Conference Report: Innovation In Canada's Resource Sectors ...

Conference Report: Innovation In Canada’s Resource SectorsInnovation In The Resource sectorGlobe and Mail, December 6, 2010Elizabeth CannonOn its own, the word “innovation” tends to conjure upimages of hand-held electronic devices, state-of-the-artmedical diagnostic equipment and genome sequencingbreakthroughs. Developments in the natural resourcesector – which constitutes 12% of Canada’s economy –don’t immediately come to mind. Given the critical rolesplayed by productivity and competitiveness in the globaleconomy, should we be worried?Notwithstanding the international success of Bombardierand Canadian technology leaders like CGI or ResearchIn Motion, two-thirds of Canada’s exports remainresource-based, having doubled over the past decade.Clearly the answer is to pursue a combined course:we must ensure that our resource industries are notonly innovative, but also seen by Canadians as driversof innovation.18Canadians have often been accused – by ourselvesand others – of being lazy when it comes to nurturinga culture of innovation. Our traditional reliance onabundant natural resources, the thinking goes, hasprevented us from needing to develop the kind ofdynamism and creativity that characterize the businessorientation of nations less well-endowed with forests,fisheries, agriculture, minerals, oil and gas.Some have argued that Canada’s economy can’t be bothinnovative and resource-based. They advise reducingour dependence on the resource sector. But whileeconomic diversification makes sense, so does buildingon our natural advantages and cultivating increasedcompetitiveness in existing areas of strength.We’re actually doing better at this than many may think.Last month, the Public Policy Forum convened a meetingof leading authorities in the private, public and academicsectors to explore resource industries’ productivity,sustainability and competitiveness. The conferencein Calgary showcased some impressive examples ofon-the-ground innovation that – while not as familiaror easily understood as Blackberry’s new Torch – arearguably as significant in terms of their potential impacton our ability to compete on the international stage.Resource exploration, extraction and productionprocesses are multi-dimensional and complex, ofteninvolving the kind of collaboration among companiesand suppliers that leads to unexpected discoveries andapplications. Successful innovation in other sectorshas also proved a source of inspiration. For example,Canadian mining companies have adopted medicalimaging technology to their own purposes, achievinghigher-resolution images of ore during exploration.