Region Archives: Canada

Opinion / EdiTOADial

Let’s Put Into Practice All We Know About Wildfire

By Christine Gelowitz, CEO and Registrar
Forest Professionals BC
September 11, 2026
Category: Opinion / EdiTOADial
Region: Canada West

This past summer once again saw wildfires rip through the BC Interior resulting in lost homes and uprooted communities. As always, we’re left wondering why did this happen? Could it have been prevented? In the case of the Summerland fire, CBC reported that fuel management and prescribed burning work had been planned in some of the affected areas but had not been carried out. But the situation is more nuance than the reporting suggests. Considerable mitigation work had taken place around the community over the past two decades including fuel management treatments, ecological burns, and targeted grazing. The effectiveness of those efforts, along with other factors across the landscape and efforts of individual local residents, will no doubt be studied in detail in the months ahead. The impact of this wildfire does not mean mitigation failed. Quite the opposite; it suggests that preventative work matters, that FireSmart initiatives by homeowners are imperative, and that communities are safer because of it.

Forest Professionals BC partnered with BC Wildfire Service to work on building the professional capacity needed for modern wildfire management. We have established three wildfire-related areas of professional practice, developed competency standards, created targeted professional development, and introduced new licensing pathways to ensure that critical wildfire planning is carried out by regulated professionals who are knowledgeable, skilled, and accountable to the public.

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Business & Politics

Industries point to gains, leverage under Trump’s Canadian tariffs

By Jeff Murdock and Tom Howell
The Washington Times
September 4, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, United States

President Trump’s tariffs on Canada are creating clear winners and uneasy allies, with steel and lumber producers embracing the protection while alcohol and dairy groups see the levies as a bargaining chip to push Ottawa to the negotiating table. Steel producers are the most vocal. …Beyond steel, the US lumber industry says Mr. Trump’s tariffs on Canadian wood have given it a boost. Domestic lumber producers are projected to add 2.5 billion board feet of capacity in the next two years. That translates to 1,667 more workers at the mills, 4,150 jobs in supplier industries and 3,100 jobs in surrounding communities, according to the U.S. Lumber Coalition. The coalition noted that Canada’s US market share plummeted from roughly 35% to 19% after first-term tariffs. …Yet these protections carry a price. Builders and manufacturers are paying more for steel and lumber. …While protective tariffs shield primary producers, they squeeze downstream industries caught in the crossfire.

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Carney eyes ‘unique alliance’ with EU as Trump trade war strains Canada’s US ties

By Milena Walde
Politico.eu
September 14, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada

Mark Carney

OTTAWA — Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Sunday that he is not seeking full EU membership but wants to forge much closer ties with the bloc, as he prepares to travel to Strasbourg amid an escalating trade war with the US. …Carney said. “What we are looking — and will begin discussions for — [is] a unique alliance with the European Union.” …Carney will address the European Parliament this week and attend Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s State of the Union speech. His comments follow a Wall Street Journal report suggesting that he has floated making Canada an “associate member” of the EU — a novel status. Officials have discussed closer cooperation on critical minerals, trade, education and cultural exchanges, digital infrastructure and Arctic security. …Brussels, however, has yet to endorse Carney’s “associate member” idea, while parts of the existing EU-Canada trade agreement still await ratification in several member countries.

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Ottawa Must Fix the Rules to Create Certainty and Help Us Grow

By Derek Nighbor, Forest Products Association of Canada
The Hill Times
September 14, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada

Derek Nighbor

As we push through the current trade dispute with the United States and the geo-political uncertainty around us, it’s time to look inward with greater urgency. Canada has real operating, infrastructure, and productivity challenges and now is the time to be serious about fixing them. …For Canada’s forest products sector, the most immediate opportunities… come from fixing overlapping rules, making decisions faster, better coordinating federal and provincial processes, and creating a clearer path for private investment. At a time when the federal government is looking carefully at new programs to stabilize and strengthen our economy, regulatory efficiency needs to be a critical part of the budget season conversation. …The Forest Sector Transformation Task Force has done the work to provide a government with useful playbook. Its recommendations point to the importance of cost-competitive wood supply, modernization, timely approvals, stronger market access, reliable trade infrastructure, and better coordination. 

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What U.S. politicians are saying about the trade war with Canada

CBC News
September 13, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, United States

Chief political correspondent Rosemary Barton speaks with US Democratic Sen. Ruben Gallego about the impact of the US-Canada trade war on the state of Arizona. Plus, Janet Mills, governor of Maine, talks about the trade war’s effect on her state. Then, a Michigan-based furniture business owner and an Ontario-based distillery owner describe what the tariffs have meant for their businesses. …The US president spoke about the state of relations with Canada this past weekend while on a trip to Ireland, saying… “Canada wants to make a deal very badly”. …But not all US- elected officials are on board with the president. Ruben Galgo, a Democratic senator from Arizona posted this past week saying Trump’s actions against Canada have made things more expensive for Americans. …Janet Mills is another Democratic governor said “what the president is saying and doing in recent months and years is not reflective of how we as a state feel about people of Canada. 

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Carney calls Trump’s latest trade measures ‘relatively modest,’ signals restraint

By Rob Gillies
The Associated Press
September 10, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, United States

Mark Carney

Canadian Prime Minister Carney signaled that Canada may hold off on further retaliation against US President Trump’s latest trade measures, calling them “relatively modest”. The comments came two days after Washington escalated the ongoing trade dispute by banning some Canadian dairy products and motorcycles and most alcoholic beverages after the Canadian retaliatory tariffs took effect. Trump also moved to shut Canadian products out of large, long-term US government contracts. Carney acknowledged they could have significant consequences for individual companies and industries. But he noted that some of the new US tariffs replaced others that Washington had removed. …Derek Holt, with Scotiabank, said the US measures looked more like an attempt by Trump to “save face” than a major escalation. …Carney also said he remains in regular contact with Trump and had spoken with him “a couple of times” in recent days about Ukraine, Iran and other global developments.

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Eby invokes Canadian kindness in support of Ottawa’s retaliatory tariffs

By Wolfgang Depner
The Canadian Press in Yahoo
September 8, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, United States

BC Premier David Eby invoked the memory of the 9/11 terrorist attacks and Canadian efforts to help their “closest friend” as he voiced support for Ottawa’s counter tariffs on the United States. …”Nobody wanted this trade war. Canadians sure didn’t start it,” he said. …The forestry sector and those who depend on it are already hurting, he said, promising to work with the industry directly. Eby said his government would also protect public services, though his pledge comes as the current forecast projects a record-setting deficit of $13.3B… adding it was “appalling” that it was cheaper for Russian lumber to get into the American market than it was for lumber from BC. …Eby also unveiled plans for new signs at border crossings bearing a message saying welcome to BC, Canada: “strong, proud and will never be the 51st state. Sorry!” He said the message was one of confidence and good humour.

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Carney convenes inner circle with Canada-U.S. trade war at fever pitch

CTV News
September 10, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, United States

Prime Minister Carney will convene his cabinet today in Banff, Alta., a day after US President Trump claimed Canada is “dying” to make a trade deal. Both countries have imposed levies on a wide range of imported goods. Canadian counter-tariffs, which went into effect on Tuesday in response to American levies, cover $27.6 billion in American steel, dairy, paper, and other goods. The same day, U.S. President Donald Trump signed a flurry of executive orders, barring a series of Canadian imports to the U.S. outright, including motorcycles, booze and whey. He has also signed an order to rename Lake Ontario to “Lake America,” criticized Canada’s relative lower dollar, and posted a series of memes – one which called Carney “governor,” and another depicting Canada and Greenland under an American flag. …Canada will scale back environmental review for major energy projects. …Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre heads to Washington. …Democrats call Trump’s trade offensive “pointless”.

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Trump hits back at Canada with import bans, more tariff hikes

By Oliver Ward, Ari Hawkins and Zi-Ann Lum
Politico
September 8, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, United States

President Trump responded to new tariffs on U.S. exports Tuesday by announcing bans on U.S. imports of Canadian motorcycles, dairy products and alcohol, and directed officials to restrict Canadian access to U.S. procurement programs. From Sept. 29, these Canadian exports will no longer be permitted to enter the U.S. market, according to a trio of proclamations published Tuesday night. …Trump spent the weekend lashing out at Ottawa over its decision to match U.S. tariff hikes dollar-for-dollar. Those duties on some $20 billion in U.S. exports went into effect Tuesday morning. …The president deployed the same legal statute he used to hike tariffs on Canadian exports last month. …In addition to banning certain Canadian exports, the president also tweaked the scope ofthe existing 50% tariffs that went into effect last month, adding cheeses, boats, metal products, and leather products beginning Sept. 15, and excluding road salt, cement, certain hospital products, fishing rods and other products. 

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Ottawa engages Forest Economic Advisors LLC to find five new markets for Canadian softwood lumber

The Western Standard
September 5, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada

Ottawa will pay BC consultant Forest Economics Advisors LLC of Port Coquitlam, $84,000 to identify five countries that could buy more Canadian softwood lumber, nearly a year after Prime Minister Carney announced a $1.2 billion plan to diversify the industry away from the US market. …The consultant will be tasked with estimating how much Canadian lumber could realistically be sold in each prospective market and how quickly exports could grow. The study will also examine demand forecasts, international trade patterns and transportation costs. Natural Resources additionally wants the consultant to calculate how much money Canadian sawmills would have to spend retooling their facilities to manufacture products suitable for the identified markets. “The department is seeking a comprehensive analysis that identifies likely offshore growth markets for softwood lumber demand and evaluates Canada’s ability to compete in and sell to those markets,” said the contract notice. The final report is due Jan. 29.

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Canada’s retaliatory tariffs worth $27.6 billion take effect as trade rift with U.S. deepens

By Jenni Reid
CNBC News
September 8, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, United States

Canada’s retaliatory tariffs on a swathe of U.S. goods took effect on Tuesday after trade talks collapsed last month, as relations between Washington and Ottawa continue to sour. The duties range from 15% to 50% across hundreds of U.S. products worth a total $27.6 billion, including dairy, agricultural equipment, paper, household appliances and electronics. Canadian tariffs on U.S. steel, aluminum and iron products doubled to 50%, while furniture, motorbikes, clothing and some beauty products were among the goods hit with the highest rate. …U.S. President Trump on Monday called for a boycott of Canadian airplane manufacturer Bombardier, posting on Truth Social: “NO MORE SELLING BOMBARDIER IN THE UNITED STATES!” The U.S. exported $333.6 billion worth of goods to Canada, and imported $381.9 billion from its northern neighbor. …Economists say that while the impacted goods are a relatively small portion of overall trade, small- to medium-sized businesses and those in the most-impacted sectors face a severe blow.

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Carney warns of tough times ahead in national address as retaliatory tariffs kick in

By Nick Murray
The Canadian Press in Bloomberg
September 8, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, United States

Mark Carney

OTTAWA — Prime Minister Carney is warning Canadians that the country’s pivot away from the United States will come at a cost, but that the alternative would be far worse. In a national video address set to be released after Canada’s retaliatory tariffs kicked in — Carney reiterated Canada’s plan to respond to the US trade war by striking new trade deals with other countries to become less reliant on the US. …“That pivot will come at a cost. There’s always a cost to action. But it doesn’t come close to the cost of standing still.” …Carney said the aim is to come out stronger and more resilient so “no country can ever hold us hostage, and that we can live how we want to live.” …Federal conservatives continued calls over the weekend for Carney to release the full details of the deal Canada walked away from. [Click here to view video]

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Clock ticking on effort to head off Howe Sound mill closure

By Derrick Penner
The Vancouver Sun
September 12, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

The impending indefinite shutting of Domtar’s Howe Sound pulp mill on the Sunshine Coast risks touching off a domino effect of closures and job losses within the tightly integrated coastal forest industry. That raises the stakes for a last-minute effort to head the closure off. On Sept. 4, BC appointed high-profile negotiators to work with Domtar on the matter. If that effort fails, industry consultant David Elstone said more than the 400 jobs… would be at stake, because its operations are “integrated heavily” with the sawmills that provide raw materials. “If Howe Sound goes down, you’ll basically see the start of the implosion of the coastal forest industry.” …It would be the third major pulp mill curtailed this year. …Forestry Minister Ravi Parmar appointed former top civil servant Don Wright and former Canfor CEO Don Kayne as negotiators to iron out a possible resolution to keep the Howe Sound mill running. [to access the full story a Vancouver Sun subscription may be required]

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Letter to Premier Eby regarding forestry at breaking point

David Haley RPF
September 11, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada West

David Haley

Dear Premier Eby, this follows-up on the September 9 release of the letter stating that the forest industry is at a breaking point. This asks that you instruct BC Hydro to reach an Energy Purchase Agreement for the Howe Sound Pulp and Paper mill. While there are multiple obstacles to this proposal, establishing this as a pilot project would provide hope for the local forest industry on both sides of Howe Sound (and beyond), provide an outlet for the disposal of hog fuel from Dry Land Sorts and an outlet for other local material, thus avoiding landfill costs. It would support commercial thinning and fuel management in this area (BC Timber Sales, Woodlots BC and BC Community Forest Agreements) and support the general concept of natural asset management (Gibson local government). It would provide a quick source of energy, increasing the security and sovereignty of BC energy.  It would also contribute to the doubling of electricity production as proposed by Prime Minister Carney. [END]

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Houston, BC suffers more forestry layoffs

By Rob Link
The Northern Review
September 10, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

Brink Forest Products has laid off all but one of its Pleasant Valley Remanufacturing employees in Houston as it struggles to cope with increasing US tariffs and duties and a lack of wood for its northern BC operations. The company’s Vanderhoof mill is now closed and, as of this week, the company’s Prince George mill is operating at one-quarter of its normal capacity, said John Brink. That one person in Houston is being kept on for care, maintenance and security of the remanufacturing plant. Brink purchased Pleasant Valley Remanufacturing in 2004 with a long-term plan to employ as many as 150 people in manufacturing value-added products. …But a continued retraction in economic conditions gradually reduced the Houston workforce so that the 20 employees working in the spring were reduced to 12 and now to the one. …With US tariffs and duties now at 50%, Brink said no operation can sustain that kind of impact. 

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Chemainus wood-products firm gets $2M boost from province

By Darron Kolster
The Times Colonist
September 9, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

A Chemainus company is getting a $2-million boost from the province to expand its operations and create new jobs, amid punishing duties and tariffs from the U.S. Ron Anderson & Sons, which makes prefabricated wall systems, plans to diversify its product line to include prefabricated floors, roof panels and stairs for builders, creating about 35 new jobs. “With the US targeting our manufacturing industries, it has never been more important to help local businesses like Ron Anderson & Sons sell more of what they make here at home,” Adrian Dix, acting minister of jobs said Wednesday. Ron Anderson & Sons says it has already invested in advanced manufacturing equipment, hiring of 20 new employees. Jack Downing, CEO, said the government funding will help the company expand its capacity and invest in advanced automation. …Forests Minister Ravi Parmar said that amid “economic attacks” from the U.S., the province is unlocking the full value of BC wood.

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B.C. forestry industry says it’s at ‘breaking point’ in letter to Eby

By Brenna Owen
Canadian Press
September 9, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada West

VANCOUVER – British Columbia forestry groups have written to Premier David Eby saying the industry is at a “breaking point” and calling for urgent action to address challenges ranging from slow-moving provincial processes to steep U.S. tariffs. The letter dated Sept. 4 said the entire industry is at risk, from logging and transportation to pulp and paper and value-added manufacturing. “…Government must respond with the urgency that crisis demands,” said the letter from contractors, manufacturers, unions and others linked to the sector. …But other challenges are “homegrown,” it said. The province “can control many of the costs, regulations, policies, permitting processes and fibre-access decisions that determine whether those companies survive it,” the letter said. …Eddie Petryshen, with Wildsight, said the “falldown” of the forest industry has been predicted — and ignored — for decades. …Parmar highlighted the province’s plan to shift to a “working forest” model, saying that it would address concerns the industry has been raising.

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Nick Arkle: From assembling apple bins to CEO of the Gorman Group

By Andrew Snook
Canadian Forest Industries
September 9, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada West

Nick Arkle

When Nick Arkle attended his cousin’s wedding in the U.K. more than 50 years ago, he had no idea that day would be the beginning of his long and impressive career with the Gorman Group. On that important day, Nick was introduced to his cousin’s new father-in-law during the dinner service. That man was Ross Gorman. … Ross invited Nick to come to Canada and work at his small sawmill in the B.C. Southern Interior. …Nick’s passion for the forest products sector was firmly planted. So, Nick approached Ross and expressed his interest in learning more about the business. Ross advised him that he should go back to school and attend university. Nick listened and went back to school attending the British Columbia Institute of Technology and then the University of British Columbia and earned his degree in forestry. …Nick officially announced his retirement this past March saying it’s been a great privilege to be part of the Gorman Group for more than half a century … helping lead the company through challenging times and helping it grow. 

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Forestry stakeholders sound the alarm, secure emergency meeting with province

By Michael Reeve
CFJC Today Kamloops
September 9, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada West

KAMLOOPS — Forestry stakeholders in British Columbia, from loggers to truckers, First Nations, unions and specialty groups have signed an open letter to Premier David Eby demanding immediate action on the forest sector. Pulp is the main game for forestry in Kamloops, with the Kruger mill employing hundreds in the community either directly or indirectly. U.S. Section 338 tariffs are expanding, expected to hit the pulp sector. “Unlike lumber, the tariffs aren’t as dramatic of a direct hit because we sell about 90 per cent of our pulp offshore, not to the United States,” said Joe Nemeth from the B.C. Pulp and Paper Coalition. …Kamloops MLA and forest critic Ward Stamer was in favour of the actions outlined, highlighting the need for a quick response from government to save the sinking industry. …Solutions around permitting and increasing allowable cut, some of the quicker changes the province could enact. Without that change, Nemeth is worried for the future.

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Joint letter to Premier Eby from BC’s Forest Sector Organizations

Council of Forest Industries
September 9, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada West

A joint letter has been sent to Premier David Eby from organizations representing workers, manufacturers, contractors, communities and businesses across British Columbia’s highly integrated forest sector. BC’s forest sector is at a breaking point. Immediate action is required. Collectively, the groups are calling on the Provincial government to urgently establish a Forestry Crisis Action Group, led by the Premier’s Office and bringing together senior government decision makers and representatives from across the forest sector. The mandate is clear: get wood moving, reduce costs, remove regulatory barriers, protect operating businesses, and retain—not retrain—British Columbia’s skilled forestry workforce. “We stand ready to work with the Premier and Cabinet to stabilize the forestry sector, protect employment, and restore BC’s global competitiveness”, signatories said in an email shared with the Tree Frog News.

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Government of Canada investments defend Saskatchewan workers and businesses from U.S. tariffs

By Prairies Economic Development Canada
PR Newswire
September 8, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

REGINA, Saskatchewan — The Government of Canada is now matching the new U.S. tariffs dollar-for-dollar and is providing $7.5 billion in new and enhanced support for affected workers and businesses. As part of these efforts, Prairies Economic Development Canada (PrairiesCan) and Canada’s other Regional Development Agencies are now delivering $3.45 billion in an expanded Regional Tariff Response Initiative (RTRI) to help more businesses affected by tariffs. Support is also available for not-for-profit organizations that help businesses adapt, grow, and expand domestic trade opportunities. Today, Minister Eleanor Olszewski announced expanded support through RTRI, with applications now being accepted from eligible SMEs and organizations. In Saskatchewan, the Honourable Buckley Belanger also announced, on behalf of Minister Olszewski, $5.3 million for six RTRI projects led by firms across Saskatchewan.

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Osoyoos Indian Band and Gorman Group Formalize Forestry Management Partnership

Nk’Mip Forestry LLP
September 9, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada West

Oliver, BC — The Osoyoos Indian Band (OIB) and the Gorman Group, through Similkameen Forest Products Ltd. (SFP), signed a partnership agreement on July 20, 2026, that gives the OIB a direct role in the planning and management of Tree Farm Licence (TFL) 59. TFL 59 is located east of Oliver within the OIB’s traditional territory. It is a long-term tree farm licence that provides the holder of the licence the opportunity to manage a defined forest area, and it has been held and managed by SFP. Through its forestry company, Nk’Mip Forestry LLP (Nk’Mip), the agreement means that the OIB will now be involved in the management work from the beginning of the forest planning process.

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Brink Forest Products to cut 50 jobs at its Prince George lumber plant

By Hanna Petersen
CBC News
September 5, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

PRINCE GEORGE, BC — John Brink, CEO of Brink Forest Products, announced he will be cutting the number of employees from 85 workers to approximately 30 at his Prince George finger-joint lumber plant starting next week. …In the last year, Brink’s facilities in both Vanderhoof and Houston indefinitely ceased operations, resulting in more than 100 jobs lost. Between the three plants, Brink employed roughly 400 people. “In northern BC, it is a graveyard of sawmills through the communities,” he said. “Secondary manufacturers, in a lot of cases, rely on primary manufacturers for an input of fibre.” Brink says his company is not only navigating ongoing fibre supply challenges, but rising U.S. tariff costs, and limited access to financing. …As Canada is set to impose retaliatory tariffs on a number of products from the US, Brink expects costs to continue to rise. “Parts and pieces that we need imported from the US may be subject to duties.”

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Negotiators to work with Domtar on potentially keeping Howe Sound mill open

By Sandra Thomas
The Coast Reporter
September 4, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

It’s early days, but MLA Randene Neill says there is some “encouraging” news regarding the “indefinite idle” of the Howe Sound Pulp and Paper Mill and Bayview Fibre chipping facility in Port Mellon. “We have appointed two negotiators from the province and [mill owner] Domtar has accepted our offer of getting back to the table to see what we can do to save the mill and all of the jobs that depend on it,” Neill said. …The negotiators include Don Wright, who has served as the province’s deputy minister to the premier, cabinet secretary, and head of public service for years. …Don Kayne has also been named as negotiator. Kayne is the former president and CEO of Canfor. “These two are incredibly smart people and we’re confident that their experience and knowledge of the forest sector will support really good discussions with the Domtar team,” said Neill, MLA for Powell River – Sunshine Coast. “

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Kim Haakstad – Softwood lumber, Canadian Jobs and the Canada USA Trade War

By The Christy Clark Show
You Tube
September 6, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada West

Christy Clark takes a deep dive into the raging Canada-U.S. trade war with Kim Haakstad, President of the B.C. Council of Forest Industries. Haakstad has been on the front line of U.S. trade negotiations in Washington D.C. recently representing the forestry sector. She has a lot to share about protecting the future of our resource economy in this uncertain time. Haakstad has worked tirelessly in advocating for economic growth in western Canada for the past 30 years. She notes that even before U.S. President Donald Trump came along, tariff threats have been a common feature with our No. 1 trade partner. But B.C. lumber products are unique and preferred by American homebuilders, so why are they treated as competitors only to drive up prices for regular homebuyers. Haakstad also tells Christy there’s a lot more Canada can be doing to help resource industries succeed, including sensible regulation and conservation policy.

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Unifor members ratify the new Eastern Canada forestry pattern agreement

By Syndicat Unifor Québec
PR Newswire
September 14, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada East

MONTREAL — Unifor members at the Domtar mills covered by the pattern bargaining in Eastern Canada’s forestry sector have voted in favour of the conciliator’s settlement recommendation put forward by the union earlier this week. This vote formally sets out the terms of the new pattern agreement, which will serve as a model for future negotiations in the pulp and paper, sawmill and forestry sectors and will ultimately affect some 14,000 Unifor members in Eastern Canada. The agreement comes at a particularly critical time for Canada’s forestry industry. …The vote [follows] three rounds of intense negotiations between Unifor and Domtar… Faced with an impasse at the negotiating table, the parties agreed to put the conciliator’s recommendation to a vote by the members. The union presented the contents of the recommendation to members at the three mills for a decision. Failure to reach an agreement would have resulted in an immediate labour dispute.

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Nackawic on edge as pulp mill owner evaluates options

By Jacques Poitras
CBC News
September 8, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada East

NEW BRUNSWICK — Residents of Nackawic-Millville are on edge this week as the future of the local pulp mill, the community’s largest employer, appears increasingly uncertain. The mill owner, AV Group, told the provincial government that it is “evaluating all of the strategic options for their mill and its operations,” according to Natural Resources Minister John Herron. …Unifor, the union representing workers at the mill, said it has 270 members working there. Nackawic-Millville Mayor Greg MacFarlane said the mill and jobs that spin off from its operations represent nearly half of the town’s tax base. …The AV Group, the mill owner, told CBC News in August that it had stopped buying wood for the mill because it had plenty of inventory for its operations and needed to manage its cash flow. …The mill does not export to the United States, so tariffs are not to blame for the uncertainty.

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Tariffs have some mom-and-pop manufacturers considering move to United States

By Brett Bundale
The Canadian Press in CTV News
September 4, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada East

A Canadian Muskoka chair maker hit hard by US tariffs is considering moving the bulk of its manufacturing to the United States. DFC Woodworks has been making outdoor wooden patio furniture including Muskoka chairs — also called Adirondack chairs — since 1955. The Kemptville, Ontario company exports about 70% of its furniture to the US, but those goods are now subject to a steep 50% US duty. …DFC Woodworks president François Bruneau said “If we raise prices, it will make us non-competitive and sales will go down. If we don’t, the tariffs will sink us.” The Muskoka chair maker’s dilemma illustrates the challenges facing many Canadian small- and medium-sized enterprises, said Fen Hampson at Carleton University. DFC Woodworks makes all its outdoor patio furniture in Ontario using BC western red cedar and eastern select pine. …DFC Woodworks has diversified in recent years, growing sales to Europe with plans to export to Japan.

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Finance & Economics

Global softwood roundwood supply – Global outlook to 2035

By Glen O’Kelly and Håkan Ekström
O’Kelly Acumen
September 10, 2026
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: Canada, United States, International

Softwood roundwood supply has remained essentially flat since 2000 despite continued growth in overall roundwood production, and is forecast to increase by only about 0.5% annually through 2035. Demand for construction timber, packaging and biomass is expected to continue growing faster than supply. The result is a progressively tighter supply-demand balance, with increasing pressure on the availability and real prices of softwood logs. …North American softwood roundwood supply has declined by almost 20%, while Europe/Russia and the rest of the world have each increased by about 18%.

  • US South offers the greatest opportunity for additional softwood roundwood supply. But labor and investment to expand will limit what can be realized.
  • Canada, after several years of declining harvests – particularly in BC – is expected to stabilize and recover modestly. 
  • Europe faces considerably tighter constraints. The base scenario points to limited overall change.
  • Russia has enormous, underutilized softwood potential, but potential does not necessarily translate into available supply.
 

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Want 2019 housing affordability? Canada must double building rate

By Ariel Rabinovitch
Global News
September 10, 2026
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: Canada

Canada needs to roughly double the rate that new homes are being built in order to restore housing affordability to pre-pandemic levels over the next decade, according to the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC). The CMHC released its fall 2026 housing supply report on Thursday, which said Canada needs to build hundreds of thousands more homes annually in order to narrow a significant long-term supply gap, with some major markets struggling more than others. According to the report, Canada is currently on pace to build about 231,000 homes per year until 2036, but would need to build between 417,000 and 469,000 homes annually in order to narrow the housing supply gap and see home prices return to 2019 levels. A housing supply gap is the difference between the perceived demand for homes to rent or buy and the number of homes actually available in the market.

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U.S.–Canada tariff war puts pulp and tissue supply chains under pressure

METissue
September 9, 2026
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: Canada, United States

U.S. 50% duties on covered Canadian pulp and paper products meet Canada’s new tariffs of up to 50% on U.S. tissue, paper and dissolving pulp. …The flashpoint for pulp and paper came after the U.S. imposed additional duties under Section 338 of the Tariff Act of 1930 on covered Canadian goods, with the measures taking effect Aug. 22. Among the affected products are: Chemical bleached softwood pulp, including NBSK, a key strength fiber used in U.S. tissue and towel production, and Toilet or facial tissue stock” and other specified household and sanitary paper products used by U.S. converters. …The tariff shock is also affecting corporate planning. …The broader concern for tissue manufacturers is the potential combination of higher fiber costs, changing sourcing strategies and pressure on margins. …Competitive pressure could limit how much of the increase is passed through immediately, but prolonged tariffs could eventually put pressure on manufacturing costs, tissue prices and product economics.

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Lumber Futures Hits Nine-Month Low

Trading Economics
September 8, 2026
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: Canada, United States

Lumber futures fell below $555 per thousand board feet, reaching its lowest level in nine months, as retaliatory tariffs from Canada on US goods took effect, weighing down demand. Ottawa had announced counter-tariffs of 25% on US lumber and 50% on Plywood following US tariffs on several lumber-related goods. US forestry groups have long accused Canada of distorting the market, as 94% of Canadian forestland is publicly owned compared to 58% privately owned in the US, allowing Canadian lumber to be sold at a lower price. The fallout is hitting the forest sector of both countries, as selling lumber prices went up immediately after the news, pushing demand lower. Fall is usually a time for renovations, however, elevated prices weighs on the sector. Meanwhile, US housing remains subdued, with lumber-intensive single-family construction spending falling 3.2% in July, while elevated mortgage rates continue to weigh on homeownership.

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B.C. Unemployment Climbes to 6.5% as Forestry, Construction and Education Shed Jobs

By Julie Bergeron
By Business Examiner
September 6, 2026
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: Canada, Canada West

Statistics Canada’s August Labour Force Survey showed British Columbia shed a net 5,500 positions last month, lifting the provincial unemployment rate to 6.5 per cent from 6.2 per cent in July. The result places B.C. 0.1 percentage points above the national average, even as Canada as a whole lost a net 42,000 jobs during the same period. Bryan Yu, chief economist at Central 1 Credit Union, attributed the losses to two sustained pressures: a prolonged absence of meaningful private-sector investment growth and a shrinking population as temporary residents depart following federal immigration policy changes. Educational services accounted for the steepest single-sector decline, with roughly 6,300 positions lost. …Construction and retail and wholesale trade each recorded significant losses as well, with the latter shedding approximately 3,800 jobs. …Natural resources lost 2,600 jobs provincially and continued to record the largest year-over-year contraction at 17.2%, driven by mill closures and curtailments across the province.

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Wood, Paper & Green Building

Expanding Secondary Market Opportunities for Recovered Construction, Renovation and Demolition Wood

Canadian Wood Council
September 10, 2026
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada

The next market opportunity for wood may begin with material already in circulation. The Canadian Wood Council’s new report, Expanding Secondary Market Opportunities for Recovered Construction, Renovation, and Demolition Wood, examines the infrastructure, regulatory, economic, and operational constraints limiting the reuse and reprocessing of reclaimed wood products. It identifies near-term product opportunities and the technical, commercial, and standards foundations needed to support market growth, including grading and testing, centralized processing hubs, policy sequencing, pilot projects, risk management, and performance measurement. Download the full report to explore opportunities for expanding secondary markets for recovered wood.

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New Study from Perkins&Will Offers Mass Timber Solution to Canada’s Housing Crisis

Perkins&Will
February 26, 2026
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada

©Perkins&Will

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA—Canada needs a lot of housing—fast. Perkins&Will has published research proposing a scalable prefabricated modular mass timber system to deliver high-quality homes quicker, more sustainably, and in alignment with regulatory and market realities. Developed in collaboration with industry and academic partners, the modular timber system is based on a rationalized structural grid, a concise kit of prefabricated components, modular planning principles, and fully coordinated building services. Together, these elements streamline design, approvals, manufacturing, and assembly—supporting both housing delivery and Canada’s climate commitments. “We face a housing crisis across Canada, and the impact of a rapidly changing climate is real. These are issues that demand decisive action,” says Derek Newby, regional director of Perkins&Will practices across Canada. “At the same time, we have outstanding potential in our industry, and an incredible wealth of natural resources. This study brings all these pieces together and proves that we can do much better.”

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BC Wood – AGM Message from the Chairperson 2025-2026

By Kelly Marciniw, Chairperson, BC Wood Specialties Group
LinkedIn
September 14, 2026
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada West

Kelly Marciniw

When I became Chairperson of BC Wood Specialities Group this past year, there were already glimmers of the challenging year we would have related to trade internationally, fibre access locally, and the steady squeeze of labour constraints. These challenging times are exactly why there is such strength in being a member of an industry association like BC Wood. BC Wood has historically been known as the go-to association for international market development. We have on-the-ground staff in Japan and Korea, and expertise in markets in other parts of Asia, Mexico, Europe, and the USA. We have also been proactive for years in growing British Columbia wood products’ market share in other parts of Canada like the Ontario high-end cottage market. This diversity of market expertise is a key strength now as the whole country is looking to diversify away from our southern neighbour. Part of our strength as a resilient economy is having numerous robust trade relationships. With BC Wood, we can look forward to expanding the value of forestry products sold within our own country and to the many countries globally that Canada enjoys friendly trade relations with.

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Code myths can create unnecessary design constraints. Let’s clear them up.

WoodWorks Alberta
September 14, 2026
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada West

Join WoodWorks Alberta and GHL Consultants for practical Lunch & Learns exploring some of the most common code myths and design challenges in combustible construction. These sessions will look at how fire-safety objectives translate into code provisions, where common misconceptions can create unnecessary design constraints, and how to identify potential issues before they lead to costly redesigns or approval delays. Whether you’re new to combustible construction or looking to strengthen your code knowledge, you’ll come away with practical insights you can apply to your next project. Attendees will receive a certificate confirming participation in one hour of professional continuing education. Join us in Edmonton or Calgary later this month!

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Upskill Employees in Industrial Wood Processing & Sawmilling

British Columbia Institute of Technology
August 14, 2026
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada West

Are you looking to enhance your skills in the lumber and sawmill sector? Onboarding new employees that would benefit from formal education in the field? Are you seeking to provide your employees with essential business skills for professional development? BCIT is currently offering two Associate Certificates to help you: Industrial Wood Processing (IWP) and Business of Sawmilling (BOS). Both programs were developed with industry subject matter experts and informed by industry leaders to support upskilling and professional development for individuals in the lumber and sawmill sector. Each program is 1-year, delivered online and part-time to allow students to balance work and studies. The participants are new or existing employees in the North American lumber sector and are sponsored by their employers.

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Day 1 of the Global Buyers Mission a success!

BC Wood Specialties Group
September 11, 2026
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada West

Rumin Mann, Director of Communications for BC Wood reported on the success of the kick off of the Global Buyers Mission in Whistler, BC. “Today, we had the final day of the extended missions, where international buyers toured around the Province visiting wood manufacturers and learning about our world class wood products. We had our Building Connections “speed dating” style B2B event, our annual general meeting, WoodTALKS sessions and tours for architects, and our welcome reception up on Whistler Mountain!”, said Mann. Check out the short slideshow below, and visit the Global Buyers Mission website for additional details. 

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Upskill Employees in Industrial Wood Processing & Sawmilling

British Columbia Institute of Technology
August 14, 2026
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada West

Are you looking to enhance your skills in the lumber and sawmill sector? Onboarding new employees that would benefit from formal education in the field? Are you seeking to provide your employees with essential business skills for professional development? BCIT is currently offering two Associate Certificates to help you: Industrial Wood Processing (IWP) and Business of Sawmilling (BOS). Both programs were developed with industry subject matter experts and informed by industry leaders to support upskilling and professional development for individuals in the lumber and sawmill sector. Each program is 1-year, delivered online and part-time to allow students to balance work and studies. The participants are new or existing employees in the North American lumber sector and are sponsored by their employers.

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Forestry

Beyond the Fire Line: Why Private Forests Matter Now

By Andrew de Vries, Chief Executive Officer
Canadian Forest Owners
September 10, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada

Canada is being forced to rethink its relationship with wildfire. The fires burning across the country are no longer an occasional disruption to the forest sector. They are becoming a defining economic, environmental and community challenge. …At the same time, Canada is confronting another challenge: how to secure enough fibre to keep mills operating, attract investment and sustain the rural communities that depend on forestry. These two issues are connected. And they point to one of Canada’s most underused forest-sector assets: its private working forests. When Mark Carney announced the Canadian Forest Sector Transformation Task Force in November 2025, Canadian Forest Owners (CFO) saw an opportunity to challenge the traditional boundaries of Canada’s forest policy. When we presented to the Task Force in February and submitted our recommendations in March, our message was straightforward: Canada cannot build a stronger, more competitive and more resilient forest sector while leaving privately managed forests at the margins.

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US and Canadian forest industry sought to weaken EU deforestation rules

By Elizabeth Schell
Mongabay.com
September 10, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, United States

When the European Union’s new anti-deforestation law threatened to expose the environmental costs of logging in North America’s forests, the American paper industry, supported by the U.S. government, mobilized an intense lobbying effort to weaken the legislation. According to lobbying disclosures, the American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA), have spent nearly $11 million dollars on lobbying efforts since 2023, including on the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR). …At stake is relations with a major trading partner. The U.S. exported $879.7 million worth of forest products to the EU in 2025, according to the USDA. It’s not just U.S. officials pushing to weaken the regulation. Canadian industry group Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC) and Canadian officials have also been outspoken against the rules. …More recently, FPAC and the AF&PA released a joint statement this year — along with the Australian Forest Products Association, the Japan Paper Association, and the New Zealand Forest Owners Association — requesting reduced oversight in low-deforestation-risk countries.

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As Canada grounds its wildfire satellite contract, a US project launches

By Jamie Voyles
National Observer
September 8, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada

Josh Johnston, a senior research scientist at the Canadian Forest Service, describes WildFireSat as his father’s dream. …Canada has had the technology and capability to remotely monitor fire hot spots and wildfire ignitions for a long time. …Canada needs WildFireSat now more than ever. But its launch, originally scheduled for 2029, has been complicated by a canceled contract and upstaged by alternative wildfire satellite systems that recently reached orbit. …WildFireSat received a major boost in 2022, when the federal government committed $169.9 million for the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), Natural Resources Canada and Environment and Climate Change Canada to deliver and operate the wildfire-monitoring satellite system. …Spire Global received a stop work order for the microsatellites in March and the contract terminated by the federal government on April 23, 2026 for undisclosed reasons. …Less than three months after Spire’s contract was terminated, another purpose-built wildfire satellite system, called FireSat, took a major step forward — in the United States.

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“It’s like a moonscape”: B.C. wildlife restoration experts on the challenges of recovering from increasingly intense wildfires

By Emily Joveski
My Cariboo Now
September 11, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

Wildfire restoration expert Angela Kane says she knows the high toll of being displaced by wildfire. She is the CEO of the Secwepemcul’ecw Restoration and Stewardship Society (SRSS), an Indigenous-led wildfire recovery organization that formed after the devastating 2017 Elephant Hill fire that burned close to 200,000 hectares near Ashcroft, B.C. …Kane said the scale of the destruction is also surreal, as B.C. sees such intense wildfires happening more frequently due to climate change. Recalling her experience flying over the landscape burned by the Elephant Hill fire, Kane said she was stunned by the devastation. …Kane said the first task for the society’s restoration efforts is finding areas where the soil has not been badly damaged and working with First Nations to determine where and what to plant. …“We did 292 page report on the Elephant Hill Wildfire lessons Learned back in 2017, which outlined to the provincial government, as well as BC wildfire, calls to action and recommendations,” said Kane.

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Many not happy with plan to harvest trees in Spallumcheen’s Rose Swanson Mountain area

By Darren Handschuh
Castanet
September 11, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

Glenn Tytenbeek isn’t just opposed to a plan to log parts of Spallumcheen’s Rose Swanson Mountain area, he is “vehemently opposed.” Tytenbeek was one of many people who attended an open house by the BC Timber Sales proposal which proposes to harvest up of 35.7 hectares of forest, spread over 15 smaller patches, ranging in size from one to 4.3-hectare openings. …Lisa Broughton was also opposed to the logging project. “I feel it is pure greed. Why should the rest of us have to suffer, the wildlife has to suffer and the forest being ravaged because of a company’s greed.” …“I actually don’t hear any concerns,” Warren Yablonski with the BCTS said about 45 minutes into the three-hour open house. “I hear people are okay with the plan.” …Yablonski noted the area has logged back on the 1950s as well. “That’s what created these old trails out there,” Yablonski said, adding hiking trails are logging trails from the 1950’s.

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Building wildfire resilience throughout B.C. — FireSmart funding applications open

By the Ministry of Forests
Government of British Columbia
September 13, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

Communities throughout British Columbia will have another opportunity to strengthen their wildfire resilience through the 2027 intake of the FireSmart Community Funding and Supports (FCFS) program. “This wildfire season reinforced that FireSmart works. We’re helping communities prepare for the 2027 wildfire season by engaging in active forest management, by building community resilience and by reducing the threat of wildfire,” said Ravi Parmar, Minister of Forests. The FCFS program provides funding to local governments and First Nations to increase community resiliency by supporting the development and implementation of local wildfire-risk-reduction projects. The program is delivered by the First Nations’ Emergency Services Society and the Union of B.C. Municipalities, in partnership with the Ministry of Forests. “First Nations communities are disproportionately impacted by wildfire,” said Francyne Joe, executive director, First Nations’ Emergency Services Society. “FireSmart funding gives communities the tools to build their own capacity, in ways that fit their needs and priorities.” 

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Hope remains for owl species despite no known wild population left in B.C., conservationist says

By Amber Moniz
CBC News
September 13, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

…The last recorded sighting of wild northern spotted owls in BC was in 2023… Spuzzum First Nation Chief Janice Kuester says the loss is deeply upsetting. …But that doesn’t mean there’s no hope. …Biologist and ecological consultant Jared Hobbs says re-establishing the species in B.C. is possible, “but we have to stop eroding the recovery options.” …An effort to have an emergency order issued for the owls failed in 2023 …Instead, the government said it was committed to collaborating with B.C. and Indigenous communities, in part through an ongoing federal recovery strategy. That plan identifies logging and species competition as the two main threats facing the owls, and sets a goal of restoring a stable population of 250 of the birds. Part of that goal involves introducing captive-bred spotted owls back into the wild. In B.C., the Northern Spotted Owl Breeding Program has roughly 40 spotted owls, and is working to breed and release more.

 

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Timber Pricing Talk | Conference Sold Out – Virtual Option | Northwest Meetings

Woodlots BC
September 11, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

Woodlots Weekly includes these stories and more:

Timber Pricing Talk: Ministry of Forests staff are planning to attend the Woodlots BC Conference in Parksville on October 3 and talk to woodlots licence holders about timber pricing initiatives. The Ministry is seeking to better understand the operating realities of woodlot licence holders and the woodlot perspective to support policy decision-making. This work is intended to help the Province better understand the unique characteristics and realities of woodlot licensees, including the role woodlots play in supporting local economic and community benefits, providing fibre to local markets, and contributing to resilient forest management practices. We encourage you to participate at the conference and share your experiences and perspectives. 

Virtual Option for Conference: We sold out! General registration for the 2026 Woodlots BC Conference and AGM is now closed but you can still register for virtual attendance for $100. If you register virtually, you will receive a link via email a few days prior to the event.

 

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Private Managed Forest Lands: Part of the Solution

By Megan Hanacek, RPF, RPBio
Private Forest Landowners Association
September 10, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

The BC forest sector is facing structural shifts that are limiting fibre supply on public lands and impacting rural communities throughout BC. Although not the only solution, private managed forest lands provide a vital avenue for sustainable, regulated timber production and economic stability… They act as economic engines, balancing commercial enterprise with environmental stewardship to support local communities. Private managed forest lands are the backbone of many regional economies in BC. [They] account for 32% of the coastal harvest and support nearly 5,000 jobs… Private managed forest landowners ensure that timber from private lands continues to flow to local mills, which otherwise struggle with the diminished timber supply from Crown lands. Private managed forest lands consistently prove that economic viability and environmental stewardship can go hand-in-hand. Ultimately, a stable regulatory environment for all BC forest lands will ensure the Private Managed Forest program continues to attract participants and support BC communities for years to come.

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AI-powered cameras provide ‘eyes’ and ‘nose’ to detect Island wildfires

By Hannah Link
Business in Vancouver
September 9, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

©Mosaic

A new wildfire-spotting camera on Sidney Island can detect fires so well that the first five alerts crews received were for blazes burning on the San Juan Islands and Vancouver Island, as far away as the Malahat. The AI-powered machine serves as “eyes” on the small island east of the Saanich Peninsula, while 45 sensors work as a collective “nose,” detecting air changes that could signal a fire, said Triana Newton, director of the Sidney Island Fire Brigade. …The growing wildfire risk prompted Mosaic Forest Management to install SenseNet cameras atop Mt. Benson, near Nanaimo in early August. The two high-resolution cameras work day and night, providing a 360-degree view of the area, said Steve Mjaaland, manager of forest protection for Mosaic. …Shahab Bahrami, co-founder and chief technology officer for SenseNet, said that about a third of the 200 detection cameras installed across Canada are in B.C.

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Prince George backs call for public inquiry into forestry practices

By Cheryl Jahn
CKPG News Prince George
September 9, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

PRINCE GEORGE – The City of Prince George will add its voice to growing calls for a provincial examination of the link between forest management practices and the severity of wildfires in British Columbia after council voted to support pursuing an independent public inquiry. The resolution, brought forward by the city’s Standing Committee on Intergovernmental Affairs, received council support despite concerns from some members about cost and effectiveness. Coun. Brian Skakun, co-author of the resolution, said the province must take a closer look at how forests are managed and whether current approaches are helping or contributing to increasingly destructive wildfire seasons. “I think the province, along with First Nations, have to look at what we’re doing wrong,” Skakun said. …Council will take the resolution to the Union of British Columbia Municipalities and send letters to the Premier, the Minister of Forests and the Minister of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness requesting provincial action.

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Island helicopter company adds muscle to wildfire effort

By Darren Kloster
Victoria Times Colonist
September 8, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

Since early June, Vancouver Island Helicopters and a crew of pilots and maintenance and support teams have been attacking wildfires from Quebec and the Northwest Territories to Alberta and British Columbia. Among other rotary and fixed-wing aircraft, the North Saanich-based company is using its S-92A Sikorsky Fire Raptor. VIH is the first to convert this particular model of Sikorsky for firefighting. It’s normally used in search and rescue, the heavy-lift industry and to ferry heads of state. …VIH crews have moved steadily west since the wildfire season began. Chief operating officer Jen Norie said the Fire Raptors and the company’s converted S-61 Sikorsky helicopters are proving their worth. …In August, Port Alberni-based Coulson Aviation purchased 10 C-130 Hercules airplanes from the federal government with plans to convert them to firefighting tankers. Coulson hopes at least two of the massive planes will be ready to fight wildfires in B.C. by next season.

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Three Okanagan grad students win big for wildlife contributions

By Brittany Webster
The Penticton Western News
September 8, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

Nine graduate students in B.C. have been awarded scholarships through the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation (HCTF), including three students in the Okanagan. Studying at the University of B.C. Okanagan (UBCO), Madeline Frazer, Peter Baker and Kara Atkinson were each awarded $10,000 to support applied research in wildlife and habitat stewardship, management, policy and decision-making. “Their projects reflect the breadth of the challenges and opportunities in wildlife management, from species-focused research on grizzly bears, elk, mule deer, caribou, snakes and birds to broader work on the impact of climate change on species, evaluating invasive species management, the impact of silviculture and forest harvest on ungulate, and the history of land management on ecosystems,” said Dan Buffet with HCTF.

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Okanagan Indian Band warns of flood, rockfall risk in wildfire-burned areas

By Brendan Shykora
Pentiction Western News
September 8, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

©BCWildfireService

The Okanagan Indian Band (OKIB) is warning of increased flooding and slope instability risks following an assessment of the area affected by the Bradley Creek wildfire. In an update Tuesday morning, Sept. 8, the band said it has received a preliminary post-wildfire geohazard assessment from Stantec for areas affected by the blaze, which is now under control, having burned an area spanning 2,658 hectares after it ignited and rapidly spread on Aug. 1. The wildfire destroyed an estimated 230 homes on OKIB land. In the aftermath, the assessment identified an increased potential for flooding, erosion, debris flows, rockfall and slope instability in some burned areas, particularly during heavy rainfall, rain-on-snow events and spring freshet, the OKIB said. “Bradley Creek and several individual properties require further assessment. Increased runoff and debris could also affect drainage and the Westside Road crossing during significant rainfall,” the band said.

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A Decade of Impact: Investing in Community Forests for the Long Term

Forest Enhancement Society of BC
September 9, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

British Columbia – As the Forest Enhancement Society of BC (FESBC) marks its 10th anniversary, the Society is reflecting on the investments that have supported community forest projects across the province. From wildfire risk reduction and ecosystem restoration to better fibre utilization and local employment, these investments have helped community forests advance work that reflects local priorities and supports the long-term stewardship of our forests. The Province of BC grants Community Forest Agreements to selected communities, giving them the right and responsibility to manage specific areas of Crown forest, generally located near their communities. “Community Forest Agreements allow communities and forest managers to take the long view in a way that many other tenures cannot,” said Jennifer Gunter, Executive Director of the BC Community Forest Association (BCCFA). “Because they are long-term tenures community forests often invest in work that goes well beyond timber harvesting.”

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BC Timber Sales holding open house on controversial Mt. Rose Swanson logging plans

By Brendan Shykora
Summerland Review
September 5, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

BC Timber Sales (BCTS) is holding an open house in Spallumcheen next week regarding its controversial proposal to harvest trees on Mount Rose Swanson, a popular recreation area in the community. The open house will take place at the Township of Spallumcheen Municipal Hall Thursday, Sept. 10. …The provincial agency that manages 20% of BC’s public timber harvest is proposing a new cut block and road development in its Rose Swanson operating area, located within the Okanagan-Shuswap natural resource districts. The planned timber licence would cover 35.7 hectares, spread over 15 smaller patches ranging from one to 4.3-ha openings. About 14,500 cubic metres of timber would be harvested, with an estimated 95 per cent of the areas’ deciduous aspen and cottonwood trees left standing. …The proposed cut block and logging road has drawn criticism since it was made public several years ago. …An online petition to halt logging on the mountain received 24,000 signatures.

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‘Not us’: Walbran activist condemns tree spiking

By Roxanne Egan-Elliott
Victoria Times Colonist
September 6, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

People embedding metal spikes in trees in the Walbran Valley area are not associated with an activist group trying to stop old-growth logging, a member of the Walbran Watchdogs says. The tree spikes were identified in a B.C. Supreme Court ruling as an example of the “irreparable harm” suffered by Tsawak-qin Forestry Limited Partnership, which has rights to log in the area. The ruling extended an injunction against blocking roads and impeding logging in the area. The injunction had been set to expire on Sept. 13, but was extended to the end of January 2028. In an August ruling, Justice H. William Veenstra found that hundreds of trees had been spiked in the area, leading to damaged logging equipment and the potential for “significant risk of injury or death” to fallers and sawmill workers. 

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Cathedral Grove winner of The Search for B.C.’s Best Roadside Attraction

By Sophie Woodrooffe
CBC News
September 4, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

Back in 1979 the narrow parking spaces were there, as were the trees. And so was Bill Beese. He was 23 at the time, working as a summer student for the forestry giant MacMillan Bloedel. And while he couldn’t conduct his field work inside the provincial park, his boss said he and the other students should stop there anyway. Just to look. Or rather, look up. “We were just awestruck,” said Beese. …”The name Cathedral Grove is very apt.” Nearly 50 years later, Beese is one of the thousands of voters who helped Cathedral Grove beat 31 challengers over the CBC’s five-week competition to determine the top thing people like to get out of their cars and look, or look up at. “It is literally a roadside attraction. The highway goes right through this magnificent old-growth forest. And it’s very unique,” said Beese, who, as a forest ecologist and retired Vancouver Island University forestry professor, admits bias. 

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Setting new harvest level in Omineca region

By the Ministry of Forests
Government of British Columbia
September 4, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

B.C.’s deputy chief forester has determined the new allowable annual cut (AAC), the maximum amount of timber that can be harvested each year, for Tree Farm Licence (TFL) 30 in the Omineca region. The new AAC, which takes effect Friday, Sept. 4, 2026, is 340,000 cubic metres, a 17.6% reduction from the previous AAC. The deputy chief forester considered changes that have affected the amount of timber that can be sustainably harvested since the previous review. It includes the need to retain more trees for wildlife habitat, protect riparian areas and conserve rare ecosystems. TFL 30 overlaps the territory of the following First Nations: Lheidli T’enneh Nation; McLeod Lake Indian Band; West Moberly First Nations; and Tsay Keh Dene Nation. The determination considered issues raised by First Nations, including maintaining habitat for moose and protecting streams, riparian areas and fish habitat.

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B.C. wildfire salvage rate sparks debate over how much burned timber should be recovered

By Tchadas Leo
Chek News
September 5, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

As B.C. recovers from another intense wildfire season, debate is growing over how much and how quickly timber from burned forests can, and should be recovered. B.C. Conservative Party MLA and forestry critic Ward Stamer says the province is moving too slowly and leaving too much valuable timber behind. …The province says that, on average, about five per cent of timber in wildfire-impacted areas is currently being salvaged. Stamer wants that rate to rise to 25 per cent and says the province should make better use of existing roads and infrastructure to improve access. …B.C. Forestry Minister Ravi Parmar says a 25 per cent salvage rate isn’t realistic, pointing to challenges including access, operability and safety. Stamer disputes that argument. …Stamer says the province could be doing more to get additional burned timber to market. A study from Université Laval found that fire-affected wood can split and is vulnerable to insects and fungal attacks.

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Fast-moving wildfires reshaping B.C.’s forests, new study finds

By Nathan Griffiths
Victoria Times Colonist
September 7, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

Ellen Whitman

New research suggests that fast-moving wildfires, such as the Bald Range blaze near Summerland that forced recent evacuations, are burning bigger and leaving ­forests less able to grow back to their ­pre-burn state. The study analyzed nearly 3,500 fires across Canada and the western U.S. between 2012 and 2023. Researchers used satellite data to track how quickly fires spread each day. They found the fastest-moving fires burned more severely, killed more trees and made it more difficult for forests to regenerate. “It’s not necessarily incredibly surprising that fast-moving fires are responsible for the largest area burned. But we now also show that they have pretty outsized ecological impacts as well,” said Ellen ­Whitman, one of the study authors. Those impacts can range from changing the tree makeup of a forest, “something we have been seeing quite a lot in the northwestern boreal,” Whitman said, to no tree regeneration at all, a result Whitman called “pretty extreme.”

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Court says hundreds of Walbran Valley trees ‘spiked’ as blockade injunction extended

By Darryl Greer
The Canadian Press in CTV News
September 3, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

Hundreds of trees have been found embedded with metal spikes in Vancouver Island’s upper Walbran Valley, according to a court ruling that extends an injunction against a logging blockade there until early 2028. The BC Supreme Court court ruling says the blockade activity has included vandalism of logging equipment and tree-spiking incidents, in which two fallers had their chainsaws damaged beyond repair when they struck spikes on Aug. 18. Last Friday’s ruling says the loggers weren’t injured, but tree spikes carry “significant risk of injury or death”. Investigations found several hundred trees in Tsawak‑Qin Forestry’s cutblocks had been embedded with spikes, many with their heads cut off and bark placed over the top. …Tsawak‑Qin Forestry’s activities in the upper Walbran Valley have been disrupted by protesters opposed to old-growth logging since August 2025. Justice H. William Veenstra’s ruling says “the new evidence establishes that there continues to be irreparable harm suffered by Tsawak-Qin”.

Related coverage in: Chek News, by Liz Brown: Injunction to prevent logging protests at Walbran Valley extended to January 2028

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Clear-cutting is undermining Nova Scotia’s path to reconciliation

By Geoffrey Hurley, retired environmental consultant
The Halifax Examiner
September 9, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada East

CAPE BRETON, Nova Scotia — The ultimate goal of government negotiations with Mi’kmaw leaders is a fair and just settlement of outstanding land claims. That shared objective is the foundation upon which reconciliation must be built. Yet today, the province’s embrace of clear-cutting on contested Crown land is systematically undermining that very goal — turning potential partners into adversaries and turning forests into bargaining chips that will no longer exist when the real talks begin. For weeks, Mi’kmaw land protectors maintained a checkpoint at Hunter’s Mountain in Unama’ki (Cape Breton), standing firm against clear-cutting on land they consider sacred. Their protest is about more than trees. It is about treaty rights, reconciliation, and the future of fair land claim settlements. Premier Tim Houston’s government passed the Protecting Nova Scotians Act, which criminalizes blocking forest access roads. …The choice is clear: stop clear-cutting or jeopardize any hope of a fair settlement.

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Pictou plants 75,000 native seedlings to restore woodlands

By Matthew Bambrick
The Pictou News
September 10, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada East

PICTOU – The Town of Pictou is restoring its woodlands hit hard by post-tropical storm Fiona in 2022. The town announced Sept. 3 that Pictou’s Fitness Trails and woodlands will be replanted with 75,000 native seedlings. It said in a news release that the project was fully funded with the trees and shrubs coming through the Thriving Forests Program. The program is a provincial tree-planting and ecosystem restoration initiative led by the Clean Foundation in partnership with the provincial and federal governments. Thriving Forests is aiding the province’s goal to plant up to 21 million trees by 2031 on private and public lands, which was first announced by the federal and provincial governments in August 2024, with funding from the federal government’s 2 Billion Trees program.

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‘We were essentially silenced’: how Ontario handcuffed its at-risk species experts

By Fatima Syed and Leah Borts-Kuperman
The Narwhal
September 10, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada East

…When the Species Conservation Act replaced Ontario’s long-standing Endangered Species Act, the change, introduced under Bill 5 in June 2025, stripped provincial protection from several species and narrowed habitat protection for others — 106 species lost protections, a July 2026 report by Ontario Nature found. It also introduced a new model for environmental assessments that is “proponent-led,” leaving developers largely responsible for assessing their own environmental impact and cutting government biologists out of the process almost entirely. A recording of the meeting, which involved about 25 staff members in the species at risk branch of the Ministry of Environment, was shared with The Narwhal by one participant… sources reveal the new act has had a significant impact on the people tasked with protecting Ontario’s most vulnerable species — reducing them from experts to rubber stamps, if anything at all, for the industries they once held to account.

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Planting of nearly 34,000 trees in city backed by new federal funding

By Gary Rinne
Thunder Bay News Watch
September 9, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada East

THUNDER BAY — The City of Thunder Bay is benefiting from an infusion of government cash as it continues to plant thousands of trees, largely to mitigate the destruction of the urban forest canopy caused by the invasive emerald ash borer. The federal government and the Federation of Canadian Municipalities have announced details of a recent round of funding under the Growing Canada’s Community Canopies program. Ottawa provides the money, but the program is delivered and administered by the FCM. Thunder Bay has received $4.6 million, one of the largest allocations in the country, and is using the money to plant 33,550 trees and seedlings. According to the FCM, the project includes targeted planting across city parkettes, waterfront lands, wetland areas, and urban infrastructure. Cory Halvorsen, the city’s manager of parks and open spaces, said the city applied for the funding over a year ago, but only recently received word it had been approved.

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Vince Rutter says under-harvesting is adding fuel to the fire

By Graham Strong
Northern Ontario Business
September 4, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada East

Vince Rutter

Vince Rutter wants to get people thinking about fire in Northern Ontario forests. Forest fires are the result of a complex, intertwined set of issues. Rutter believes the solutions are intertwined, including sourcing energy from our forests and changing our negative attitudes about cutting down trees. Rutter has been deeply connected with forests in northwestern Ontario for about 30 years … he moved to Thunder Bay in 1996 to take the forestry program at Lakehead University. …Rutter said that harvesting and burning wood for energy doesn’t release any more CO2 than would be released after the tree died anyway. Besides, filters and controlled burning means the process can be more environmentally friendly. So why don’t we rely upon wood energy more? …“Canadians are scared to work the forests,” Rutter said. “We’re harvesting about half of our annual allowable cut. The other half is accumulating — dying and rotting, or catching on fire.”

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Quebec wildfire smoke left forest moths with deformed wings, Concordia research finds

By Patrick Lejtenyi
Concordia University
September 8, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada East

Over the course of the summer of 2023, Quebec experienced its worst wildfire season on record. By its end, some 4.5 million hectares of the province’s boreal forest were burned. While the effects of the toxic smoke on humans have been thoroughly studied, our knowledge of the impact on local fauna — including insects — is lacking. A new study led by Concordia researchers is among the first to look at how exposure to wildfire smoke affects the development of lepidoptera: the order of winged insects that includes moths and butterflies. The paper… shows that smoke exposure during larval development caused significantly higher rates of wing deformities in spruce budworm and forest tent caterpillar moths, two species that periodically strip the leaves off millions of hectares of Canadian forest when the insects’ populations boom. …Smoke-exposed spruce budworm moths were twice as likely to develop wings that the researchers classified as folded, crumpled or missing. 

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Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy

Canada is now more than 20 years behind reaching its 2030 emissions target

By Canadian Climate Institute
PR Newswire
September 11, 2026
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: Canada

OTTAWA, ON–New analysis of Canada’s current emissions trajectory finds the country is not expected to hit its 2030 emissions target before 2050, let alone achieve net zero emissions by then. Under today’s policies–including the implementation agreement for the Canada-Alberta Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)–Canada would be more than 20 years behind schedule in achieving its international climate commitments, according to research by the Canadian Climate Institute’s 440 Megatonnes project. Unless governments across the country implement stronger policies, the Institute’s analysis finds that national emissions in 2040 will be at least 202 million tonnes above levels aligned with a pathway to net zero emissions. The gap is roughly equivalent to leaving an extra 44 million gasoline-powered cars on the road by 2040–or nearly the total combined emissions of Ontario and British Columbia. If the country remains on its current course, by 2050 Canada’s emissions would be 460 megatonnes higher than the legislated target of net zero.

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The trade war could sideline climate or become an opportunity

The National Observer
September 8, 2026
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: Canada

As Canada confronts a trade war with the US, climate action risks becoming collateral damage. But the same economic shock could also allow Canada an opportunity to rethink its energy future. This tension was at the centre of Canada’s National Observer’s newest conversation hosted by Linda Solomon and David McKie. …The trade dispute is already hitting major Canadian industries, Snieckus said, pointing to steel, forestry and automotive manufacturing, as well as thousands of small and medium-sized businesses. At the same time, Canada has considerable leverage because of the resources our neighbours rely on. But the discussion repeatedly returned to a bigger question: where does climate action fit when economic sovereignty becomes the immediate priority? Max Fawcett argued protecting Canadian sovereignty has to come first because climate policy itself depends on it. …Darius Snieckus said the trade war could become an “industrial policy shock” that ultimately leaves Canada more economically diversified and energy secure.

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Climate change could increase pest and disease damage across North American forests

By Demetra Maragos
CTV News
September 4, 2026
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: Canada, United States

New research suggests climate change could leave Canada’s forests increasingly vulnerable to pests and disease in the coming decades, while a federal climate report projects a sharp increase in the area burned by wildfires across the country. A federal government report warns average temperatures in Canada could rise by at least 3.5 C by the end of the century, even if the world achieves net-zero greenhouse gas emissions. At the same time, researchers at the University of British Columbia say climate change is expected to increase pest and disease damage across much of North America’s forests. The UBC study found more than 80 per cent of the forest area examined could experience higher levels of damage by the middle of the century. “Climate can influence the performance of both trees and the pests,” said Dr. Zihui Wang, a researcher in UBC’s Department of Botany.

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Health & Safety

Supporting B.C. tech strengthens general aviation emergency response

By Ministry of Jobs and Economic Growth
Government of British Columbia
September 10, 2026
Category: Health & Safety
Region: Canada West

Two B.C. companies are receiving provincial support to deploy clean-energy technology that strengthens backup power reliability for general aviation aircraft in B.C., replacing diesel generators with battery storage to keep critical services, such as wildfire response, medical transport and search and rescue, running during emergencies. With as much as $1 million being provided through B.C.’s Integrated Marketplace, Abbotsford-based Fast Air will deploy a mobile battery and solar power system developed by Richmond-based Holinova at the Abbotsford International Airport. …The Fast Air-Holinova project is the second project launched under Integrated Marketplace’s Forestry Innovation and Emergency Management Testbed. Announced in December 2025, the Forestry Innovation and Emergency Management Testbed enables testing of technologies that may generate insights and data that could be implemented throughout the province. The data could provide insights to help: improve emergency response; improve resilience; streamline emergency processes; and build efficiencies in the forestry sector.

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Wildfire is the top risk for Kootenay town Creston, new assessment finds

By Amber Wang
CBC News
September 9, 2026
Category: Health & Safety
Region: Canada West

©Town of Creston

Creston, B.C., had a relatively quiet wildfire summer in town this year. Still, wildfire sits at the top of a new assessment of the risks facing the community. The Town of Creston looked at 51 possible hazards, including floods, extreme heat, drought and wastewater problems. Wildfire was the only one rated as a current high risk. Officials say the finding is not a prediction for one fire season. Instead, it is a reminder that Creston is a mountain community surrounded by forests and dry slopes, and that preparation needs to happen before a major fire reaches town. The assessment comes as B.C. communities prepare for new provincial emergency management rules taking effect in January 2027, including new requirements for hazard risk assessments and emergency planning.

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Fire Stop: Yukon First Nations Wildfire expands into home fire‑protection systems

By Ross Burnet
Yukon News
September 5, 2026
Category: Health & Safety
Region: Canada West

©YFNW

The Yukon First Nations Wildfire (YFNW) organization has established a service to help homeowners, cabin dwellers, remote camps, and industrial sites figure out what might be needed and then they can supply good quality equipment. YFNW is customizing fire suppression kits for different locations. The most important piece is the pump. YFNW is a Waterax distributor. This brand is known for supplying professional wildland firefighting crews with versatile workhorse portable and mobile pumps. Their website (yfnwildfire.com) states “Yukon First Nations Wildfire (YFNW) is a partnership of nine Yukon First Nations stakeholders, providing emergency management and training services. …As a firefighting organization, YFNW deploys crews to fires in Yukon and elsewhere. …A water system can be viewed as an investment and one that could have a real impact … some thought to sprinklers- even ones set-up with no water, for fire crews to connect to on your home—is worth considering.

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Forest History & Archives

Learning From the Land: Indigenous Knowledge, Forestry, and the Path to Reconciliation

BC Forest History Association
September 14, 2026
Category: Forest History & Archives
Region: Canada West

The BC Forest History Association Speaker Series. Jordon Gabriel, from the Líl̓wat Nation will present: Learning From the Land: Indigenous Knowledge, Forestry, and the Path to Reconciliation. We will explore how Líl̓wat knowledge and contemporary forestry practices are being brought together through cultural burning, wildfire risk reduction, fuels management, community forestry, and collaborative stewardship. Our key takeaway is that reconciliation in forestry must prioritize Indigenous voices, knowledge, and authority in land stewardship to support healthier forests, safer communities, cultural continuity, employment, and responsibility to future generations. Líl̓wat Forestry Ventures Ltd. is a leading forestry management corporation within the Líl̓wat Nation in Mount Currie, British Columbia. Jordon Gabriel, from the Líl̓wat Nation, is one of the Forestry Technicians helping to ensure sustainable management of the Nation’s forests and the preservation of all cultural values for generations to come. Jordon worked with the BC Wildfire Services for 20 years.

Tuesday, September 15th 2026 7:00PM PST (Online – Zoom). To participate, please register for our Zoom Presentation

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