The 2026 BC Council of Forest Industries Convention opened Thursday morning at the JW Marriott Parq Vancouver with a welcome session that set a clear tone for the two days ahead — forestry as both an industry under pressure and a source of solutions to some of British Columbia’s most pressing challenges. The session was anchored by Greg Stewart, President of Sinclar Group Forest Products and Chair of the COFI Board of Directors, who noted the convention was sold out. Speakers also included a territorial welcome from Squamish Nation Forestry Specialist Brian George, a civic address from City of Vancouver Councillor Lisa Dominato, and opening remarks from Kim Haakstad, President and CEO of COFI.

Stewart opened by acknowledging that the convention was being held on the unceded traditional territory of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations before inviting Brian George to the stage. George provided historical context and a territorial welcome on behalf of the Squamish Nation, noting that forestry remains a cornerstone of Squamish stewardship, before closing with a traditional song of welcome to the territory.

Councillor Dominato spoke to the interconnection between urban and rural economies and made a case for forestry’s relevance to Vancouver specifically. She noted that Metro Vancouver is home to roughly 25% of BC’s forestry-related professionals, that Vancouver alone hosts 560 forestry-related companies and suppliers representing nearly $1 billion in annual industry spending, and that the city approved approximately 3,200 units in wood frame projects in 2025 — about 25% of all housing approvals that year. She also pointed to Vancouver’s move to increase allowable mass timber heights from 6 to 18 storeys with density incentives, and noted that the city is targeting a 40% reduction in building emissions by 2030, with wood construction contributing directly through lower embodied carbon and energy performance.

Stewart followed with his own remarks as COFI Board Chair, framing the sector’s history and its current stakes in direct terms. He said his company, Sinclar Group Forest Products, produces the material equivalent of building 40,000 homes a year — a scale he said was representative of the companies in the room. He warned that losing or significantly reducing the forestry sector would remove benefits well beyond economics: community viability, the infrastructure needed to maintain forest health and mitigate wildfire risk, and the skilled workforce that underpins both. His call to delegates was explicit — to take the conference theme to heart, listen closely to each panel, and consider what each person could do within their own operations, with colleagues, and in their communities.

Haakstad closed the welcome session by describing “Forestry is a Solution” not only as the conference theme but as a province-wide campaign involving more than a dozen organizations representing communities, workers, and the full forest value chain. She said the campaign emerged from questions from everyday British Columbians about how they could support the industry, and that as of Thursday morning more than 1,860 people had signed the campaign petition at forestryisasolution.com and over 1,000 letters had been sent to local MLAs, the Minister of Forests, the Premier, and the opposition forest critic. She asked delegates to sign and share the petition, noting it takes under 60 seconds.

Drafted with the assistance of digital tools to streamline the process.