Participants were asked \u2018How much do you support or oppose expanding development of natural resource sector.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Manning Centre reported that 30 per cent strongly favour expanding development of the natural resource sector and a further 51 per cent somewhat support it. Sixteen per cent were somewhat opposed and only a small fraction of those polled, four per cent, strongly oppose natural resource development.<\/p>\n<\/div> \u201cWe sometimes see young people protesting the oil sands and other natural resource projects, but clearly they\u2019re the minority,\u201d Manning research director Peter McCaffrey said in a news release.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cPerhaps millennials understand the importance of natural resources to the future of the Canadian economy and their own job prospects.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The poll results were no surprise to Jane Spitz, age 22, a University of British Columbia undergrad who has strong personal views on environment-related topics including climate change and sustainable development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI think that a majority of young people are very interested in natural resource development and the environment \u2014 especially today with new issues rising with climate change and the environment,\u201d said Spitz (pictured), who describes herself as \u2018a green Tory.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThey don\u2019t always have a very strong understanding of the role natural resources play in their lives, but they\u2019re interested in the subject, which is good, and they want to be engaged more with it,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI can\u2019t speak on behalf of all millennials but we\u2019re constantly on our phones \u2014 more than we\u2019d like to admit \u2014 and technology is huge for us. Cell phones, computers, laptops are constantly evolving.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI think we have a really strong understanding of the fact that we highly depend on these devices and that the materials to make them come from oil and gas and other minerals. We also understand we have the ability to be more innovative in the future and come up with greener and more sustainable technology.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Spitz was an early convert to sustainable development. She was born in the Philippines where her father was president of a large company in the commercial fishing industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI grew up watching my dad having to find balance between keeping the fish population stable, and the needs of thousands of people who were depending on jobs related to the fishery in order to feed their families.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Spitz is concerned when facts are supplanted by rhetoric; such as the catchphrases of opponents in the polarizing national debate over pipeline construction supporting Western Canadian oil production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe calls to keep the oil in the ground, to save the polar bears, left me feeling guilty as opposed to feeling I had a proper understanding of the issue. I didn’t like that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI got more engaged, took more courses, developed a better understanding of what was going on. I was shocked to find out Canada has some of the world\u2019s most highly regulated policy structures for oil and gas and resource development projects, and learned about the role oil played in my life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Spitz said she supports a balanced, well-regulated approach to natural resource development \u2014 and suggested that the poll reflects a similar desire among the majority of Canadians. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI think there are some cases where regulations could be stronger to ensure high environmental and safety standards. But there are other cases where regulation and red tape are just too complicated. I think the key is to be reasonable. If we tie projects down with too much regulation and red tape, nothing can proceed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/resourcework2.devstudio.work\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/post-image-89-768x1024.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nVIDEO: Snapshot of campus attitudes in 2017 – Jane Spitz<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n