B.C. resources face unsettling economic future—and some potential wins

By Nelson Bennett – BIV.com

Gold at $3,000 per ounce, the loonie at 70 cents, softwood lumber duties at 30 per cent, American tariffs at 25 per cent, new governments in Ottawa and Washington and a struggling Chinese economy: The omens for B.C.’s resource economy in 2025 are both unsettled and unsettling.

On the geopolitical front, the Donald Trump administration could wreak havoc on Canada-U.S. trade with tariffs on all Canadian imports, and a sputtering Chinese economy could end up muting prices for key commodities, such as oil.