The BC Council of Forest Industries launched its 2026 annual convention Wednesday evening with an opening reception at the JW Marriott Parq Vancouver, drawing what COFI President and CEO Kim Haakstad described as 650 delegates expected over the three-day event — making it Western Canada’s largest gathering of forestry sector leaders. Haakstad and Andrew James, Partner at KPMG and sponsor representative for the evening, both took to the podium to welcome attendees and frame the days ahead around the conference theme: “Forestry is a Solution.” Haakstad welcomed delegates and acknowledged the sponsors supporting the convention, with particular recognition of KPMG as the sponsor of the opening reception.

James developed the theme at greater length, describing it as both a statement of fact and a strategic assertion — a necessary counterpoint to public narratives that tend to focus on the sector’s constraints rather than its contributions. Speaking to an audience that included forestry professionals, industry executives and government representatives, he argued that forestry functions as a solution across several distinct dimensions. For rural and Indigenous communities in BC, he said, the sector provides a foundation for sustainable economic development, skilled employment and long-term community resilience. On climate, he pointed to renewable materials, carbon storage and responsible forest management as areas where forestry contributes directly to environmental objectives. And on innovation, he noted ongoing industry investment in new technologies, products and operating models as evidence of the sector’s capacity for adaptation.

He was careful not to minimize the difficulties the industry faces. The current operating environment, he said, involves global market pressures, trade uncertainty, fibre availability constraints, cost inflation and regulatory change — challenges he characterized as real and requiring difficult decisions. What he observed distinguishing the sector, based on KPMG’s work with forestry companies, was the pragmatism with which industry leaders engage with those realities: strengthening balance sheets, investing with discipline, improving productivity, and embedding sustainability into core business strategy as a driver of value rather than a compliance obligation.

James closed by noting the importance of forums like the COFI convention for enabling open dialogue among industry, government, communities and partners — conversations he described as essential given that the solutions ahead would not come from any single company or group acting alone. He encouraged delegates to use the evening to reconnect, meet new colleagues and engage. The convention runs April 8 through 10 with program sessions covering global markets, competitiveness, product diversification, wood supply, trade, fibre supply and wildfire resilience.