In 2002, I got my first smartphone: the BlackBerry. A whole computer in the palm of my hand: group chats, email, and brick breaker. It was revolutionary. 

Then came the iPhone. 

Suddenly, BlackBerry’s keyboard and trackball were outdated next to Apple’s touch screen—and fast forward to now, BlackBerry is among the scrap heap of inventions from Nokia, Motorola, and Kodak, among others. 

This province can learn from their mistakes: because these companies didn’t fail because they refused to change—they failed because they refused to evolve. 

British Columbia isn’t BlackBerry. 

Industries like lumber, minerals, natural gas, and coal have long been the bedrock of our economy—our keyboard and trackball, if you will. Now is the time to innovate them. Resource industries are not going away—I’m aware—but we cannot base our entire economies on them. A smarter, more resilient economy needs to, and can, emerge. 

BC’s economy is no longer dominated by resource extraction alone. While natural resources still contribute a substantial $31.6 billion to provincial GDP, according to the Fraser Institute, sectors like construction ($25.4B), professional and technical services ($19.8B), and transportation ($16.1B) play a major part too. 

Yet the narrative of B.C. as a resource-centered economy persists. 

With rising tariffs, global competition, and increasing scarcity, it’s time to shift the mindset. In today’s economy, standing still is the same as falling behind. Innovation isn’t optional—it’s the way forward. 

Austrian-American economist Fritz Machlup described economies focused on ideas or information over raw material as knowledge economies, which produce new sectors or maximize existing sectors. 

Countries around the world are already leading in this economy.

China has firmly staked its claim as a leader in the rapidly growing green energy sectors, positioning cleantech as a key pillar of its economy. Denmark is also leading in the production of wind power technologies. 

B.C. is no slouch in some of these industries, particularly film, clean energy, and agritech, among others. 

Organizations like DigiBC help grow the digital media landscape through animation, video games, and virtual reality. It’s a $1 billion industry, which recently received a permanent 25% tax credit from the government. 

In Victoria, Open Ocean Robotics is making waves in the booming blue economy with technology that helps ships operate more efficiently, clean up oil spills, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and combat illegal fishing. 

Meanwhile, agritech companies like Semios and Ecoation are using advanced biotechnology to protect crops and boost yields—helping farmers increase both productivity and profitability. 

In Vancouver, government numbers show the film industry is generating $2.7 billion in GDP. Meanwhile, graduates from institutions like Vancouver Film School are working at major studios like Marvel—not to mention leading men Ryan Reynolds or Seth Rogen. 

But B.C. can accelerate our presence in the knowledge economy even more—it’s already started. 

UBC is advancing sustainable battery technology; SFU is making strides in vertical farming; and a BCIT group is working on improving the province’s microgrid technology. 

But even within Canada, B.C. is falling behind. 

The BC government’s announcement of nine new wind projects this year is a positive step, but Ontario and Quebec are far ahead, producing roughly 40% and 30% of Canada’s total wind power, respectively. 

So, what’s holding us back? 

Within traditional labour sectors, there is a common fear that innovation, particularly the threat of job loss due to automation, will shrink the workforce. It’s a concern that dates back to the invention of the assembly line. But a thriving knowledge economy means

applying innovation to every sector, including natural resources. 

As the softwood lumber dispute drags on, B.C. has an opportunity to invest in mass timber—a cost-effective, low-carbon building method that assembles homes piece by piece and can even be shipped overseas. The global market is projected to reach over $1.3 billion by 2030; so far, BC has invested $11 million in four mass timber projects this year. 

Forestry as a whole stands to benefit from the knowledge economy too. We can shift toward selective logging, and invest in training programs that prepare workers for new roles in forest restoration, wildfire resilience, and beyond. 

With tools like GIS, LiDAR, drones, and satellite data, BC can better map its forests, monitor their health, and make smarter, more sustainable decisions—driven by data, sustainability science, and advanced manufacturing—not just extraction. 

B.C. doesn’t have to be part of the felled forest of old industry. It can lead in building a smarter, more sustainable one, together.

Rob Botterell serves as the MLA for North Saanich and the Islands.