Burnaby-headquartered Interfor Corp., one of B.C.’s long-standing lumber giants, has told its employees that it will be moving most of its executive and back-office work to an office in the United States. The company didn’t indicate whether it would officially move its headquarters to the office in Georgia that Interfor established in 2014… Interfor did not respond to Postmedia requests for comment. News of the move came as a surprise to the union that represents about 250 Interfor’s workers at two of its three B.C. mills, as well as mills in Ontario. “I read it this morning while vacation with my morning coffee,” said Jeff Bromley, wood council chair for the United Steelworkers. “I understand that they’ve built and purchased a number of operations in the States over the last 20 years,” Bromley added. “But at the end of the day, it’s still a kick in the gut.” …Now he is concerned other companies might follow suit.
Canadian lumber giant Interfor Corp., which blamed U.S. tariffs on softwood lumber when it idled two Northern Ontario sawmills indefinitely in April, has told employees it plans to shift its corporate and functional support operations from the company’s current headquarters in Burnaby, B.C., to an office in Georgia. In a memo sent to employees earlier this month and viewed by the Financial Post, chief executive Ian Fillinger said the Peachtree City office, outside Atlanta, will be established as Interfor’s “primary hub for corporate and functional support.” The July 9 memo says “a continued West Coast presence” will be maintained as part of a multi-year operational strategy and that the company hopes to handle the gradual shift to a U.S. corporate support hub largely through attrition and future hiring decisions. …According to Fillinger the changes would position the company’s support functions closer to where the business operates and strengthen how mills and customers are served….
President Trump will impose double-digit tariffs on imports from 60 countries over forced labor violations, US Trade Representative Greer announced. The action will cover 99.4% of US imports and apply to Washington’s top trading partners, according to a fact sheet released by his office. The tariffs are being brought under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974. …The new levies, which go into effect at midnight Friday, will replace tariffs that Trump imposed under Section 122 of the trade law earlier this year as they were set to expire. The tariffs are a part of an effort from the administration to push all the country’s trading partners to eliminate forced labor from the global supply chain. Ten percent tariffs will be implemented on countries that have made commitments to adopt and enforce forced labor import prohibitions, while countries that have not enacted a forced labor import prohibition will be hit with a 12.5 percent tariff.
Donald Trump’s latest 50% tariffs against Canada would likely be shot down in any court challenge, trade law experts say. …Trump still needs to prove that Canada is “discriminating” against American trade, said international trade lawyer Barry Appleton. But the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement on trade — negotiated and signed by the US during Trump’s first term in office — includes the things he’s now complaining about. “It’s a hard thing to walk into court and call your own trade deal discrimination,” said Appleton. “It’s harder still when that same deal has a dispute-settlement process built for exactly this kind of complaint, and Washington is choosing to skip it and go straight to tariffs.” …US trade lawyer Marc Wheat said US importers will soon challenge the Section 338 tariffs at the U.S. Court of International Trade, and will likely win. While the White House could keep appealing and the Supreme Court may not the case.
The Trump administration’s latest tariff onslaught won’t just hurt Canadian forestry workers during already tough times, but will also undermine U.S. efforts to make housing more affordable, says the head of the Forest Products Association of Canada. “Overall for us, 98 tariff line items were added for forestry, which is a direct assault on our sector and on our workers here in Canada,” Derek Nighbor, president and CEO of the association, said in an interview Wednesday. …“If implemented, these sweeping 50 per cent tariffs represent a drastic and unjustified barrier to a highly integrated North American supply chain,” said Ian Dunn, president and CEO of the Ontario Forest Industries Association. …The BC Council of Forest Industries counts 21 lumber mills that have closed since 2023. The council “urges a fair, long-term solution that avoids further economic harm in both countries,” said CEO Kim Haakstad, who was in Washington for meetings with US lawmakers. 
United Steelworkers union (USW) Canadian National Director Marty Warren said… “President Trump has once again chosen confrontation over co-operation, directly threatening the livelihood of Canadian workers, and the future of industries and communities. The USW is particularly concerned with the Trump administration’s targeting of Canadian forest and wood products in this latest round of tariffs. Canadian forestry workers and producers are already under immense pressure because of illegal U.S. section 232 tariffs and unreasonable anti-dumping duties. These measures have nothing to do with fair trade and everything to do with leverage. They are another attempt to use economic coercion to force Canada into concessions that serve the interests of the United States. …When countries negotiate and sign an agreement such as CUSMA, each party should be expected to respect and honour its commitments. …The federal government should continue to negotiate, but we cannot be bullied.
VANCOUVER, BC – Canfor announced that it will permanently close its Fox Creek sawmill in Fox Creek, Alberta. …The Fox Creek sawmill, destroyed by a fire in 2008, was rebuilt in 2011 as a single-shift operation to process the uplift in available timber as part of the Province of Alberta’s strategy to reduce the amount of pine beetle susceptible forests. …However, with the end of the pine beetle strategy and with wildfire-damaged timber now largely exhausted, there is insufficient fibre to sustain the operation over the long term. Coupled with prolonged weak markets and punishing duties and tariffs, this facility is no longer viable. …Susan Yurkovich, Canfor CEO said “This decision does not diminish the dedication and contribution of our Fox Creek team. We are committed to helping those impacted.” …The closure of Fox Creek sawmill represents a reduction of 120 million board feet of production capacity. Operations are expected to be concluded by late summer.
PRINCE GEORGE, BC — Standing in the pouring rain in front of Canfor’s Northwood Pulp Mill in Prince George, provincial and federal opposition members called on their respective levels of government to do more to assist BC and Canada’s struggling forestry industry. …Tamara Jansen, the Conservative MP for Cloverdale-Langley City, said that the closure announcement isn’t isolated. “And many people genuinely believed that things were going to change”. …Jansen called on the federal government to reduce red tape, eliminate the industrial carbon tax that remains in place after the consumer version was repealed and change other factors preventing Canadian industries like the pulp sector from being competitive. …Bob Zimmer, Conservative MP for Prince George-Peace River-Northern Rockies, said… even though trade tensions between Canada and the US have escalated, the problem has gone on since the federal Liberals took power in 2015 and have failed to secure an agreement.
Carrier Forest Products Ltd. plans to indefinitely “curtail” production at its Big River sawmill later this year, resulting in 117 layoffs. Carrier recently announced that output from its Saskatchewan mill is to halt in October of this year, citing weak market conditions in addition to wildfires and American tariffs. “For over 100 years, the forestry industry has provided a source of income for the residents of this community as well as attracting many newcomers into town,” said Clint Panter, the reeve of the town council in Big River. …The NDP has blamed the governing Saskatchewan Party for the layoffs, stating that a lack of support for the forestry industry left the company vulnerable to tariffs, fires, disease and insects. In response, Saskatchewan Minister of Energy and Resources Chris Beaudry said the sawmill’s closure is “a direct result of the unjustified U.S. tariffs and duties, a weak pricing environment and a falling exchange rate.”
Department of Finance Canada highlighted a $100 million loan to Millar Western Forest Products Ltd. through the Large Enterprise Tariff Loan (LETL) facility. As part of the Government of Canada’s efforts to support and protect Canadian businesses facing trade-related uncertainty, this loan will provide the company with the flexibility to strengthen its near-term operations, including rebuilding its log inventory, and adapt to evolving market conditions while protecting jobs. Millar Western produces high-quality hardwood and softwood pulp from three mills in Slave Lake and Whitecourt, Alberta, and Quesnel, British Columbia. The company employs more than 420 full-time workers and supports approximately 300 contractors in maintenance, field-level forestry and consulting services. As an export-oriented business, Millar Western ships most of its products internationally, with 93 per cent of its sales going to Asian markets, primarily China.
SAULT STE. MARIE — The Ontario government is partnering with the Government of Canada to invest more than $7.2 million through the Canada-Ontario Workforce Tariff Response to help protect workers in the North, strengthen critical industries and build a more competitive and resilient economy in the face of global economic uncertainty. This investment will help more than 500 workers across northern Ontario upgrade their skills, transition into in-demand careers and ensure local employers have the skilled workforce they need to grow and succeed. “Through these investments, we’re helping workers transition into good-paying careers, supporting employers facing economic pressures and strengthening the industries that will drive Ontario’s future prosperity,” said David Piccini, Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development. Ontario will deliver the funding through Skills Advance Ontario, which partners with employers and training providers to help workers transition into the sectors that are driving economic growth and building the province’s long-term competitiveness. 
Canadian wildfires are driving up the price of wood products that the US construction industry depends on — with knock-on effects on housing. Western Spruce Pine Fir futures were selling for $653 per thousand board feet in late July, not far off last year’s high, and up from a low of $524 in late January. The 937 wildfires threatening forests throughout BC are driving that increase. Alex Strong at the NAHB, said President Trump’s proposed 50% tariff on Canadian goods is adding to uncertainty around the supply chain. Set to take effect Aug. 19, the 50% tariffs would directly apply to Canadian plywood, fiberboard and other wood-derived products used in homebuilding. Canada is one of the top suppliers of fiberboard to the US. Derek Nighbor, CEO of FPAC, said that the country is also America’s third-largest supplier of plywood. …The US Congress Joint Economic Committee warned that Trump’s tariffs on a range of materials could increase building costs by $10,900 per home.
Two numbers describe President Trump’s new tariffs on Canada, and they point in opposite directions. 50% is the rate, imposed Monday under Section 338 of the Tariff Act. 2.5% is the effect. The Hub‘s reporting on the proclamations puts the affected goods at roughly 5.5% of Canadian exports now crossing the border duty-free. Weight the new duties by those trade flows and Canada’s average effective tariff rate rises by about 2.5 percentage points, pushing the blended rate toward 10%. The composition of the list reinforces the arithmetic. …Before this round, Canada faced the lowest overall tariff rate of any US trading partner—roughly 6% weighted by 2024 trade flows. Even after the duties take effect in mid-August, Canada remains among the least-tariffed economies selling into the American market. …At the level of the firm, the damage is real and concentrated. …At the level of the national economy, the needle barely moves. Both readings are true simultaneously.
West Fraser, North America’s top lumber producer, is taking a hit from President Trump’s latest round of tariffs on Canada. Its stock is one of the day’s worst performers among forest and building-products shares. The BC company that has sawmills and other wood-products facilities on both sides of the border is already contending with Trump’s 10% national-security tariff on lumber as well as the long-standing duties on Canadian softwood exports. The 50% tariffs Trump announced exempt softwood lumber but include plywood and specialty engineered wood products. West Fraser’s exposure should be minimal because most of its products slated for the 50% levy are sold in Canada, according to TD Cowen analysts. They estimate that just 1% of West Fraser’s aggregate sales would be exposed. And that is assuming that the tariffs stick. [to access the full story a WSJ subscription is required]
Federal Way, Washington – Pacific Lumber Inspection Bureau (PLIB) has expanded its 
Canada’s wood products manufacturers are on the operating table, bleeding out. …The United States has slapped tariffs on foreign steel, aluminum, and automobiles — but many Canadians don’t know the Section 232 and 338 tariffs also target wood products, like furniture and kitchen cabinets. …Those US tariffs have created a two-headed monster. On one side, wood products manufacturers like us have lost meaningful access to our largest export market. On the other, every other country in the world is now scrambling to find alternative buyers for product they can no longer sell into the United States. They found one: Canada. Today, Canada’s warehouses are bursting with cheap imported wood products. …Local manufacturers are prepared to compete globally, but not on an impossibly imbalanced playing field. …The solution is not a subsidy, or more loan programs. We need a short-term provisional tariff now, to bridge the gap between launching an investigation and finding an appropriate longer-term solution.
As more than 900 wildfires burn across Canada, prompting evacuation orders and pushing Ontario into its worst wildfire season on record, officials are renewing calls for the country to develop a national wildfire strategy through the creation of a federal agency. Canada is the only G7 country that does not have a national emergency agency that is mandated to respond to wildfires. After a disastrous July for wildfires that razed First Nations communities in northeasern Ontario and sent poisonous smoke southward through the US, provincial premier Doug Ford called for a countrywide response to the wildfire threat. “We need a large national fire strategy. We seem to be going through this every single year,” Ford told reporters. … A national wildfire strategy through the creation of a federal emergency agency would help Canada be more prepared, said Mike Flannigan, a professor of wildland fire at Thompson Rivers University in British Columbia.
While US President Trump threatens tariffs over wildfire smoke drifting south, Canadian fire experts say large forest fires are inevitable. Over the past week, Trump has criticized Canadian fire management and said the country is “poisoning” U.S. air. …But experts say Canada’s worsening fire seasons reflect a harder reality: not every blaze, or the smoke that comes from it, can be stopped. “Saying that you would need to extinguish very huge fires like this is similar to trying to stop a hurricane,” said Martin Girardin, a forest ecology researcher with NRCan. …As of Monday, more than 900 fires were burning across Canada and more than 3.7 million hectares had burned in 2026, according to the Canadian Wildland Fire Information System dashboard. Girardin said climate change is helping drive worse fire seasons by bringing warmer temperatures and drier conditions, while many forests also have a buildup of fuel, including mature trees and other biomass.
For the third time in the past four years, Americans are choking on smoke from Canada’s burning forests. Last week, roughly 900 wildfires turned the skies over Minneapolis, Chicago and New York into an apocalyptic haze. …Why does this keep happening? …Canada isn’t the only one with a wildfire problem. America’s forests are burning too. Fires are raging in northern Minnesota and across much of the western United States. …The media and politicians are quick to blame climate change, but the reality is that forest management works. Fuel treatments such as thinning, brush clearance and prescribed burning remove small trees, brush and dead material that allow flames to climb into the canopy and explode into a dangerous crown fire. …Canada does strikingly little of this work. The problem is that Canada has regulated the cure nearly out of existence. …American forest management is snarled by many of the same problems. 
…Now Canada’s forest industry, a pillar of our economy since colonial times, must also look itself in the mirror. …So does that mean the Americans are right? Republican John James, a U.S. Congressman from Michigan, blamed Canada for abdicating its “responsibility to prevent a foreseeable disaster from crossing into another country’s airspace.” The short answer is no. …but the responsibility lies not with Canada, per se; the main culprit is human-caused climate change. …The current U.S. administration has recklessly and suicidally turned its back on a transition to a low-carbon economy. …Meanwhile, our own federal government under Prime Minister Mark Carney has pulled away from Justin Trudeau’s bold moves to curb fossil-fuel use, and has instead championed pipelines. …The key, big-picture, is to transition to a low-carbon future. In the meantime, we can do a better job with forest management, informed by Indigenous knowledge, to avert or mitigate wildfire disaster. [Access to this story requires a Globe and Mail subscription]
BC Parks describes it as “a luxuriously forested sanctuary that is without a doubt one of the most remarkable wild places on Vancouver Island.” But right now, they also say it’s “inaccessible by vehicle” and that “the day-use areas, campground, and trails are currently unmaintained.” That’s because it’s blocked by landslides on one side and locked metal gates on the other. …Instead, they directed questions to Tsawak-qin Forestry, the company responsible for both the metal gates and, they say, for clearing the landslides. …In an emailed statement, Tsawak-qin told The Narwhal that they are “working with government and others to open access to the western, public access point of the park,” but didn’t offer a timeline. …Neither BC Parks nor the Ministry of Forests have plans to clear the landslides. The responsibility for clearing that road, they say, lies with the logging companies that use it.
A BC tribunal has upheld a $75,000 fine issued to Tolko Industries after a logging road it built in the Shuswap caused a landslide. According to a July 15 
A Saanich councillor’s attempt to recognize trees’ right to live will have to wait until next term. Saanich council voted down Coun. Nathalie Chambers’ motion to have the district endorse the principles of the Universal Declaration of the Rights of the Tree, which recognizes trees as vital living beings, deserving protection including the right to life, natural growth, integrity and regeneration. While all members of council took the opportunity to stress their love of trees, none supported the motion. Coun. Zac De Vries said the declaration was well-intentioned, but more clarity is needed about how it would affect current policies. …Chambers’ inspiration for the motion was the Quebec town of Terrasse-Vaudreuil, which last month voted to recognize trees as living beings with rights.
In the battle against one of the most significant forest fires of this summer, the BC Wildfire Service says that for the first time in Canada it has used a drone to ignite a controlled burn. …The wildfire service began testing remotely piloted aircraft systems on prescribed fires several years ago with the intent of using them alongside traditional aircraft and to support ground crews. The drones use a plastic sphere dispenser to drop fire into specific areas “controlling the spacing and intensity of the fires and avoiding placing firefighters in challenging or dangerous terrain.” …“The drone used for ignition is accompanied by observation drones outfitted with infrared and imaging capabilities, which gives us project intelligence not just during ignitions but through all phases of operations”. …The new technology improves firefighter safety and decision-making and helps the wildfire service “better protect communities and the environment,” it said.
Nk’Mip Forestry, with support from Siya Forestry, has planted more than 900,000 trees and native plants across Osoyoos Indian Band territory this year as part of the federal “2 Billion Trees Program.” The restoration project focuses on areas damaged by wildfire and other disturbances, including land severely burned during the 2021 Nk’Mip Creek wildfire where natural regeneration has been limited. “These sites were severely burned by the 2021 Nk’Mip Creek wildfire and were not regenerating on their own,” said Peter Flett, head of operations for Nk’Mip Forestry, in a press release issued Tuesday. “By planting now, we can help establish mixed-species forests that are better suited to future environmental conditions.” …In addition to restoring forests and wildlife habitat, the initiative is creating employment opportunities for local crews through seed collection, nursery work, planting and monitoring. The project is funded through the Government of Canada’s 2 Billion Trees Program
TORONTO — On World Nature Conservation Day, a new report published by Ontario Nature demonstrates how Bill 5’s Species Conservation Act (SCA), which repealed the Endangered Species Act (ESA), creates critical protection gaps for 106 migratory birds, aquatic species and species of Special Concern. The report – Bridging the Gap: Assessing Recent Changes to Species at Risk Protections in Ontario – shows that the ESA provided an effective, though imperfect, framework for species conservation and recovery. The loss of this framework is a symptom of a much broader trend in weakened environmental protections across the province and beyond, where the most vulnerable species and habitats are seen as “red tape”. This pattern exacerbates the ongoing biodiversity crisis, which will ultimately undermine the economic and social resilience of Ontario, in addition to further imperiling our precious natural world.
Samuel de Champlain Provincial Park was nearly leveled in a 2025 storm. Now thousands of new trees have been planted to build a new forest for the future …In 2025, a powerful storm crashed down on Samuel de Champlain Provincial Park outside North Bay, Ont., dropping trees on tents, trailers and an environmental education centre. Since then, park staff and Forests Canada have been working to replant some of the trees that were lost and clean up the park to allow visitors in again this season. Extreme weather is becoming more common and severe as the climate warms. At the same time, global warming means the type of trees that will thrive in northern environments like Samuel de Champlain is also changing, and the restoration work has to account for that.
It was more than a decade ago that the Ontario government started to worry about its wildland firefighting program. In 2016, a report warned that fire rangers were quitting at an alarming rate, were less experienced than in previous years and were comparatively underpaid. Those issues have persisted ever since. Versions of the report repeated the warnings in 2018 and 2019, while an internal memo from 2022 warned of “an increase in the number of people leaving our organization for employment opportunities elsewhere.” …The Ontario Public Service Employees Union has pushed for major pay increases, to reclassify wildland firefighters as firefighters, not resource technicians, and more year-round jobs. …The government has vehemently denied claims it has failed to prepare for the fire season or that it is underfunding the fight to control the blazes.
The wildfire situation in northwestern Ontario has drawn growing global attention. There have been extraordinary stories of close calls and narrow escapes from the rapidly advancing fires. Complaints are coming (ironically) from the United States over the impacts of the resulting fire smoke on American cities. In the short term, attention is rightly focused on the immediate responses to the fires. …At the same time, the fires need to be viewed in a longer-term context. Increased incidences of large-scale forest fires, particularly in the boreal region stretching across Canada from Labrador to the Yukon, have been a predicted impact of climate change in Canada for more than three decades. …The province needs to both adapt to the reality of a changing climate and its consequences and develop a serious strategy for not making the problem worse. So far, Ontario is failing on both fronts.
When people see or hear that a fire has started beside a highway or road, many probably think that a casually discarded cigarette butt tossed out a window is the culprit. Not so, says Ashcroft Fire Rescue Chief Josh White. …he says that most roadside fires could be prevented if drivers took a few simple steps to make their vehicles more roadworthy… According to the BC Wildfire Service, only 0.8 per cent of human-caused fires in B.C. each year are caused by discarded smoking materials. By contrast, vehicles are responsible for 3.8 per cent of human-caused fires each year. …White says that there are three main things people can do to reduce the risk of vehicle fires. “Get the vehicle serviced regularly; don’t overload the vehicle; and carry a working fire extinguisher. It won’t necessarily put a fire completely out, but it’s good at knocking down a small fire”
With Environment Canada issuing heat warnings for several regions of British Columbia and temperatures expected to climb into the mid-30s in some areas of the province this week, WorkSafeBC is reminding employers to take steps to protect workers from heat-related illness. “Elevated temperatures increase the risk of heat stress and heat stroke, which can be serious and even life-threatening,” says Todd McDonald, head of Prevention Services at WorkSafeBC. “These illnesses are preventable, and employers have a responsibility to take steps to protect workers, whether they are indoors or outdoors.” Between 2021 and 2025, WorkSafeBC accepted 335 heat-related injury claims, including 47 in 2025. …Outdoor workers in construction, agriculture, transportation, and public works are at higher risk. However, indoor workers — including those in kitchens, warehouses, and manufacturing facilities — may also be exposed to high heat, especially in spaces without air conditioning. To prevent heat stress, WorkSafeBC requires employers to conduct workplace-specific risk assessments and develop … safe work procedures. 
A wildfire in Washington State has crossed the border into B.C., the North Cascades National Park Service Complex says. Border 2 Fire, 2.4 kilometres east of Hozomeen just south of the Canada-U.S. border, crossed into B.C. and into the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest lands in the east, according to an update from the park service Wednesday (July 22). Border 1 and Border 2 wildfires combined and are now a total of 121 hectares. The fire is believed to be caused by lightning. The park service says the fire is burning in remote, steep, and densely forested and rocky terrain. Fire activity is expected to be elevated with upcoming hot, dry and windy conditions over the next few days until cooler weather conditions return to the area, the service added.
