The intent is to help inform policymakers and the public-at-large about some of the key challenges and opportunities facing British Columbia with a view to ensuring the province continues to build on past progress and to continue to strive for excellence. [...] The proportion of seniors in the population is predicted to increase signifi cantly in the coming decades, with the 65+ age group estimated to account for 24.2 percent of the population in 2031 compared to just 14.0 percent in 2006. [...] The median age for Aboriginals in BC will increase to 30 by 2017, up from 27.8 in 2006.6 Because the Aboriginal population has a much younger age distribution than the non-Abo- riginal population, the growth in the share of Aboriginals in the general population will be most pronounced in both young people and the under 30 work force. [...] Busi- ness investment in machinery and equipment is expected to increase by 8.6 percent annually, while investment in buildings and related infrastructure is estimated to increase 6.3 percent annually.19 Reasonable performance in the forestry sector, the renaissance in mining, and continued growth in the upstream oil and gas sector will be important to improving aggre- gate productivity in the pro [...] Wood product exports have fallen from 36.6 percent of BC’s international exports in 1997 to 26.4 percent in 2006.28 The forest indus- try’s share of total BC GDP has fallen from 4 percent to 3 percent since the beginning of the 1990s; however, the industry made a slight recovery in 2004 and in 2005.29 The industry has been challenged by loss of market share in Japan to European competitors and the
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