OTTAWA, ON — U.S. tariffs on Canadian lumber and wood products could create an unexpected opportunity to support housing supply. While tariffs continue to weigh on Canada’s economy, new research from Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) shows they may make more Canadian wood products available for domestic use, helping reduce construction costs for certain types of housing. CMHC Chief Economist, Mathieu Laberge’s latest analysis suggests if Canadian wood products were used more consistently in domestic homebuilding, annual ground-oriented housing starts could increase by approximately 3.5%, resulting in nearly 4,000 additional homes per year. Construction costs for this type of housing could also fall by as much as 17% in some centres. Detached homes and townhouses would benefit most, as they rely heavily on wood products compared to high-rise apartment buildings.
In an early loss for the Carney government, a federal court refused to strike down a climate lawsuit brought by Canadian youth. Justice Patrick Gleeson sided with the young people and the environmental advocates who are asking the court to hear what could be a landmark case on the federal government’s climate accountability legislation. The ruling means the environmentalists will likely get their day in court where both they and the government will get an opportunity to argue whether the Carney government must update its climate plan, formally known as the Canadian Net-Zero Emissions Accountability Act. Back in June, three young people and two environmental groups launched a lawsuit asking the Federal Court to order Ottawa to amend its climate plan. Since the plan was first launched in 2022, the Liberal government under Prime Minister Mark Carney has eliminated key measures needed for Canada to achieve the 2030 target. 
WAHSINGTON — I read a poll earlier this month showing that 41% of Canadians see the US as “an enemy country.” The poll was conducted right after President Trump slapped 50% tariffs on $27.6 billion of Canadian exports to the US. …I have no illusions that U.S.-Canada relations were idyllic before Trump took office. …But the recent turn in US-Canada relations feels different. Canada’s willingness to antagonize its far larger trading partner signals how much Canadians now fear that their economic integration with the United States was a major strategic mistake. Can the economic relationship between the two countries be repaired? …A conversation with Rohinton Medhora at McGill University… left me with three take aways. 1. Canadians are feeling frustration, anger, and trepidation. …2. Carney sees no political or strategic alternative to retaliating against the Trump tariffs. …3. Washington and Ottawa may find an off-ramp, but Canada will continue to reduce its vulnerability to US economic pressure.
Canadian Prime Minister Carney welcomed the European Union’s ambition to make Ottawa an associate member and said Canadian lawmakers would ultimately vote on the final structure of the alliance. …Carney did not name President Trump in his speech, but he nodded to his US counterpart’s use of tariffs by saying, “Economic integration is now being weaponized — tariffs being used to exert pressure.” …His comments come shortly after Trump described the prospect of Canada becoming the first associate member of the EU as “laughable” and threatened the bloc with tariffs if he deemed the move to be a “hostile act.” …European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that the 27-nation bloc wanted to bring the relationship with Canada “to the highest level possible.” …Associate membership doesn’t currently exist as a formal category under EU treaties, and any such arrangement would need to be created and ratified by member states.
The British Columbia Supreme Court has refused to approve a proposed reverse vesting transaction (RVO) for Teal-Jones Group that would have wiped out long-standing fibre supply agreements tied to TFL 46, finding that TimberWest and Domtar held proprietary interests that should not be extinguished. The Monitor argued that the sale of the Surrey Mill and TFL 46 to Gillfor Manufacturing was the best available transaction and that removing the agreements was necessary to preserve the business, but the Court found no sufficient evidence that the agreements were uneconomic or would prevent Gillfor from operating the assets. With the agreements priced at fair market value and their termination expected to cause significant prejudice to TimberWest and Domtar, the Court declined to approve the transaction unless they remained in place. …The prejudice to Domtar if the supply agreements were extinguished would be significant. 
In the face of ongoing trade disputes, including those around softwood lumber, the Government of Canada is taking decisive action to support the forest sector. We are committed to protecting workers and jobs, and giving Canadian companies the stability they need to weather short-term shocks and retool for a stronger, more diversified future. In support of that commitment, the Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Finance and National Revenue, today highlighted a $30-million loan to Conifex Timber Inc. through the Large Enterprise Tariff Loan (LETL) facility. The funding provided through LETL will help the company adapt to current conditions, support its workers, and build a more secure future for the community of Mackenzie, British Columbia. This support comes as the Government of Canada enhances the LETL facility to better meet the needs of Canadian employers facing continued trade uncertainty.
A comprehensive support package will fill the gap and help BC businesses affected by US tariffs produce and sell more of their products locally as well as overseas. … “President Trump’s unfair trade war is an attack on BC workers, businesses and communities – especially in our forest sector,” said Premier David Eby. “BThat’s why we’re enhancing proven programs to help BC businesses find new customers, create jobs and build a stronger, more resilient and self-reliant economy.” The support package provides new funding to existing programs:
PRINCE GEORGE — A long-standing Prince George transportation company is preparing for a major downsizing after losing a key forestry hauling contract in the wake of Canfor’s Northwood Pulp Mill closure. Excel Transportation announced it will no longer serve as a hauling contractor for Canfor, a decision the company says stems from the ongoing downturn in northern B.C.’s forestry sector rather than any concerns about performance or safety. “This is one of the most difficult announcements we’ve had to make in our company’s history,” said CEO Annie Horning in a statement. The closure of the Northwood mill earlier this year eliminated roughly 300 Canfor jobs and significantly reduced the amount of wood being moved throughout the region. With less timber available to haul, Canfor reduced the number of hauling contracts it requires and ultimately chose not to retain Excel.
THUNDER BAY — The Ontario government is investing more than $2.5 million to advance major upgrades at Thunder Bay Pulp and Paper, as well as two additional projects in Northwestern Ontario that will increase the industry’s use of mill by-products and underused forest biomass. The upgrades will help increase the forest sector’s production and capacity, protecting over 700 direct jobs and more than 3,350 indirect jobs. This Forest Biomass Program funding is part of the government’s plan to protect Ontario forestry workers. …Ontario is investing more than $2.4 million to plan boiler and chemical plant upgrades at Thunder Bay Pulp and Paper, a critical anchor mill in Northwestern Ontario’s forest economy. …AUX Energy is receiving $92,500 to develop plans for a biomass-powered generator project that will increase energy security in Fort Frances. …Weyerhaeuser is receiving $32,650 for a study of production line upgrades to reduce costs while improving efficiency and product quality.
Lumber futures fell below $550 per thousand board feet, reaching their lowest level in nine months, as elevated borrowing costs continued to weigh on demand. The US housing market remains tight, with mortgage rates near their highest level in over a year and showing no sign of easing after the Federal Reserve hiked its key policy rate, weighing on demand from prospective homebuyers. Building permits also fell 2.7% over the month, although a 7.6% increase in lumber-intensive single-family housing starts in August. Provided an offsetting pressure, US-Canada trade talks fell through, raising concerns over lumber supply.
Canadian wood product prices fell 1.2% from July but remained up 8.6% from a year earlier, after rising 6.4% the prior month, Statistics Canada reported. Canada’s broader factory-gate prices rose 1.3% from July and were up 13.5% from a year earlier. Wood product prices trailed Canada’s total Industrial Product Price Index by 4.9 percentage points year over year, leaving August’s monthly gain short of the wider rise in factory-gate prices.
VANCOUVER, BC — Record exports of commodities are moving to new and growing overseas markets this year as the Port of Vancouver helps move more of what Canadians make, mine, harvest and grow to more customers. Overall cargo volumes for the Port of Vancouver hit a record 88.1 million metric tons (MMT) for the first six months of 2026, up 3% compared to the same period for 2025. …“From Quebec aluminum… Alberta energy and BC forestry products and critical minerals—we’re proud to move what Canadians make. More than $1 billion in goods moves through the port each and every day, and with game changing projects on the horizon like Roberts Bank Terminal 2 we’re ready to step up to deliver more.” …The Port of Vancouver handles about half of Canada’s two-way container trade, comprising exports of forestry products, food, machinery and premium grain, and imports like consumer goods and manufacturing parts.
VANCOUVER, BC — West Fraser Timber announced that it has entered into a new $500 million three-year term loan, partial proceeds of which will be used to retire its existing $300 million term loan due in 2028. The new term loan matures in September 2029. The Company’s $1 billion syndicated credit facility remains outstanding on existing terms and has approximately four years remaining to its May 2030 maturity. …”Entering into a new $500 million term loan strengthens our near-term liquidity position and provides additional financial flexibility,” said Sean McLaren, President and CEO, West Fraser. …The Company has also declared a quarterly dividend of US$0.32 per share on the Common shares and Class B Common shares in the capital of the Company, payable on October 19, 2026 to shareholders of record on September 29, 2026.
As architects and interior designers balance sustainability goals with the growing demand for human-centred spaces, biophilic design offers an opportunity to support both people and the planet. Research continues to demonstrate the measurable benefits of biophilic design with wood, including improvements in wellbeing, occupant satisfaction and overall user experience. Explore this toolkit of resources and discover how to create healthier, more inspiring spaces.
MONTRÉAL — Domtar is proud to announce a $25,000 contribution to Indspire’s Building Brighter Futures: Bursaries and Scholarships program. Helping to remove financial barriers, the program supports First Nations, Inuit and Métis students across Canada to pursue and complete post-secondary education. “Education creates opportunity and strengthens communities,” said Luc Thériault, Domtar’s President – Canada and CEO, Pulp and Wood Products. “We’re proud to partner with Indspire to help Indigenous students achieve their educational goals and create pathways to rewarding careers.” …Domtar’s contribution will be matched by the Government of Canada, doubling the impact of the donation and bringing the total value of support for Indigenous students to $50,000. …Indspire is a national Indigenous charity that invests in the education of First Nations, Inuit and Métis people. …Domtar has previously supported Indigenous students through Indspire’s Building Brighter Futures program, including students pursuing forestry and forestry-related studies.
HDI Risk Consulting has published a new climate risk assessment of Canada’s Boreal Forest using its modelling platform, mapping how heat stress, drought, wildfire, water scarcity and permafrost thaw interact across a region spanning Canada, Alaska and the northern US. The analysis is part of HRC’s Iconic Landmarks series, applying spatial climate data to identify where physical risk concentrates and how it cascades into business interruption for the forestry, mining, energy and transport sectors that depend on the region. “Climate risk moves through interconnected systems. The Boreal Forest is a clear example of that interaction,” said Wiebke Cundill, HRC’s team lead for natural hazards and climate risk analysis. …Given how much Canadian lumber, energy and minerals feed directly into US manufacturing and construction, HRC’s point, that “a wildfire in Canada can quickly become a US business problem,” is grounded in real, measurable trade data rather than a general climate-adjacency claim.
The European Union has updated its regulation on deforestation-free products (EUDR), which is intended to ensure that products placed on or exported from the EU market do not contribute to deforestation or forest degradation. …The EU amended the regulation in December 2024 and December 2025, introducing simplification measures intended to reduce administrative costs and compliance burdens for affected companies. The EUDR will begin applying to large and medium operators on December 30. Micro and small operators will be subject to the regulation beginning June 30, 2027, while micro and small operators already covered by the EU Timber Regulation will have a December 30 compliance date. The EUDR replaces the EU Timber Regulation and is part of the European Commission’s broader effort to reduce the EU’s contribution to global deforestation, greenhouse gas emissions, and biodiversity loss. …An 
The University of British Columbia and the Lower Fraser Fisheries Alliance (LFFA) have signed a memorandum of collaboration to strengthen their partnership on fisheries conservation and research, resource management, and environmental stewardship in S’ólh Téméxw. The traditional and shared territory of the Stó:lō people spans the Fraser Valley and lower Fraser Canyon region of B.C. The agreement formalizes a long-standing research relationship between the Faculty of Forestry & Environmental Stewardship (FES), the Faculty of Science, the Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries (IOF) and the LFFA, a First Nations-led organization that advances the collective fisheries interests of 24 Lower Fraser First Nations. The partnership provides a framework for collaboration on a number of areas including strengthening work on long-term fisheries conservation including the health and sustainability of fisheries, aquatic resources and their habitats, with particular attention to the management of Fraser River fish. 
Recent headlines have made clear the need for change in BC’s forest sector. …We can and should emphasise building with renewable materials sourced from BC timber, such as expanding local production of mass timber and continuing to advance tall wood construction. …The Faculty of Forestry & Environmental Stewardship (FES) at the University of British Columbia (UBC) is doing just that. …Our recently launched UBC Richards Buchanan Professorship in Forests, Nature and Human Health is taking this line of research one step further. …Made possible with a multi-million-dollar gift from philanthropist Bruce Buchanan and leveraging support from UBC, the scope of this innovative professorship overlaps with such fields as medicine, public health, epidemiology, environmental health, neuroscience and/or environmental psychology. Potential topics of investigation span urban greening, forest therapy, nature-based solutions, Indigenous health, community well-being, biophilic design and/or environmental change, such as from extreme heat events, air pollution or wildfire smoke.
British Columbia has endured another extreme drought with damaging impacts seen across the province. …Playing out year over year, the chaotic cycle of drought crises has become a familiar experience for BC. We argue it’s the result of provincial water management that continues to treat drought as a short-term seasonal emergency rather than the year-round, persistent problem it has become. A 
Drought and water-scarcity challenges persist in B.C., with some areas expected to remain affected through the winter and potentially into 2027. While some recent rainfall has provided local relief, the snowpack is forecast to be low in the coming months, so water conservation must continue through winter. People, businesses, farms, water suppliers, First Nations and local governments are being urged to continue conserving water and planning ahead. Communities, particularly those in and below areas affected by wildfire, should also prepare for flooding, debris flows, landslides and erosion during intense fall, winter storms. …While late-summer rainfall has helped calm conditions, the wildfire season is not over and large areas of the province remain at risk for wildfire activity, including the potential for increased activity in October.
B.C.’s Ministry of Forests announced it would begin piloting its new Working Forest Landscape Model. The model aims to support the province’s goal of an annual timber harvest of 45 million cubic metres, while reducing industry red tape, such as cutting permits. It will be tested out in an area near Campbell River. …Instead of relying on individual cutblock permits for Crown land, this model would divide areas in the province into three zones. A working forest zone would prioritize commercial timber harvest. Forestry companies operating within it would be able to plan for the broader area from the start rather than incrementally adding more cutblocks. …A multiple-use zone would have various functions aimed at “the restoration and enhancement of biodiversity and ecosystem functions,” such as wildfire mitigation, according to the province. And a conservation and protection zone would ensure “long-term ecosystem function and biodiversity.”
Filmmaker Murray Wilson responds to criticism of the documentary’s case for active forest management:
As wildfires raged this summer, I turned to the documentary film 
As the provincial government advances plans to carve British Columbia’s lands into zones where logging and other industrial activities are permitted or barred, a former longtime public servant says he is struggling to not be cynical about what could lie ahead. In August, The Tyee broke the news that the provincial ministries of Forests and Water, Land and Resource Stewardship were proposing to divide B.C.’s vast and spectacularly diverse lands into “working forest,” “multiple-use” and “conservation and protection” zones. The details were included in a leaked internal government email. The zoning exercise is happening as Premier David Eby tells Forests Minister Ravi Parmar to find more trees for companies to log in order to meet a logging target of 45 million cubic metres per year. Forest ecologist Andy MacKinnon, who worked in the Forests Ministry for 30 years, said he worries that the “Path to 45” initiative will drive the zoning plan. .png?t=1789154044436)
HURKETT — The Ontario government is investing over $1.1 million in five projects that will increase Indigenous participation in forestry and build a stronger, more resilient forest sector. As part its plan to protect Ontario, the government is fighting back against unjustified U.S. tariffs and economic attacks by making strategic investments through the Forest Biomass Program that will support economic development and clean energy projects to help the forestry sector increase productivity and capacity, with the long-term potential to create over 200 good-paying jobs in the sector. …Since launching the Forest Biomass Program in 2023, Ontario has invested close to $5 million in 22 projects under the Indigenous Bioeconomy Partnerships funding stream. The government’s latest investments will build a more resilient forest sector by developing projects with the potential to add annual demand for over 100,000 tonnes of mill by-products and underused wood, known as forest biomass.
During the Wood Pellet Association of Canada 2026 Conference in Victoria, B.C., the Emerging Competition & Market Dynamics panel discussion focused on the global wood pellet market and how it is entering a period of rapid change and intensifying competition. …the panel was comprised of Hannah Adler, Argus Media; William Strauss, FutureMetrics; Manolis Karampinis, Bioenergy Europe; and Didzis Palejs, Latvian Biomass Association. The panel addressed the potential for long-term oversupply in the wood pellet market caused by the expected reduction in demand from the Drax Group’s power station in the U.K. …While the wood pellet sector is expected to go through a few rough years, Strauss believes the future for the sector remains bright. …While Japan remains a key customer of wood pellets for Canada, Adler said that demand has slowed down with the phasing out of the Feed-in-Tariff and Feed-in-Premium schemes.
Taking the stage at Climate Week in New York City, California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced his authorization to move forward with linking Washington into its carbon market that’s shared with Quebec, Canada, the next-to-last step in California’s process to complete the merger. On the same day, Washington state officials completed the rulemaking process to allow the linkage. California and Quebec will still need to complete regulatory changes, the final step, before merging can occur. In June, the three jurisdictions signed a linkage agreement to fully join operations in 2027. Washington hopes that joining the older and well-established carbon market will stabilize prices for businesses, which have swung wildly in recent years on the state’s 5-year-old market. …For more than a decade, California’s carbon market has sought to cut climate pollution by setting a cap on greenhouse gas emissions and requiring major polluters to buy allowances to cover their share of emissions. In 2014, its market linked with Quebec. 
