource extraction decision-making. Utilizing tools such as cultural heritage studies, legal action, and developing community-based processes of consent, First Nations governments are gaining more negotiating leverage and influence over decision-making processes for resource development projects. These insights are particularly relevant for Indigenous communities that are considering their options regarding resource development as a path to autonomy and self-governance over their territory, resources, and economies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increasing prevalence of mobile workers who travel long distances to work presents opportunities and challenges for communities in the new political economy of resource-dependent regions. In an era where workers can increasingly choose where they wish to work and live, this paper explores the efforts of two northern communities, in British Columbia, Canada to capture benefits from resource development by attracting and retaining mobile workers and their families. The findings suggest that several complex problems – research, planning, infrastructure investments, housing, education, amenities – must all be addressed in order to facilitate a sense of place attachment in an otherwise mobile world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In resource-dependent boom and bust economies, accelerating change has been one of the defining attributes of rural community and economic development research. These patterns of change become more complex as rural stakeholders pursue new development pathways in efforts to diversify and strengthen the resiliency of their communities and economies. But what happens when nascent economic development initiatives are interceded by a renewed resource development? Using the concepts of regional waves and institutionalism, this research examines how civil, civic, and economic sector actors intersect to chart new development pathways in the remote mining town of Tumbler Ridge, BC Canada. We start with a review of Staples theory and the challenges for local and regional economies associated with dependency and truncated development. This is followed by the introduction of regional economic waves that are set against a context where communities, as a result of the neoliberal policy transition, are increasingly on their own to react to the pressures of change. With successive fluctuations in the coal mining sector, stakeholders in Tumbler Ridge have pursued new opportunities in a variety of sectors. We examine how these new economic development initiatives were either abandoned or strengthened by civil, civic, and economic stakeholders in the context of renewed mining activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines how concepts of territory and scale are used to create places of benefit from resource activities in remote rural regions. Our case study of mineral development in northwest British Columbia compares the experiences of First Nation, municipal and regional governments in accessing economic benefits from mineral development. Territorial land claims are changing the multi-scalar jurisdictional hierarchy and the socio-spatial relations between senior levels of government, resource companies, and local communities. The territorial rights of First Nation governments provide the political leverage to negotiate with companies seeking to 'earn a social license' to operate within their territories. Municipal and regional governments, however, are restricted by their role in the multi-scalar jurisdictional hierarchy. In response, municipal and regional governments are devising strategies to capture economic benefits. We discuss three economic development strategies used to access benefits from mineral development activities: negotiating commitments during the environmental assessment process, investment attraction strategies, and lobbying the provincial government for a share of the resource revenues generated from mining. These strategies reflect the political and economic context for local government in remote resource-dependent regions and the changing socio-spatial relations between senior levels of government, resource companies, and First Nation, municipal and regional governments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to reflect upon the processes of emergence, transition, and continuity in global economic geography for one rural, and relatively remote, region in northeastern British Columbia (BC), Canada. Guided by a theoretical framework comprised of staples theory, evolutionary economic geography, and institutionalism, we reflect back on the path of the resource sector and identify recent trends that are fundamentally reshaping the economic geography of the region and province. Many of these changes are similar, albeit guided by new technical and managerial processes, to historical patterns of resource exploitation that defined the provincial and Canadian economy. Issues of dependence, vulnerability, and truncated regional development would resonate with readers in the 1970s. Other issues, like the geographic orientation of capital and the scale and rapidity of resource fluctuations bring new challenges to local and provincial actors seeking to mitigate impacts and retain a greater share of benefits from resource developments. The reflective synergy between emergence, transition, and continuity seen in the case study is also noted in the theoretical framework as evolutionary economic geography and institutionalism not only link to one another but also help to inform some of the ideas at the core of staples theory. The paper contributes to an international discourse that is seeking to document and compare cases associated with the new rural regional economies emerging out of the rapid and far-reaching transformations of the global economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this article is to explore the increasingly dynamic relationships between government policy, private corporate social responsibility (CSR), and local efforts to secure benefit from mineral exploration and mining activity in northern British Columbia. We propose that senior levels of government are integrating private-sector CSR into rural development policy as part of the ongoing process of neoliberalizing resource development. Our research reveals the uneven application of CSR practices by mineral exploration and mining companies to communities in northwestern British Columbia. Companies are selectively applying CSR principles to communities that have political leverage to impact project development. In the absence of jurisdictional control over mineral development, local governments must find methods to compete with neighboring communities to attract secondary benefits from resource development occurring within the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainability and the social economy are two approaches that provide critiques of mainstream economic growth based on the failure to integrate environmental and social concerns. This article explores the potential for community transformation by bridging these two approaches — bringing more environmental considerations into the social economy and using the social economy to advance equity concerns within sustainability. We examine this potential through local food initiatives in two Canadian cities that are striving to create a synthesis of social and environmental objectives to achieve structural change in the way that food is produced, accessed and consumed. Both projects are founded on commitments to sustainable community development and social justice. While the initiatives illustrate the potential for community transformation by integrating sustainability and the social economy, they also illustrate the challenges associated with an incremental approach to change in the context of competition with mainstream economic activities that are heavily subsidized and do not account for negative social, economic and environmental externalities. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Copyright of Canadian Journal of Regional Science / Revue Canadienne des Sciences Régionales is the property of Canadian Regional Science Association and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Abstract: In current policy discourse, rural decline is often described as an inevitable process associated with such broader structural trends as globalization and urbanization. The purpose of this paper is to challenge the supposed inevitability of rural decline in northern British Columbia (BC), Canada. We argue that rural decline in northern BC has been facilitated through an intentional policy program that views hinterland areas as a ‘resource bank’ from which to fund provincial infrastructure and services, without adequate attention to rural reinvestment. We highlight the potential discrepancies of this approach through a comparative study of two development eras in the province. In the first era, we examine the policies and development approach adopted by the W.A.C. Bennett provincial government, which governed from 1952 to 1972. We argue that the Bennett regime confronted the complexity of the post-war era with a comprehensive vision and coordinated policy program for ‘province building’ through intensive investments in industrial expansion and community infrastructure throughout the BC hinterland. By comparison, the post-1980s era in BC has witnessed a continuation of the resource bank approach, minus a concomitant commitment to hinterland investment. Reversing the inevitability of rural decline requires a renovation of the investment orientation witnessed during the Bennett era through an appreciation of the role of place in economic development. Our recommendations for renewed rural development in northern BC are drawn from a synthesis of the Bennett lessons with those emerging within place-based development literature. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Copyright of Canadian Journal of Regional Science / Revue Canadienne des Sciences Régionales is the property of Canadian Regional Science Association and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The social, economic, and political landscape of northern British Columbia (BC), Canada, has undergone considerable transformation since a recession in the early 1980s. From this, there is an emerging recognition of the need to move from an economy based upon comparative advantage to one embracing competitive advantage. The purpose of this paper, drawn from ongoing regional research, is twofold. First, we apply a rural lens to the regional planning and development literature, which highlights the significance of competitive advantage as a tool for regional rejuvenation. Second, we add to this dialogue by exploring the relevance and meaning of competitive advantage in the non-metropolitan setting of northern BC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the building of local development institutions in the hinterland communities of British Columbia and Canada. Hinterland communities in British Columbia and across Canada are struggling to cope with powerful forces of restructuring. Changes in the economy, in government policy and in environmental conditions are eroding traditional sources of economic and sociopolitical stability. These changes are leading communities and regions to pursue new approaches to development in order to ensure their prosperity and, in some cases, survival. While there are many development options, the local development approach, a process whereby a local community plays an active role in the articulation and implementation of its own development goals and objectives, is gaining increasing currency in policy, practitioner and research circles. The idea of local development is not new; rural communities have always relied upon local initiative to contribute to their health and welfare. However, the extent and pace of restructuring in hinterland communities is placing a heavier burden of responsibility for development directly onto communities and regions.