SURREY, B.C. — The Independent Contractors and Businesses Association (ICBA) summer 2025 edition of its B.C. Construction Monitor is putting the spotlight on B.C.’s natural resource opportunities while also shedding light on its housing construction challenges.

The report, authored by ICBA chief economist Jock Finlayson, shows B.C. holds 132 current and potential natural resource projects worth an estimated $255 billion. This is about 40 per cent of the federal government’s $633 billion national project inventory.

LNG and energy infrastructure, electricity generation and transmission, and mining are the biggest contributors.

However, while that picture may look rosy, residential building weaknesses persist.

The report states urban housing starts in B.C. fell 19 per cent year-over-year, dropping to 3,732 units monthly, a stark contrast to the sharp rise in construction costs and demand for homes.

“B.C. is at a crossroads,” said Chris Gardner, ICBA president and CEO, in a statement. “We are sitting on a quarter-trillion dollars of potential resource projects that can power our economy for decades, if our NDP Government can get out of the way – but we’re also falling badly behind on housing supply. For B.C. to remain competitive, governments must act urgently to cut red tape, speed up approvals, and create the conditions where builders can get shovels in the ground, whether that’s LNG, mining, power, or desperately needed housing.”