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Zainab Danmole By Zainab Danmole, FORED BC youth volunteer Canada’s Natural Wealth Canada is home to some of the most breathtaking natural landscapes on Earth, from the towering Rockies to the pristine lakes of Ontario and the ancient boreal forests stretching across the North. But as summer heats up, so does our impact on these precious ecosystems. With summer marking peak travel and recreation, it’s the perfect time to reflect on how we can enjoy the season while preserving the natural wealth that defines our country and powers our economy. A Quick Snapshot Canada’s vast natural resources are vital for recreation, economic, social and cultural reasons. Did you know that we use natural resources  every single day of our lives? From the mining materials in our cell phones to the fabrics made from oil and gas in our clothing, plus energy and wood to heat or build our homes? Both Indigenous and non-Indigenous workers depend on forests for their community livelihoods, recreation and culture. - Freshwater : Canada holds nearly 20% of the world’s freshwater, with more than two million lakes and countless rivers and glaciers. - Forests: Canada has 367 million hectares (ha) of forest s , that act as a global carbon sink, a home to diverse wildlife and a high-paying job creator for people, including many Indigenous workers. - Wildlife: From polar bears in the Arctic to orcas off the Pacific coast , Canada supports over 80,000 species of plants and animals. Orca whale - Minerals & Energy: Canada holds vast stores of oil, gas, and minerals, and is the world's third largest producer of hydroelectricity . Sixty-two per cent of Canada's electricity comes from hydroelectric sources. These resources are not infinite. Climate change, wildfires and other disturbances can threaten their sustainability, especially during high-impact seasons like summer. Summer Impacts Summer brings many outdoor recreation opportunities, but also environmental strain. Here’s how: - Water Usage: Lawn watering, car washing, and increased consumption can strain local water supplies. - Forest Fires: Hot, dry conditions often worsened by human activity, lead to devastating wildfires. For example, of the wildfires recorded this year in BC in 2025, “148 have been the result of lightning strikes, 275 have been caused by human activity and 12 are of undetermined cause.” - Litter & Pollution: Parks, lakes, campsites and trails see a spike in waste, some of it non-biodegradable. Sustainable Habits for a Greener Summer 💧 Water Conservation - Install rain barrels to collect water for gardens. - Water lawns and vegetable/flower gardens early morning or late evening to reduce evaporation. You can even let your lawns go brown ! They grow back green in winter. - Choose drought-resistant native plants that require less water. 🌲 Forest-Friendly Practices - Respect fire bans and use designated fire pits. - Ensure any campfires are fully extinguished. - Stay on marked trails to protect fragile ecosystems. - Pack out all trash, including biodegradable items like food scraps. 🚗 Eco-Friendly Travel - Opt for public transit, biking, or carpooling when possible. 🗑️ Waste Reduction - Bring reusable containers, utensils, and water bottles. - Join or organize a community cleanup in your area. Explore more sustainability  best practices at our website. Spotlight on Canadian Conservation Canada is full of inspiring efforts to protect our environment. Here are a few: - Parks Canada’s Green Initiatives includes electric shuttle buses and a zero-waste camping program. - Indigenous-Led Tourism: Explore Indigenous tourism opportunities and local storytelling in your community. Start here . - Youth-led sustainability initiatives and natural resources: learn valuable perspectives from leading experts  and youth voices at Young Canadians for Natural Resources. This summer, let's remember: "Leave nothing but footprints, take nothing but memories." Here's a few more tips. ✅  10 Tips for a Greener Summer • Use a reusable water bottle • Shop local and seasonal • Avoid overwatering your lawn or let it go brown. • Respect wildlife and keep your distance when taking pictures for example. Keep your distance when photographing wildlife. • Use reef-safe sunscreen • Recycle properly (even on vacation) • Support Indigenous tourism • Leave every place better than you found it. 👀 LEARN MORE ABOUT FORED  BC. 🧰 TRY OUR FREE, GLOBAL-AWARD-WINNING EDUCATIONAL  TOOLS. If you found this helpful, please share using our social channels below.  🫶 ✅ 𝗗𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲, 𝘀𝘂𝗯𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗯𝗲, 𝗼𝗿 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗹. 👍 SUBSCRIBE: / ‪@ResourcefulPeople‬   FOLLOW US: Instagram: /   / foredbc    Facebook: /   / foredbc    Twitter: /   / foredbc   ✅ Donate to our balanced educational programs for as little as $4.50 a month. 𝗙𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗯𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗹 𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗹 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗺𝘂𝗺 $𝟭𝟬𝟬 𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗿 𝘄𝗼𝗼𝗱𝗲𝗻 𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿 $𝟮𝟱𝟬 𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. 𝘾𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙩𝙖𝙭 𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙚𝙞𝙥𝙩𝙨 𝙞𝙨𝙨𝙪𝙚𝙙. https://www.foredbc.org/membership-1   ✅ Explore our many grades K-12 youth activities and artwork contests at our website https://www.foredbc.org/community-act ... . LinkedIn linkedin.com/company/fored-bc-society #tourism #canada #foredbc #summer

YouTube True Story: Overcoming A Fear of Math In this video, Barbara Collins, a partner at McMillan LP, shares her experience overcoming her youthful fear of math problems and a failing grade in high school. She eventually resolved to apply herself by studying hard for algebra in post-secondary. The result? She achieved an A , boosting her confidence. She later completed a Commerce degree and then enrolled in law school. Her story highlights the importance of perseverance and self-belief in achieving academic and career success. Is Math Really Scary? Oh no, not Algebra! As a child, she admits she was always afraid of math. She said the concepts and homework were often overwhelming. Upon graduation from high school, she decided to give math another try. She enrolled in a college algebra course and worked hard to understand the material. She was surprised to find that she was actually good at math when she applied herself! Her success in #algebra gave her the confidence to pursue a degree in #finance and #law. Now she's a partner at a national law firm where she practises corporate finance and securities law with a focus on mergers and acquisitions (M&A), and public and private financings. Advising senior and junior companies on securities law as well as corporate and commercial matters, Barbara has significant industry knowledge in the mining, technology (high-tech and bio-tech), and forestry sectors. Her corporate and securities work includes local and national prospectus offerings, Toronto Stock Exchange and TSX Venture Exchange listings, private placements, bought deals, initial public offerings, normal course issuer bids, amalgamations, plans of arrangement, M&A, capital pool companies and corporate reorganizations. All of these involve some very challenging MATH! Lots of great math help out there, much of it free! You got this! The Importance of Perseverance and Self-Belief in Math Her story shows you can overcome your fear of math and achieve success. The most important thing is to have perseverance and self-belief. If you are willing to work hard and never give up, you can achieve anything you set your mind to. Tips for Overcoming Your Fear of Math. Don't be afraid to ask for help.  If you are struggling with a concept, don't be afraid to ask your teacher, a friend, tutor or classmate for help and coaching. Many high schools and post-secondary schools offer "peer tutors" at free or low-cost rates. Practice regularly.  The more you practice math, the better you will become at it. Break down complex problems into smaller, more manageable steps.  This can make problems seem less daunting. Don't give up.  If you make a mistake, don't get discouraged. Just learn from it and keep trying. Use some math help services (see additional resources below) and watch some educational how-to videos on #YouTube for help if a tutor is unavailable or too costly. Additional Math Help Services Resources There are several excellent free math help services for helping high school students with math. These sites offer various resources such as videos, practice problems, interactive lessons, and explanations across all levels of high school mathematics. Here are some of the best below. Apps, videos and British Columbia-based tutors: Free App Photomath Youtube Video Tutorials: Basic Algebra for Beginners . Algebra 1 Full Course Algebra Introduction - Basic Overview - Online Crash Course Review Video Tutorial Lessons BC-based tutors often available at K-12 schools and post-secondaries Check out your local School Districts to see if they have Peer Tutors. Google Peer Tutoring Vancouver School Board for example to get recommendations like this . Ask questions and don't be afraid to seek help. A list of FREE global math help websites: These sites cater to different learning styles and preferences, whether you prefer watching videos, practicing problems, or reading through detailed notes. They provide a range of resources to reinforce math skills and prepare for exams. 1. Khan Academy Website : Khan Academy Description : Khan Academy offers a comprehensive collection of free video lessons, practice exercises, and quizzes on various math topics from basic arithmetic through advanced calculus and beyond. The interactive platform allows students to work through problems at their own pace, with step-by-step guidance. Features : Video tutorials, practice problems, personalized dashboard. 2. Desmos Website : Desmos Description : Desmos provides an interactive graphing calculator and various math tools that help students visualize concepts like algebra, geometry, and calculus. Desmos also offers activities and lessons, particularly for high school students to explore and understand math concepts. Features : Interactive graphing tools, math activities, and exploration. 3. Paul's Online Math Notes Website : Paul's Online Math Notes Description : This site offers extensive notes and tutorial-style lessons on topics ranging from pre-algebra to calculus. It's especially useful for high school students who need detailed explanations and worked-out examples to understand complex concepts. Features : Detailed notes, example problems, and worksheets for practice. 4. Wolfram Alpha Website : Wolfram Alpha Description : While Wolfram Alpha is more of a computational tool, it’s a great resource for solving math problems step-by-step and understanding the solutions. It covers a wide range of math topics and helps students solve equations, plot graphs, and compute functions. Features : Step-by-step solutions, interactive problem solver. 5. Mathway Website : Mathway Description : Mathway is a math problem solver that helps students solve problems across many areas of math. It offers instant solutions to problems, along with explanations for how to approach similar questions. Features : Instant problem-solving, step-by-step solutions (limited free access). 6. IXL Math Website : IXL Math Description : IXL offers a comprehensive set of practice problems and skills-based lessons for high school math. Although there is a paid subscription, IXL offers a limited number of free practice problems each day. Features : Practice questions, immediate feedback, skill tracking. Calculators can help give you the answer but you should still know the steps. 7. Brilliant.org Website : Brilliant.org Description : Brilliant provides interactive problem-solving lessons and courses in math, science, and engineering. While some content is behind a paywall, there is a selection of free lessons that can be useful for high school students looking to deepen their understanding of math concepts. Features : Interactive learning, problem-solving approach, and challenging puzzles. 8. YouTube Channels Khan Academy YouTube Channel : Link PatrickJMT YouTube Channel : Link Description : Many YouTube channels focus on math tutorials, including well-known educators like Khan Academy and PatrickJMT. 9. Mathisfun Website : Mathisfun Description : Mathisfun offers a clear, visual approach to understanding mathematical concepts. The site covers topics from basic arithmetic to more advanced algebra and geometry. It’s an excellent resource for high school students looking for easy-to-follow explanations. Features : Clear, simple explanations, interactive elements and visual aids. 11. Desmos Classroom Activities Website : Desmos Classroom Description : Desmos provides free, interactive lessons that can help high school students in class better understand mathematical concepts. These lessons cover topics like algebra, geometry, and statistics through dynamic, student-centered activities. But this website is designed for teachers to use in their classes. Features : Interactive activities, real-time feedback for students and teachers. 12. OpenStax Website : OpenStax Description : OpenStax offers free, peer-reviewed, openly licensed textbooks that cover various high school and introductory college-level math courses. The books are available in PDF, web, and ePub formats. Features : Free math textbooks, interactive practice problems, real-world applications. 13. Chatgpt Website : Chatgpt Description : Chatgpt can actually help solve math problems by copying and pasting the question and it will give a step-by-step solution to solve the problem. Features : Step-by-step solution, answer specific questions that you have. We hope this blog post has been helpful. Please feel free to leave a comment below or share on your social media. Subscribe to our newsletter for more tips. Thank you for reading! # aimathsolver #khanacademy #freelearningwebsites #mathpracticewebsites #mathway #mathapp #wolframalpha #chatgptmath #geometryhelp #answermathquestions #learnmathonline #mathlearningwebsites #mathsolverwithstepsfree #mathsolverwithsteps

By FORED BC CAREER EXPLORATION QUESTIONS Deciding what career and post-secondary path can be daunting for youth in senior grades. Before youths enroll in post-secondary, we recommend they consider reaching out to various professionals in the careers they’re considering and do some “information interviews” with them. Most professionals are willing to spend some time helping the next generation. Here are some general questions used by one youth to interview various engineers: a chemical engineer, a software engineer and a mechanical engineer. This youth who developed the questions is now in her second-year of engineering at UBC and happy to share these with others to help them choose the right career. Students may adapt these questions to ask professionals working in their chosen industry. 1. What kind of skill sets, attitudes, and qualifications are required to work as an engineer today? 2. What would a normal day/week in your field look like? 3. What’s the corporate culture like in the engineering world? Do you find people are toxic and cutthroat, kind and supportive, very competitive…? 4. Where do you see the discipline going in the future? What can I do to stay current on those changes? 5. Which subjects did you learn in your university program that are applicable in your role today? 6. What’s the salary range from entry level upwards? Personal questions: 1. What inspired you to be an engineer? 2. What do you wish you had known and could’ve done differently before choosing this career and education path? 3. What are your favourite and least favourite parts of your job/s? 4. What would you consider your biggest career success and biggest stumble? 5. How do you manage to stay motivated and balance all your professional obligations and volunteer endeavours with time for yourself? 6. If you were starting out now, where would you apply for post-secondary? 7. Is there anything that is a must-read or a must-know? #careers #post-secondary #youth #highschool #interview #jobs #education #careergoals #work #careeradvice #careerdevelopment

By Amanda Henderson, preschool teacher (guest contribution) Finding a home that meets your expectations when it comes to environmental sustainability can be difficult, especially if your standards are high amidst Canada’s chronic home shortage. That said, the environmental media website Blue & Green Tomorrow notes that the demand for more eco-friendlier homes is rising and so is the likelihood of securing one. Such homes are not cheap, as new green-building regulations, construction materials and labour shortages are adding to construction costs. A CD Howe Institute report found:  “A federal government plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from Canadian homes to zero within eight years would cost up to $6.3 billion annually and require the retrofitting of more than 500,000 homes every year.” Before attempting to electrify everything in your home, investigate the capacity of your local electrical grid and power panels in your home to ensure that you are able to upgrade as required to handle the extra load.  Reports are now emerging that the provinces’ energy grids cannot support all the net-zero political demands. BC Hydro told Glacier Media in July that power demand is now three years ahead of current capacity. Even if you don't find a home that ticks off all your eco-friendly boxes, there are things you can do to make your home more environmentally friendly, including: Solar panels to maximize energy efficiency Smart thermostats to optimize energy output LED lighting to save on energy bills Close proximity to work or school to help reduce carbon monoxide emissions and give you more free time Replacing high-pressured shower head with a low-powered one to save water Lowering the temperature on your water Using power strips at power points to reduce power usage when it comes to charging things Recycling and composting All homes nowadays should be built taking the environment into account which means it is getting easier to find or create the home of your eco-friendly dreams. #blog #blogger #lifestyle #bloggerstyle #blogging #bloggers #blogpost  #ecohomes #ecofriendly #greenliving #ecoliving #homes #sustainableliving #ecofriendlyhome

A BC legend who passed away recently left a legacy well beyond the forest company his family founded here. Peter Bentley, who received the highest honours our nation can bestow, including the Order of Canada and the Order of BC, began his life as a humble immigrant from Vienna, Austria. His family fled the Nazis, moving to BC where his father founded a paneling veneer company that later became Canfor Corporation, a globally recognized leader in sustainably harvested wood products. Attending family business meetings at the young age of only 11, he spent much of his youth in remote BC logging camps and mills, and summers as a "forest fire watcher", learning forestry from the ground up. Along the way, Peter volunteered his time at many organizations, including FORED BC. He was both a chair on our board, and a funding champion who helped gather donors from governments, foundations, companies, suppliers, peers, and retirees who supported our independent, apolitical and educational activities that carefully balanced preservation needs as well as economic, social and Indigenous forest values. Peter's always maintained a strong belief in education. For that, he's been recognized by many universities and other charitable organizations. He's been the University of Northern BC (UNBC) chancellor and received many honorary degrees from various institutions, including UBC. A strong supporter of university programs including UBC Forestry and UBC Commerce, he was also recognized with Simon Fraser University's Distinguished Community Leadership Award. Health care was also a priority for Peter. He was the founder and later chairman emeritus of the Vancouver General Hospital and UBC Hospital Foundations, raising over a billion dollars for patients. He also co-founded SierraSil Health Inc. with his son, to share the healing benefits of the company's minerals, originating from the Sierra Mountains. Yet, he still found time among his corporate day-to-day work to serve on the Vancouver Playhouse Theater board as well as sports organizations. Peter spearheaded the effort to get the Vancouver Canucks hockey team into the National Hockey League (NHL) after another group tried unsuccessfully for the 1967 expansion. Like the work ethic of another famous business leader, Jim Pattison, Peter still went into the office regularly into his 80s. From his early life of family adversity, Peter proved that like the millions of trees his family company planted over its forestry history, we can all grow to great heights. Peter may have found some affinity in the words of Carl Sagan, the late Astronomer and scientist: “This oak tree and me, we're made of the same stuff.” For all of his unmatched philanthropy and leadership, FORED BC bestowed a posthumous honourary tribute to this business leader and charitable volunteer. Want to learn more about Peter's remarkable story? Read his book or one of many summaries of his family's life. Our signed copy of his book (pictured) will forever be treasured. #forest #forestry #timber #wood #charity #philanthropy #education #leadership #Canfor #donor #donation #lodgepolepine #nonprofit #volunteer #makeadifference #instagood #givingtuesday

If you are a young person who likes working with your hands, solving problems and enjoys job security, you can’t do much better than becoming an electrician, says Vancouver’s Bram Patola Moosmann. “There is always a need for more electricity,” said the apprentice industrial electrician, whose future involves joining the team of nearly 4,800 people working on B.C. Hydro’s Site C dam, including just more than 500 women as of January 2023. “That’s one of the things about this career path that drew me to it, actually, is that it is a very secure career path,” he said. “It’s really fantastic because it means the power grid is constantly and constantly expanding. They are building very new and interesting projects and I get to be a part of that.” The annual salary alone in skilled trades careers may spark some interest, ranging from a starting median wage of $72,640 in Vancouver, according to salary.com, to $122,340 for an experienced electrician or even higher. “Put very simply, anywhere there’s tools and anywhere there’s people there has to be power,” he said. “If you have somebody working in the resource industry out in a remote location, they still need to be able to have wherever they’re living heated, they still need to be able to cook their food, they need to be able to run their power tools. Electricity is needed everywhere." Most electrical apprentices become residential electricians, which involves wiring homes and apartment buildings or even “more commercial things like hospitals,” said Bram. “Industrial is more like manufacturing or working on the power grid, working in factories. Higher voltages, bigger equipment.” Industrial electricians also learn and use “a lot more mechanical skills . . . working on moving parts and springs and bearings, things like that” while they install and maintain the electrical equipment that runs facilities such as pulp mills, lumber mills and refineries, he said. A growing number of electricians are also needed to expand the power grid for the increasing use of electric vehicles. “In B.C., where most of the power generation is hydro-electric, you are literally taking moving water and using it to push your car,” Bram said. “That’s pretty cool!” But Bram said there are downsides to the career that people should consider, including working outdoors in lousy weather such as rain, snow or 40C heat. However, not being chained to a desk has its advantages, with perks including spectacular views of nature in remote wilderness areas. Electrical work can also be dangerous, with electricians being injured or even dying on the job if safety procedures aren’t properly followed or workers rush to get a task completed. “The procedures are made so rigorously that it’s designed that in no way anybody could get injured ever,” Bram said. “The safety culture in general is fantastic.” Bram said the main thing for young people interested in the trades is to “have a good attitude.” “It’ll go an extremely long way if you show up early every day, you work hard, you show enthusiasm,” he said. “Show the people that you are working with that you want to be there and they’ll be a lot more enthusiastic to teach you and to reciprocate that energy towards your learning.”

Lack of support for shop classes in B.C.’s public school system is hurting students who might consider choosing the trades as a career, a Vancouver apprentice electrician says. “I’ve noticed a trend amongst the Vancouver School Board, specifically, where they are really neglecting the shop classes,” said Bram Patola Moosmann, who is halfway through a four-year program to become an industrial electrician with B.C. Hydro. “A large part of the workforce is people who work with their hands and in order for that to be sustained there needs to be avenues in schools for people to go and learn those kinds of skills and get information about those career paths,” the 22-year-old said. “Currently there is not.” “It’s really unfortunate because it’s kind of the main avenue for kids to get information about going into the trades and to get some foundational skills that will be able to help them when they are starting out.” That’s important since research by Statistics Canada shows that kids as young as 15 are beginning to make career choices, with about one in 10 young people remaining with the same career choice at age 25 that they made at 15. It was even higher for young people with parents who valued higher education. Bram isn’t the only Canadian concerned that public high schools are failing to support trades training. Frank Stronach — founder of Ontario-based auto parts giant Magna International, who started out life as a 14-year-old tool-and-die maker apprentice — recently warned that Canada will face an “unprecedented shortage” of skilled tradespeople in the coming years if more isn’t done to promote trades training. “The Conference Board of Canada, in a recent report, says the country needs half a million people to enter the skills trade sector over the next 10 years,” the 90-year-old Order of Canada recipient wrote in a March 14 column in the National Post. “A number of factors are driving the shortage, including a lack of skilled trades apprenticeship programs, a lack of qualified teachers, and a lingering stigma associated with technical trades among young Canadians and their parents despite the fact that trade jobs often pay more than white collar jobs requiring a university degree.” According to the most recent B.C. Student Outcomes Data for 2019 to 2021, 92 per cent of recently graduated tradespeople in all categories were satisfied with their careers and 99 per cent of them were working full time, earning a median hourly wage of $32. Just 4.1 per cent of them were unemployed. Meanwhile, the average debt of new graduates with bachelor’s degrees was $28,000 in 2015, according to the most recent data from Statistics Canada, with 54 per cent of them being in debt when they graduated. Forty-five per cent needed further training and they had, as a group, a 6.9- per-cent unemployment rate. Bram said he had a “really fantastic shop teacher” who was an early mentor in helping him decide to enter the trades. “He was constantly extremely frustrated at the school for not giving him basically any resources to do anything consistently, limiting the things he was allowed to do on grounds of safety, which is a little unfortunate,” he said. The teacher became so frustrated that he quit, Bram said “My little sister actually goes to that school and they’ve had a few different shop teachers in and out who basically can’t do anything,” he said. “They are either unqualified, or they are only there for limited periods of time or there is no shop teacher at all.” The story parallels the experience of a young FORED BC volunteer in Vancouver who signed up for high school shop class this year only to be told that the teacher assigned to the class wasn’t qualified to teach the use of power tools. Later, a field trip for the class involved attending an indigenous hip hop music-making event — which was interesting but had little to do with learning how to use tools. While Bram said he hasn’t experienced any stigma against learning a trade — and felt people in the school system were “very encouraging” — he said the idea of taking up a trade doesn’t enter the minds of many students, “especially if you go through high school not doing any shop classes or anything of that nature.” “It’s very easy to just see everybody around me is going to university, all of these classes are preparing me for university, but [taking up a trade is] something that’s worth considering,” he said. “It’ll give you a much better head start in life financially compared to university in the vast majority of cases.” Successive Liberal and NDP governments in B.C. have made multiple announcements about investments in skilled trades training, but massive trades shortages persist. “It is predicted that an additional one million job openings will be available over the next decade, with 117,000 openings in the skilled trades, according to B.C.’s latest Labour Market Outlook,” reported by Business in Vancouver. Stronach wrote that he would expose young people to at least four trades as part of their high-school education “outside of school — at factories, auto shops and restaurants.” Bram said school boards need to “do more to support the shop teachers and to get shop teachers who are actually able to teach what they are supposed to be teaching and give them the resources to do so. The infrastructure is already there,” he said. “High schools already have shops. They all have their tools.” The Vancouver Sun recently reported that the teaching profession itself appears to be having a tough time attracting males to the career, which may also account for the shortage of qualified shop teachers. "The shortage of male teachers is part of a larger vocational problem in society, where, despite women’s advances in many fields, some sectors are becoming increasingly segregated by gender." Trades has the opposite problem, where only 5% in the sector are female. Skilled Trades BC is profiling some of those women in videos here. The trades shortages can't be ignored if we want people who can build our homes, fix our cars or appliances and plug those plumbing leaks! Here are five helpful educational resources to help youth explore these opportunties: https://www.2peasandadog.com/2023/04/exploring-the-trades.html https://mytrainingbc.ca/youthexploreskills/ https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/education-training/k-12/support/career-programs https://www.educationplannerbc.ca/search/trades https://skilledtradesbc.ca/connect-with-a-school

It is now difficult — if not impossible — for young people in B.C. to get balanced, factual information about resource development due to anti-industry bias on social media and in the mainstream press, says a prominent Indigenous lawyer. “I don’t even know if they can,” said Barbara Collins, a partner in the Vancouver office of McMillan LLP, who specializes in corporate finance and securities law, often linked to resource industries. “I’m a bit cynical about this.” Collins, who is Métis, said “getting the message out” about the importance of resources is “tough.” “The media is so polarized and unless you are on this page, you don’t want to hear what anyone else has to say and it’s even more siloed now than it was before,” she said. “If you don’t want to have a new iPhone, you don’t want to have a new house then we should stop mining, you know, we should stop cutting down forests. We need those resources to live and people don’t understand that.” A global consulting firm, McKinsey and Company, recently reported, even electric cars have a substantial natural resources requirement, such as mining cobalt and lithium for their batteries. Collins said young people “have to want to hear” about the importance of resource development. “It’s basically educating everybody around them, too, because anything on social media is going to be biased,” she said. “They are not going to learn from social media. It’s going to be propaganda. It’s going to be, ‘environmentalism is bad because it’s stopping jobs’ or the environmentalists, who say you’ve got to stop the mining because it’s hurting the planet.” Groups such as FORED BC play an important role in educating people that “we need those resources to live,” she added. Collins said it is also important for people in urban areas of B.C. to understand that thousands of jobs and billions of dollars of economic activity related to resource development occur in their communities. “This is where the head offices are,” she said. “This is where the . . . management of these companies are. The accounting, the finance, the executives, the HR people, they’re all here.” “Unfortunately, the companies don’t necessarily want to, like, pop their heads up and — ‘Hey, we’re here’ — because I remember there were a lot of protests, even Goldcorp right at their head office protesting the environmental impact of what they’re doing. So, it’s a bit frustrating that people don’t understand that it is business and we’re here, but we’re not out in the boonies.” Natural resource revenues and the taxes they generate pay for our health care, schools and other social programs. Collins said it’s critical for Indigenous people, especially those living on reserves in the northern part of the country, to get involved in resource industries. FORED already works closely with the Indigenous Resource Network on that very subject. “They are the ones being impacted environmentally and also financially by decisions made so they should definitely be involved,” she said. “It’s unfortunate that some of the bad press can say that they don’t want anything to happen over their land. I think they do, but they want it done well.” “I really admire the Osoyoos band, how they’ve built Spirit Ridge and they are very business-minded and they are using their resources properly and it’s for their financial benefit,” Collins said. “I’m an admirer. I wish the other ones would look at them and say, ‘We can work with everybody. We can take our share of the profits, we can watch the environment around our own area at the same time.’ But if you’re not involved or just like saying no to everything, then that’s not a way to solve any of the issues.” She said business leaders “don’t really care who is getting the benefit as long as they can move forward and know what the goalposts are.” Companies do not care if they are paying, for example, stumpage fees (a cost for each tree removed) for logging to governments or to native bands “as long as we are sort of moving forward . . . just tell us who we have to work with.” #metis #indigenous #lawyers #law #lawyer #legal #lawfirm #lawyerlife #lawyersofinstagram #attorney #lawschool #attorneys #lawstudent #justice #advocate #supremecourt #lawstudents #legalnews #lawyering #court #attorneyatlaw #litigation #lawyerslife #judiciary