ABSTRACT
It could be argued that, while the resources of remote parts of Canada and Australia—the gold, uranium, oil and gas; the cattle and furs; the attractions of these regions for tourists—are all essential to development, it is ultimately the people themselves who form the most important resource. This means that the maintenance and improvement of the living standards of that population is itself vital. In other words, service provision becomes an extremely important part of the whole equation. Services such as education, health and housing, along with communications and other components of the infrastructure are fundamental. These not only give local people the necessary support to improve their skills and to take their part in technological change and advancement; they also provide them with jobs and enhance their incomes. They are thus an integral part of the remote area economy. One could argue that, since the people belonging to these areas have shown that they are strongly determined to stay there even when economic difficulties arise, the contribution of services to the economy is vitally important. It is certainly the most constant.
