Knowledge Appurtenancy: Universities, Regional Development, and the Knowledge-Based Economy Robert van Adrichem B.A., University of Northern British Columbia, 2003 Thesis Submitted In Partial Fulfillment Of The Requirements For The Degree Of Master of Arts In Political Science The University of Northern British Columbia March 2008 © Robert van Adrichem, 2008 Library and Bibliotheque et 1*1 Archives Canada Archives Canada Published Heritage Direction du Branch Patrimoine de I'edition 395 Wellington Street 395, rue Wellington Ottawa ON K1A0N4 Ottawa ON K1A0N4 Canada Canada Your file Votre reference ISBN: 978-0-494-48813-3 Our file Notre reference ISBN: 978-0-494-48813-3 NOTICE: AVIS: The author has granted a non­ L'auteur a accorde une licence non exclusive exclusive license allowing Library permettant a la Bibliotheque et Archives and Archives Canada to reproduce, Canada de reproduire, publier, archiver, publish, archive, preserve, conserve, sauvegarder, conserver, transmettre au public communicate to the public by par telecommunication ou par Plntemet, prefer, telecommunication or on the Internet, distribuer et vendre des theses partout dans loan, distribute and sell theses le monde, a des fins commerciales ou autres, worldwide, for commercial or non­ sur support microforme, papier, electronique commercial purposes, in microform, et/ou autres formats. paper, electronic and/or any other formats. The author retains copyright L'auteur conserve la propriete du droit d'auteur ownership and moral rights in et des droits moraux qui protege cette these. this thesis. Neither the thesis Ni la these ni des extraits substantiels de nor substantial extracts from it celle-ci ne doivent etre imprimes ou autrement may be printed or otherwise reproduits sans son autorisation. reproduced without the author's permission. In compliance with the Canadian Conformement a la loi canadienne Privacy Act some supporting sur la protection de la vie privee, forms may have been removed quelques formulaires secondaires from this thesis. ont ete enleves de cette these. While these forms may be included Bien que ces formulaires in the document page count, aient inclus dans la pagination, their removal does not represent il n'y aura aucun contenu manquant. any loss of content from the thesis. Canada Abstract The emergence of the knowledge-based economy has challenged non-metropolitan regions that have traditionally engaged in the extraction and export of natural resources. These regions require government policies that will enable them to participate in an economy that now favours human capital over resource endowments. Appurtenancy is one such policy. Originally used in the management of water and forest resources, appurtenancy provided the conditions for regional sustainability by formalizing a relationship between a community and its adjacent resources. This thesis presents the characteristics of appurtenancy and applies them to new northern universities in British Columbia and Manitoba. The data from these case studies provide evidence of how the universities have a strong relationship with their regions and embody a new social contract involving these regions and the state. At its foundation, knowledge appurtenancy is based on regional responsibility and providing the capacity for sustainability in a knowledge-based economy. Table of Contents Abstract ii Table of Contents iii List of Tables iv List of Figures v Acknowledgement vi Introduction to Knowledge Appurtenancy 1 Chapter One Entrenching Staples: Appurtenancy Then and Now 10 Conclusion 30 Chapter Two Changing Conceptions of Regional Development: From Sawmills to Universities 32 Regional D evelopment Then... 34 .. .And Now 39 Universities and Regional Development 48 Summary 59 Chapter Three The Northern Capital and the Hub of the North: Creating Universities in Two Northern Regions 62 BC's Northern Capital 63 The Hub of the North 68 Prince George and Thompson as Case Studies 73 The University of Northern British Columbia 79 The University College of the North 83 Conclusion 88 Chapter Four Knowledge Appurtenancy: Reviving a Policy for Regional Development 90 The Context 90 The Problem 92 The Opportunity 93 The Reality Check 96 The Policy Imperative 98 A Response: Knowledge Appurtenancy 100 Summary and Discussion 121 Future Research 125 Conclusion: Knowledge Appurtenancy in the North 130 Bibliography 134 in List of Tables Table 3.1 Recent Prince George Population Trends 65 Table 3.2 2001 Labour Force Participation in Prince George and British Columbia 67 Table 3.3 2001 Labour Force Participation in Thompson and Winnipeg 72 Table 3.4 Educational Attainment in 2001: Comparing Prince George and Thompson with their Provincial Metropoles 75 Table 3.5 Research Funding from Canada's Four Primary Granting Councils 76 IV List of Figures Figure 1.1 Depictions of Forestry Appurtenancy 20 Figure 3.1 Map of Canada showing the location of Prince George and Thompson in relation to Vancouver and Winnipeg 63 Figure 4.1 The location of universities in Canada with an indication of the regions served by the University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC) and the University College of the North (UCN) 105 Acknowledgement The preparation of this thesis would not have been possible without the input and support of many people. First, the founders and early builders of UNBC provided much of the inspiration for this thesis. Being able to watch and participate in the creation of UNBC has been a privilege and honour for me. Much of my exposure to northern and regional development issues came during my undergraduate experience at UNBC. Thank you to my student colleagues and professors for providing me with this foundation. Research and coursework undertaken in northern Finland and Thompson, Manitoba, was vital for exposing me to different regions that share many of the opportunities and challenges present in northern BC. Thank you for providing your insights and hospitality. Two of the figures presented in this thesis were prepared by Linda van der Zande, a talented colleague in the Office of Communications at UNBC. Thank you. My supervisor, Dr. Tracy Summerville, and UNBC committee members, Drs. Charles Jago and Gary Wilson, have been superb in advising and challenging me while sharing in my enthusiasm for the topic. Undertaking my graduate degree at UNBC has been a life-changing experience and I can honestly say that it would not have been the same without their involvement. A special thank you is also due to Dr. Mary Louise McAllister, my external examiner, whose perspective on the challenges confronting resource-based communities in Canada provided valuable context for this thesis. Finally, I will never be able to thank my family enough for their understanding, support, and ideas. My wife, Deborah, finished her own degree while this thesis was underway, and our daughter, Elise, was born as I was starting the first chapter. It was definitely an exciting and stressful time for us. Our parents provided us help with a smile whenever we needed it and for that I thank you. A special note of thanks, however, is reserved for my father, Michael. His editing and proofreading skills are greatly appreciated but it was during our many conversations related to my thesis where the ideas and arguments presented within it were first crafted, then debated, and eventually strengthened. He is a true scholar and he has inspired me more than he will ever know. VI An Introduction to Knowledge Appurtenancy In the definitive book about former British Columbia Premier W.A.C. Bennett, David Mitchell describes a turning point in the political life of the new premier and the province he had only recently been elected to lead. Bennett was reportedly gazing out over the Peace River Valley when he was confronted by a local trapper who asked the Premier what he was staring at. ""Well, my friend,' said Bennett, 'I see dams. And I see power. And I see development. I see roads, highways, bridges and growing communities. I see cities - prosperous cities with schools, hospitals and universities.'" Bennett is considered by many to be the original champion of British Columbia's vast, resource-rich hinterland. He was an early architect of government action oriented to the economic development of the entire province. This action took two paths: investment in infrastructure - roads, railways, and hydroelectric dams, for example - and initiation of government policy aimed at regional development. In fact, it was Bennett's Social Credit government that used appurtenancy as a foundation of its forest management approach. Appurtenancy provided the conditions for community sustainability by requiring forest company licensees to process timber in the same region where it was cut. It was an integral part of a government vision that sought to establish and stabilize resource-based communities around the province. 1 Mitchell, W.A.C. Bennett and the Rise of British Columbia, 255. 1 If Bennett was alive in 2008, gazing out across British Columbia's northern region, what would he see? He would see that, thanks to an economic boom and government policies such as appurtenancy, many of his predictions had come true. Starting in the years immediately following World War II, and coinciding with Bennett's rise to political power, the northern part of the province rode the same wave of economic prosperity that was being enjoyed around North America. Spurred by public and private investment, the provincial forest industry grew to global dominance and hydroelectric dams provided abundant and inexpensive energy. The forestry investments, which included the construction of more than a dozen pulp mills throughout the Interior, helped to fuel a population boom lasting for several decades.2 Today, Bennett would also see a region at a crossroads. Despite its amazing growth since the 1950s, the population of northern British Columbia peaked in the 1990s and has been declining for a decade. The main reasons for this population change relate to the changing economics and needs of the resource economy.