The Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association (NOMA) 2026 conference and annual general meeting, served as a platform for the Thunder Bay Community Economic Development Commission (CEDC) Building Resiliency: The Future of Northwestern Ontario’s Forest panel discussion. Moderated by Jamie Taylor, of the CEDC, and Scott Jackson, for the Centre for Research and Innovation in the Bio-Economy (CRIBE), the panel explored the future of Northwestern Ontario’s forest sector. …Taylor called the forest sector a longtime cornerstone of Northwestern Ontario’s economy, and the panel conversation aimed to look ahead to what comes next in a changing economic landscape, which includes U.S.-imposed tariffs. …Taylor noted that building resilience requires ongoing innovation and a proactive approach to global competitiveness. …Jackson said “A successful transition isn’t just about developing novel and innovative products; it’s also about ensuring we have strong anchor mills and a solid foundation that we can build upon.