BRAD WEST: This is not diversification. This is dependency. And like all dependencies, it eventually demands a price
British Columbia, and much of the country, is confronting the consequences of an economic model that was never built to last. For years, we have been told a comforting story about growth — that as long as cranes dot the skyline and property values climb, prosperity will follow. But beneath that veneer lies a stark truth: our economy is not driven by value-added manufacturing, groundbreaking technology, innovation, or by unlocking our vast natural resource potential. It is built almost entirely on real estate and relentless population growth driven by mass immigration. And it relies on the building and selling of homes to the next wave of newcomers. This is not diversification. This is dependency. And like all dependencies, it eventually demands a price. The Shift Away from Real Wealth Creation: In the not-too-distant past, BC’s prosperity came from sectors that created enduring value: forestry and mining that supplied the world; fisheries that sustained communities; manufacturing ...