Region Archives: Canada

Business & Politics

Pacific Lumber Inspection Bureau’s 2026 Annual Member Meeting

Pacific Lumber Inspection Bureau
July 10, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, United States

Members of the Pacific Lumber Inspection Bureau from Canada, Europe, and the U.S. met at Spirit Ridge Resort in Osoyoos, British Columbia, during the last week of June for the PLIB Annual Meeting and semi‑annual Board session. Before the meetings began, members toured the Mercer Mass Timber glulam facility in Okanagan Falls, gaining a firsthand look at this long‑established operation. During the business session, the membership elected the 2026–2027 Board of Directors and welcomed new directors Valentina Wolfrum (Rettenmeier) and Natalie Peace (Weyerhaeuser). Members also heard from Jackson Morrill, President of the American Wood Council (AWC), who provided an update on AWC initiatives on sustainability, building codes and regulations, and PLIB’s collaborative efforts. Outside the meeting room, attendees enjoyed time together in the Okanagan Valley—golfing, visiting the Nk’Mip Desert Cultural Centre, and touring Nk’Mip Cellars.

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Mosaic Outlines New Direction for Recreation Access After Independent Review

Mosaic Forest Management
July 10, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada West

NANAIMO, B.C. — Mosaic Forest Management is changing how it manages recreation access on its Vancouver Island and Sunshine Coast lands, following an independent review prompted by last year’s public survey. More than 7,600 people responded to that 2025 survey. Mosaic then brought in recreation and tourism specialists RC Strategies and Legacy Tourism Group to dig into what was working, what wasn’t, and what a better program could look like. “As demand for outdoor recreation on Vancouver Island has grown, so have the expectations placed on our private lands,” said Duncan Davies, President and CEO. …The review’s message: recreation on Mosaic’s lands has outgrown the program built to manage it. That’s showing up as inconsistent gate hours, unclear rules between user groups, and a system built to control access rather than support the people using it. Mosaic is responding on three fronts — making access more reliable, planning recreation more deliberately, and strengthening relationships with First Nations, governments and recreation groups.

Additional coverage in the Campbell River Mirror, by Marc Kitteringham: Mosaic changing how it approaches recreation on Vancouver Island forest lands

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A Judge Recognized Aboriginal Title on Private Property. Panic Ensued

By Arno Kopecky
Maclean’s Magazine
July 13, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

Malcolm Brodie

RICHMOND, BC — On a Thursday afternoon in August of last year, Malcolm Brodie, the mayor of Richmond, B.C., got a call from one of the city’s lawyers. He had news: the province’s Supreme Court had reached a decision in Cowichan Tribes v. Canada, the longest trial in Canadian history. The verdict wasn’t what Brodie wanted to hear. …B.C. Supreme Court Justice Barbara Young determined that the Cowichan title was “prior and senior” to private property and recognized the Cowichan people’s Aboriginal title—a unique mixture of property rights and governing authority—to 300 hectares of the city. …The situation metastasized into a crisis for B.C.’s NDP government, which had been a vocal supporter of Indigenous rights since coming to power in 2017. …Proving Aboriginal title in court is a monumental undertaking. That’s why only two nations, Tŝilhqot’in and Nuchatlaht, both in B.C., had done it successfully before the Cowichan.

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B.C. Conservative MLA Stamer talks trade, tariffs and border security with U.S. envoys

By Josh Dawson
Castanet
July 14, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada West

©Ward Stamer Facebook

Kamloops-North Thompson B.C. Conservative MLA Ward Stamer says he raised softwood lumber and tariff concerns during a meeting last week with senior U.S. diplomats. The forests critic was one of several B.C. Opposition MLAs to meet with Pete Hoekstra, the U.S. ambassador to Canada, and Vancouver-based U.S. consul general Shawn Crowley on July 4. …Stamer said the meeting was “very positive.” …“The president can say things that might sort of seem kind of contradictory to what we’re talking about, but at the end of the day the president is trying to have more manufacturing in his country, and that is why he’s pushing so hard in making some of these deals,” Stamer said. Stamer said he explained to the ambassador an example where a full log can be made into veneer in Kamloops, then shipped down to the U.S. where it’s then made into cabinets — a “win-win” for both countries.

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Ontario sports bar fined for illegally importing items made from rosewood

Environment and Climate Change Canada
Government of Canada
July 13, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada East

BRAMPTON, Ontario — The Ontario Court of Justice in Brampton, Ontario, Dream Billiards Sports Bar and Eatery was fined $25,000 after pleading guilty to one offence under subsection 6(2) of the Wild Animal and Plant Protection and Regulation of International and Interprovincial Trade Act (WAPPRIITA). This conviction relates to importing items made from rosewood, a protected exotic wood, without a permit. The Act requires permits when importing CITES-listed plants. The fine will be directed to the Government of Canada’s Environmental Damages Fund. …In February 2025, Environment and Climate Change Canada enforcement officers inspected a shipment of billiard table legs from India that was intercepted by the Canada Border Services Agency in Mississauga, Ontario. 

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Pulp and paper mill to trial new lithium processing technique

By Sam Goldstein
Your Thunder Bay
July 13, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada East

Thunder Bay Pulp and Paper will be collaborating with Rock Tech Lithium to pilot a new technique for separating lithium from rock. Using a $262,500 investment from Ontario, over the next few months the mill will test out the viability of using crude tall oil, a byproduct of the mill’s production processes, as a material for lithium processing. …“It’s a win-win for northwestern Ontario: as we see mining move forward, it’s really a win for the forestry sector,” says Associate Minister of Forestry and Forest Products Kevin Holland. “It’s an example of how we’re going to diversify not just the markets related to forestry byproducts and mill residuals, but also diversifying the products that we can produce from forestry biomass and mill residuals.” …While there is no guarantee yet, the hope… for synergy between the forestry and mining sectors. 

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Strengthening and advancing Quebec’s forest sector transformation

By Natural Resources Canada
Government of Canada
July 14, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada East

Trois-Rivières, Quebec — Canada’s forest sector is facing significant pressures, including tariffs, fibre supply constraints, shifting global markets and the impacts of climate change. These challenges are being felt across the country, including in Quebec, where the forest sector is a key economic driver, representing nearly 10 percent of exports by value, generating $6.4 billion in provincial GDP and supporting nearly 60,000 jobs. In partnership with the province of Quebec, the Government of Canada is taking action to address these challenges and position Quebec’s forest sector for long-term success. Today, Claude Guay, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, highlighted over $17 million for 12 forest sector transformation projects across the province. These projects will advance the development of low-carbon technologies for the sector, support Indigenous participation and forest-sector businesses, increase manufacturers’ capacity to add value to wood products, and help diversify export markets.

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Interfor launches hiring push for industrial millwrights at Timmins sawmill

By Interfor
Timmins Today
July 14, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada East

Interfor is looking for skilled, safety-focused, and motivated Industrial Millwrights to join the team in Timmins. Interfor is one of the world’s largest forest products companies with operations across North America and customers around the globe. If you have a Red Seal Millwright Certification or a Planer Technician certification, read on to find out why this position is right for you! …“At Interfor, we offer consistent 4-day workweeks (10-hour shifts) or specific weekend rotations, offering a better work-life balance compared to typical, irregular maintenance jobs,” Interfor spokesperson said. “In addition, Interfor prioritizes internal promotion and provides opportunities for training and career advancement, as well as maintaining a clean and safe environment with top-tier safety standards.” …“Interfor is a century-old mill that has been a staple of Northern Ontario since 1919, providing a secure, stable career in a tight-knit, collaborative team:” said the spokesperson. “We have the “Timmins Tough” mentality.”

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Bienville Lumber Company sawmill begins commercial lumber shipments

By Dakota Smith
The Woodworking Network
July 10, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada East, United States

TAYLOR, Louisiana Bienville Lumber Company, a partnership between Tolko Industries and Hunt Forest Products, has begun shipping lumber by rail following the opening of a new Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) rail connection, expanding the Louisiana sawmill’s distribution network to customers across North America. CPKC President and CEO Keith Creel joined Hunt Forest Products Chairman Trott Hunt, Tolko President and CEO Pino Pucci and other company leaders for the event at the Bienville Parish facility. …The mill produced over 160 million board feet of southern yellow pine lumber in 2024 and is looking to more than double that annual output in the next several years. …According to Tolko, the new rail line represents a significant logistics enhancement that strengthens the mill’s supply chain and broadens its ability to serve customers across North America.

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Rebox Corp Appoints Kyle Otting as CEO of North America’s Leading Once-Used Corrugated Box Business

By Rebox Corp.
PR Newswire
July 13, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada East

MONTREAL – Rebox Corp, North America’s largest buyer and seller of once-used corrugated boxes, announced the appointment of Kyle Otting as Chief Executive Officer, effective July 8, 2026. Otting succeeds Mark Young, who co-founded Rebox in 1990. This appointment comes as demand accelerates for the reusable packaging model Rebox pioneered: buying once-used corrugated boxes directly from businesses looking for incremental revenue compared to recycling, then reselling them to businesses seeking a lower-cost, more sustainable alternative to new boxes. Rebox manages the sourcing, quality control, and logistics — delivering easy, user-friendly solutions to its partners. Today, Rebox operates through more than 35 distribution centres across the U.S. and Canada, serving more than 2,000 businesses, including Fortune 500 companies. …Otting held leadership roles at IFCO Systems and CHEP USA before serving as CEO of two leading reusable packaging companies, 48forty Solutions and PLA Solutions. 

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Finance & Economics

Tariffs and policy uncertainty: the wild card in the 2026 wood products market

By Dustin Jalbert
RISI Fastmarkets
July 10, 2026
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: Canada, United States

In 2025, trade policy added clear financial pressure, especially for Canadian sawmills. Average duties on lumber shipped to the US rose from 14% to 35% last summer. A 10% Section 232 tariff was then implemented in October. …This year, the picture is less about a single sharp increase and more about unresolved uncertainty. …The effects reach different parts of the market in different ways. Canadian mills face higher effective production costs due to increased duties and tariffs and industry rationalization, particularly in BC, is likely to continue. …US mill operators sit on the other side of this. They will likely continue to gain market share this year due to higher duties and protective measures, despite flat demand. Wholesalers, traders and importers are affected by tariff changes, shifting freight conditions and supply availability. …Secondary manufacturers and housing-linked buyers… most goods still face tariffs, placing further pressure on builder margins, including higher wood products prices. 

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Iran war has not derailed global recovery

Numera Analytics
July 13, 2026
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: Canada, United States, International

Click to enlarge

The Iran war has introduced significant macroeconomic uncertainty, with elevated geopolitical instability and higher energy prices eroding consumer sentiment and delaying business investment. This has raised stagflation concerns, particularly for energy-importing regions, and contributed to renewed inflation pressures across developed markets (DM). Despite these headwinds, the global economy has proved resilient. Industrial production in DMs has expanded at a 4.5% annualized rate in recent months, even as retail sales growth softened on higher oil prices and weaker sentiment. The war’s impact has been cushioned by reduced oil dependence compared with past shocks, combined with powerful tailwinds from accelerating AI infrastructure spending and fiscal stimulus in major economies. We expect only a minor slowdown in DM GDP growth, moderating from 1.8% last year to 1.6% this year, and rebounding to 1.8% in 2027. The Eurozone faces the greatest pressure given its reliance on energy imports.

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Lumber cost decreases offset by operating cost gains

By Tommy Osborne
CTV News
July 10, 2026
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: Canada, Canada West

The Canadian lumber industry saw enormous price spikes during the pandemic years of 2020-2022, with costs close to triple what they are today for some products. … “We saw prices skyrocket during COVID, but so too did the cost to operate,” said Aspen Dudzic, the Alberta Forest Products Assocation’s communications director. “And interestingly, post-COVID, we saw the market prices for lumber go down, but the costs to operate have not come down in the same way.” Even though lumber costs have seen a huge drop in prices in a vacuum, why haven’t these cost savings been passed on to the consumer? …“The supply chain is really complex,” Dudzic said. “Nothing we do operates in a vacuum, so there’s a lot of other compounding costs that we have to look at, like inflationary pressures, upticks in fuel and energy prices. …Top of mind is the ongoing trade war with the US.

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Wood, Paper & Green Building

Government of Canada invests over $8 million to help Surrey businesses boost productivity

By Pacific Economic Development Canada
The Government of Canada
July 13, 2026
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada, Canada West

SURREY, British Columbia — The Honourable Randeep Sarai, Secretary of State (International Development) announced over $8 million in RTRI funding for four Surrey businesses to help them diversify exports, grow locally, and compete globally – building prosperity for British Columbians and all Canadians. These investments support the Government of Canada’s measures to help businesses in sectors affected by global trade disruptions – such as forestry, manufacturing, and steel and aluminum – boost productivity, reduce costs, build more resilient supply chains, and reach new markets. … More details about these investments can be found in the backgrounder. …The investments include MTC Solutions – $630,250. MTC Solutions is an engineering company that designs and supplies the connection systems used in mass timber construction projects across North America. The investment will help MTC establish an advanced research and manufacturing facility, including acquiring new testing and machining equipment to develop Canadian-made mass timber hardware. 

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World Cup fans hosted under timber sky at new Freedom Mobile Arch in Vancouver

By Rebecca Keillor
Vancouver Sun
July 13, 2026
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada West

©PNE

At Hastings Park, the newly completed Freedom Mobile Arch is giving Vancouver a new kind of cultural landmark: a covered outdoor venue designed for concerts, festivals and public gatherings of up to 10,000 people. Completed in June, and host to the city’s FIFA Fan Festival, the amphitheatre is defined by a sweeping mass-timber roof that shelters audiences while preserving the feeling of being outdoors. It’s a civic room that frames the sky and North Shore mountains. For Venelin Kokalov of Revery Architecture, who designed this building, the finished venue closely reflects their original vision, but with one important difference: the atmosphere can now be felt. The amphitheatre’s defining gesture is its roof: a starburst mass-timber canopy spanning 105 metres, arcs rising 25 metres high. Comprising 60 arches arranged in six vaulted segments, it has the drama of a landmark, with the softness of a natural material.

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Funding for Alberta Manufacturers: Apply Before July 31

Canadian Wood Council, WoodWorks
July 14, 2026
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada West

Attention Alberta Value-Added Wood Manufacturers and Associated Wood Suppliers: Applications Close July 31. The Alberta Value-Added Wood Products Program (AVAWPP) has launched the new Innovation Support Program (ISP), a capital investment funding opportunity designed to help Alberta’s value-added wood manufacturers and their wood suppliers scale operations, expand capacity, and accelerate growth. With funding available for equipment and manufacturing investments, the ISP builds on the success of AVAWPP’s previous Business Development Program and supports projects that create meaningful growth and innovation across Alberta’s wood products sector.

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From Forest to Frame: Technology is Changing Homebuilding in BC

By The Faculty of Forestry & Environmental Stewardship
The University of British Columbia
June 23, 2026
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada West

…emerging technologies like timber processing centres could help build homes faster and more affordably, particularly for multi-family dwellings. Timber processing centres, such as the Hundegger computer numerical control (CNC) machine, use remotely operated and automated saws and tools to transform timber into custom wood components used in, for example, building construction. …Value-added products like mass timber and prefabricated wood components for homes sourced from a variety of fibre types … are a big part of the vision for housing in the province. …In 2014, the Faculty of Forestry & Environmental Stewardship (FES) at UBC was the first site in North America to install a Hundegger Robot Drive timber processing centre. …FES industry workshops, like its hands-on Design for Manufacturing and Assembly (DFMA) workshop, expose forestry professionals to advanced techniques using tools like timber processing centres, inspiring industry members to think outside the box about how this technology could be applied in real-world contexts. 

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Forestry

Saving our forest industry means addressing the real threat

By Robert Gray, wildland fire ecologist
The Vancouver Sun
July 14, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada

Robert Gray

The greatest threat to the forest industry in Canada and to the rural communities that are dependent on it is wildfire. Yet, you wouldn’t get that impression from recent policy announcements. …The forest industry is heavily dependent on predictability for its survival — predictable access to fibre, predictable forest growth rates, and predictable volumes. Right now, thanks to drought, insects and wildfire, the ability to predict any of these things is questionable. …This leads to an interesting dilemma: Is a concept like the annual allowable cut even relevant if we can’t predict how much fibre is available to a forest company next year or over the next five to 10 years? …The focus needs to be on wildfire risk reduction at scale, strategic reforestation focused on using forest types to impede fire flow and alter severity, and realigning the industry to respond to a changing wood profile.

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Environment Canada issues extreme heat warnings across much of Canada

By Uday Rana
Global News
July 14, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada

Many Canadians are in for a sweltering day on Tuesday, with Environment Canada issuing extreme heat warnings for multiple provinces. Heat warnings now cover most of Ontario along with parts of Quebec, Manitoba and the Northwest Territories, meaning millions of Canadians are going to be impacted as the temperatures soar. Environment Canada categorizes hot weather as an extreme heat event when daily temperatures reach heat warning thresholds on two or more days in a row with no relief overnight, sometimes with high humidity. In southwestern Ontario, including in Toronto, maximum temperatures could swing between 30 and 37 C, Environment Canada said, with humidex values ranging from 38 to 40. Tuesday “will mark the peak of this heat event,” the alert said. “Maximum temperatures near 37 degrees Celsius are expected this afternoon for some areas over southwestern Ontario, around the Greater Golden Horseshoe and eastern Ontario,” Environment Canada said in its alert.

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British Columbia expands value-added timber program to include custom processors

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

British Columbia is expanding the BC Timber Sales Value-Added Manufacturing Program by creating a new dedicated category that will secure fibre for custom cutters and processors. BC’s action builds on Canada’s Forest Sector Transformation Task Force, which was commissioned in response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s new duties and tariffs on Canadian wood products. The task force recommends strong support for value-added operators so Canada can build high-quality products at home. “British Columbia’s path forward for forestry can’t just be providing dimensional lumber to Americans. We have to make more in B.C.,” said Ravi Parmar, Minister of Forests. …Custom cutters and processors are a group within the value-added wood-manufacturing sector without their own sawmilling facilities. …BC Wood Specialties Group Association’s chair, Kelly Marconi said “our custom cutting and processing members were part of the task force’s public consultation, so we are pleased to see this inclusive change.”

Additional coverage in the Campbell River Mirror by Mark Page: Specialty ‘custom cutters’ added to BC Timber Sales program

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The 2026 BC First Nations Forestry Conference Proceedings Report is Here!

BC First Nations Forestry Council
July 13, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

We’ve captured the 2026 BC First Nations Forestry Conference highlights, key takeaways, and memorable moments in our 2026 Proceedings Report, we invite you to explore and revisit the conversations that made this year’s event so impactful. The 2026 BC First Nations Forestry Conference was hosted on the traditional, unceded territory of the Syilx (Okanagan) Nation in Kelowna, BC. This year’s conference was guided by the theme Forest Nations Rising: From Strong Roots to Global Horizons, bringing together First Nations, industry, government, sponsors, and partners to shape the future of forestry in British Columbia. This year’s event reflected both the growing strength of First Nations leadership and the deepening relationships transforming how forests are stewarded, managed, and shared. The continued support of industry leaders, program partners, sponsors, and educational institutions, alongside the dedication of Nations and government, made this gathering possible and underscored a shared commitment to advancing the sector together.

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Approximately 45,000 hectares safeguarded for 10 years in new K’ih t̲s̲aaʔd̲z̲e Protection Area

By Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship
Government of British Columbia
July 13, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

Approximately 45,000 hectares of Crown land in northeastern British Columbia has been protected for the next 10 years to help safeguard ecologically and culturally significant land within Treaty 8 territory. The interim measure is intended to safeguard the area’s ecological and cultural values while long-term land-use planning and protection discussions continue. On Friday, July 10, 2026, the B.C. government established the K’ih t̲s̲aaʔd̲z̲e Protection Area under the Environment and Land Use Act (ELUA), supported by a Forest Act (Part 13) designated area. The protection area will help conserve caribou habitat and boreal ecosystems and encourage ecological restoration while supporting ongoing collaborative land-use planning with Doig River First Nation. The ELUA designation will protect the area from new land and resource dispositions and industrial activity while allowing existing lawful activities to continue, provided no new disturbance of the land surface occurs. Forestry activities will be restricted in the same area for four years.

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Inviting residents of the Cranbrook region to help guide forest management

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

Residents in Cranbrook, Kimberley, Fernie, Sparwood, Elkford and surrounding areas are invited to share their input about the development of the Cranbrook Forest Landscape Plan, to guide forest-management decisions in the area. The plan focuses on improving forest management for the 1.2-million-hectare Cranbrook Timber Supply Area. “Everyone deserves a say in how our forests are managed, and when we’re all at the table, we can deliver forest landscape plans with clarity and predictability for our workforce and for our environment,” said Ravi Parmar, Minister of Forests. “Forests are the foundation of creating opportunity at home and abroad. Over the last few months, we’ve made real progress on forest landscape plans throughout B.C. We need your feedback to ensure we get the Cranbrook Forest Landscape Plan right.” People can share their thoughts through a survey that will run from Monday, July 13 to Sept. 25, 2026. 

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Nanaimo resident pushes to save rare wetland from development

By Julie Chadwick
Victoria Times Colonist
July 13, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

A resident of Nanaimo’s Rock City neighbourhood in north Nanaimo is speaking out against a development project she says threatens a unique wetland that is a “crown jewel” of the city. Tamara Brown has lived in the area for about six years and says she has extensively studied both the wetland and the proposed four-storey, 102-unit rental development, which would also have two storeys of parking. The heavily forested, sloped 1.52-hectare property at 3400 Barrington Rd. was rezoned for medium-density residential use four years ago. The current project was approved by the city in early January, although work has not yet begun. Critics are concerned that the removal of trees, bedrock blasting and excavation expected during construction would disturb the water flows of a rare ecosystem. …At a council meeting this week in Nanaimo, Brown raised other concerns, including the potential impact on the Garry oak ecosystem and breeding habitat for birds and amphibians.

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Parksville council endorses Community Wildfire Resiliency Plan

Parksville Qualicum Beach News
July 13, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

Parksville council has endorsed a Community Wildfire Resiliency Plan — the first step towards integrating its recommendations into city plans and policies. Community Wildfire Resiliency Plans include wildfire threat mapping and follow the BC FireSmart framework and provincial wildfire risk reduction objectives, according to a report by Fire Chief Marc Norris, of Parksville Fire Rescue. The city hired Frontera Forest Solutions to develop the plan, using FireSmart grant funding. The plan found Parksville “is at an overall low risk of devastating wildfire igniting within the city, however pockets of medium and high-risk locations do exist within the city’s wildland urban interface.” The biggest risk was wildfires burning in “high-risk areas” could carry smoke or embers into Parksville. Vulnerabilities identified were seasonal increases in fire-related activity linked to human behaviour, including deliberate ignitions and an increased risk near people and infrastructure, potentially in areas in which ignitions are harder to access or detect.

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Campfire ban expands across much of B.C.’s coast starting Thursday

By Erin Haluschak
Chek News
July 13, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

Most campfires will be banned across coastal British Columbia beginning later this week as the BC Wildfire Service expands fire restrictions in response to changing weather conditions. Effective at 12 p.m. July 16, Category 1, 2 and 3 open fires will be prohibited throughout the Coastal Fire Centre. However, Category 1 campfires will still be allowed in the Campbell River Forest District, North Island Central Coast Forest District, Haida Gwaii Forest District and Sunshine Coast Forest District …The BC Wildfire Service says the expanded prohibition is intended to reduce the risk of human-caused wildfires and protect public safety as fire danger increases in many coastal regions. The restrictions apply to all areas outside municipal boundaries within the Coastal Fire Centre, as well as provincial parks, recreation sites, ecological reserves, wildlife management areas and private managed forest lands. Municipalities may have their own fire restrictions, and residents are encouraged to check with their local government before lighting any fire.

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City of Powell River Council objects to forest ministry letter

By Paul Galinski
Coast Reporter
July 10, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

City of Powell River Council has directed staff to write correspondence to the ministry of forests, objecting to correspondence from the ministry regarding Powell River Community Forest’s new forest licence. …Acting mayor Cindy Elliot said the new BCTS plan came out with additional areas for planned forestry that overlapped the community forest’s new timber licence. …The response essentially says that they are not required to do what we asked and they would rather wait until the minister makes a decision before they change what they are doing.” …Councillor Rob Southcott said the community forest indirectly compensates for the loss of a lot of revenue from a major taxpayer due to the permanent curtailment of the paper mill. …“We don’t want BC Timber Sales coming in and starting to log in the area that we believe should be included in the community forest,” said Powell River Community Forest president Greg Hemphill

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Inviting input on watershed plan for Goat River

By Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship
Government of British Columbia
July 10, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

People are invited to share their input and help guide the development of recommendations and long-term solutions for water supply and ecosystem health in the Goat River watershed. The Province of British Columbia, in partnership with yaqan nuʔkiy (Lower Kootenay Band) and the Regional District of Central Kootenay (RDCK), has launched a tripartite working group to address growing water-scarcity challenges in the Goat River watershed and develop recommendations for long-term water management in the Creston Valley. As part of the process, a survey will gather insights from community members, water users, farmers, industry and other interested parties about their vision for the Goat River watershed. The survey is available until Aug. 1, 2026. …The Goat River Watershed Collective Conversations Working Group brings together representatives from the Province, yaqan nuʔkiy and the RDCK. It will serve as a recommendation-making body, developing joint recommendations for consideration by yaqan nuʔkiy leadership, the RDCK board of directors and provincial ministries. 

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Why the ‘backbone’ of B.C. outdoor recreation access is in jeopardy, groups explain

By Glenda Luymes
Vancouver Sun
July 12, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

…As some resource roads across the province fall into disrepair … outdoor groups are working to save them. A survey created by the Outdoor Recreation Council of B.C. opened last week to understand which roads matter most for outdoor recreation. No one is suggesting that every metre of the 600,000 kilometres of resource roads across B.C. can be maintained, said Louise Pedersen, the council’s executive director. But creating an inventory is the first step in a process that could eventually include discussions with the B.C. government about saving the most important. …Many of the roads British Columbians use to access the backcountry were created by resource companies … said Monika Bittel, advocacy chairperson with the Federation of Mountain Clubs of B.C. When the projects wrap up, the company continues to hold liability for the road and must follow a process to decommission it. “Their mandate is not recreation,” she said.

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Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy

Wood Pellet Association announces Don Roberts – conference keynote

The Wood Pellet Association of Canada
July 14, 2026
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: Canada

The 2026 WPAC Conference is shaping up to be an exciting event, and we are pleased to welcome our keynote speaker, Don Roberts, President & CEO of Nawitka Capital Advisors Ltd. Drawing on his experience advising investors and industry leaders, Don Roberts will offer his perspective on the drivers of investment and project development in Canada’s forest sector. From competing uses of fibre and shifting sources of value to where capital is—and isn’t—flowing, Don will discuss the opportunities and challenges facing Canada’s forest-based bioeconomy. Attendees will gain insights into: How projects move from concept to construction; Canada’s competitive position relative to Europe and Asia; The role of policy, capital and market signals in shaping investment decisions; and What is needed to strengthen Canada’s forest-based bioeconomy.

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As the world burns, the powerful deny and delay

By David Suzuki
Pique News Magazine
July 11, 2026
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: Canada, Canada West

David Suzuki

We could be happier, healthier and more economically secure—if we were to act on the knowledge that many of our problems are related. …But we’re not only up against a “polycrisis,” we’re also facing varying degrees of denial. At its most blatant, the US president has labelled the clear and overwhelming scientific and observable evidence for human-caused climate disruption as a “hoax” and is promoting climate-altering fossil fuels over renewable energy. Denial in Canada may not be as blatant, but it’s still dangerous. Prime Minister Carney is arguing that climate policies are “too expensive for Canadians.” …It’s absurd. Record high temperatures and humidity are killing hundreds of thousands of people a year worldwide. …We’ve seen increasingly intense wildfires destroying entire towns. …But short-term profit for the sake of constantly growing the economy and gross domestic product outweighs concerns about the enormous costs of accelerating climate change. It’s suicidal.

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Health & Safety

B.C. helicopter pilot killed in Colorado wildfire crash

By Todd Coyne
CTV News
July 13, 2026
Category: Health & Safety
Region: Canada, United States

COLORADO — A pilot from Sooke on Vancouver Island was killed after the helicopter he was flying while battling wildfires in Colorado crashed into a reservoir. The aircraft reportedly went down in the Silver Jack Reservoir, shortly after 5 p.m. Sunday. The Gunnison County Sheriff’s Office says a dive team recovered the body of 56-year-old Nicholas Dale of Sooke, BC, from the submerged helicopter. The sheriff’s office says the helicopter was battling the 148-square-kilometre Gold Mountain wildfire when the crash occurred. It said the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration are still investigating the incident. …The Associated Press reported that a procession of law enforcement vehicles carried Dale’s body to the city of Grand Junction, as residents turned out to express their gratitude to the fallen pilot and the thousands of firefighters still battling the blaze. …Dale was the fourth person killed in recent weeks while battling Colorado wildfires. 

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A ‘rapidly rising’ tick-borne disease is making rounds in Canada. It’s not Lyme disease.

By Christl Dabu
CTV News
July 13, 2026
Category: Health & Safety
Region: Canada

©Govt of BC

Canadians exploring the outdoors this summer are being warned about threats other than Lyme disease from tick bites as cases rise. While Lyme disease is the most common concern about ticks, health officials are increasingly worried about another tick-borne disease called anaplasmosis. Experts reported their concerns about the “rapidly rising” incidents of anaplasmosis, the second most common disease spread by the arachnids in Canada, in an article published Monday in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ). Blacklegged ticks, which transmit Lyme disease and anaplasmosis through bites, have spread in many provinces, researchers noted. No statistics were provided on the number of anaplasmosis cases nationally in the report. …Symptoms can include fever, weakness, headache and gastrointestinal distress. Anaplasmosis can damage vital organs, causing hospitalization from health problems such as myocarditis, encephalitis, acute respiratory distress syndrome, and acute renal failure, though they are less common and death is rare, experts say.

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Kevin Storie at Drax Smithers: Latest Wood Pellet Association of Canada Safety Hero

By Gordon Murray
The Wood Pellet Association of Canada
July 13, 2026
Category: Health & Safety
Region: Canada West

Kevin Storie

The Wood Pellet Association of Canada (WPAC) is proud to recognize Operational Supervisor Kevin Storie of Drax Smithers as our latest Safety Hero for his consistent, hands-on commitment to keeping people safe and operations running responsibly. Kevin leads by example every day, leveraging his operational experience to lead his team to safe outcomes. He is involved in continuous improvement across the site, constantly challenging the team to think critically about how to make it even safer. “Kevin’s attention to detail and willingness to consider all facts openly make him a great asset to the Smithers plant team,” says Joel Martens, Plant Manager, who nominated Kevin. WPAC remains dedicated to recognizing those whose commitment helps ensure everyone returns home safely at the end of each day. 

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‘One of the biggest public health threats’: Why doctors say you need to take wildfire smoke seriously

By Andrew Johnson
CTV News
July 10, 2026
Category: Health & Safety
Region: Canada West

Smoke from two major wildfires burning in British Columbia’s Fraser Canyon is leading to air quality warnings across parts of the province, with an emergency physician warning the health effects extend far beyond watery eyes and a scratchy throat. “It is considered to be one of the biggest public health threats that we face,” said Dr. Courtney Howard, who is also the president-elect of the Canadian Medical Association. … “The particulate matter in smoke that’s less than 2.5 microns can go all the way down into our lungs, and the ultrafine particles can actually cross over into our bloodstream,” she said. …Howard said scientists are only beginning to understand the long-term health effects of repeated wildfire smoke exposure because the research is still limited. “We don’t have good evidence on the long-term outcomes yet,” she said. But a small number of studies, according to Howard, have suggested possible links with high rates of brain cancer and lung cancer.

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Forest Fires

Fire on Anarchist Mountain east of Osoyoos, B.C., triggers evacuation alert

By Darryl Greer
Canadian Press in The Kelowna Daily Courier
July 13, 2026
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada West

OSOYOOS – The Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen has issued an evacuation alert for dozens of homes and properties that are being threatened by a fire on Anarchist Mountain east of Osoyoos, B.C. Residents on Cougar Court and the Sasquatch Trail should be ready to leave as crews battle a blaze on the mountain. The Anarchist Mountain Fire Department says that as of 4 p.m. the fire was being held, but people are being told to avoid the area “to allow emergency personnel to work safely and efficiently.” The local firefighters are battling the blaze with the help of the BC Wildfire Service and the South Okanagan Task Force, and the cause is under investigation. …Elsewhere in B.C., crews fighting out-of-control wildfires near Boston Bar, B.C., were taking advantage of favourable weather to attack the blazes directly, before fire activity was expected to pick up after tempered behaviour over the weekend.

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B.C. wildfire crews brace for uptick in fire activity as weather heats up again

The Canadian Press in CBC News
July 13, 2026
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada West

©BCWildfireService

Crews fighting out-of-control wildfires near Boston Bar, B.C., were taking advantage of favourable weather to attack the fires directly, before fire activity is expected to pick up after tempered behaviour over the weekend. The size of the Brunswick complex of wildfires, consisting of the Brunswick Creek and Ainslie Creek wildfires, has changed little since last week with a combined size of more than 188 square kilometres after a weekend of rain and cooler weather. The B.C. Wildfire Service said in an overnight update that crews were also working to protect structures near Boothroyd while establishing fire lines on the southwest flank of the Ainslie Creek wildfire. …An evacuation alert covering 61 properties near Merritt remains in effect, issued by the Thompson-Nicola Regional District, while the Nooaitch Indian Band had also told residents of its main reserve to get ready to leave on short notice last week.

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Highway 1 reopens in Fraser Canyon, but twin wildfires remain out of control

By Simon Little
CBC News
July 11, 2026
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada West

©BC Wildfire Service

Officials reopened Highway 1 through British Columbia’s Fraser Canyon on Saturday, but warned that active wildfire operations continue in the area. The route had been closed since July 7, as the Brunswick wildfire complex near Boston Bar expanded rapidly in size. As of Saturday morning, the Brunswick Creek wildfire on the west side of the canyon was burning at 28.36 square kilometres and the Ainslie Creek wildfire on the east side was burning at 158.47 sq. km. Both fires remain out of control, and multiple evacuation orders and alerts remain in effect. …while Highway 1 had reopened, there was only one lane active in each direction… No stopping is permitted in the wildfire zone, and drivers are urged to watch for signage and crews. [Prior to the closure] “we had issues with numerous folks pulling over at pullouts to take pictures and videos of the fire,” said B.C. Wildfire Service fire information officer Julia Caracni.

Additional coverage in CBC News: Wildfire sparks East Kootenay evacuation alert, weather helps firefight near Boston Bar

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Evacuation alert for East Kootenay wildfire, Brunswick Creek fire grows: officials

The Canadian Press in Global News
July 12, 2026
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada West

©BC Wildfire Service

Dozens of properties in British Columbia’s East Kootenay region are under an evacuation alert as another out-of-control wildfire burns. The Regional District of East Kootenay placed 72 properties in the Premier Lake area under an evacuation alert after the Lussier River fire grew Saturday. It’s the latest B.C. wildfire notice asking people to be prepared to flee since twin blazes near Boston Bar in the Fraser Canyon evacuations. Information from the BC Wildfire Service shows one of the two fires has grown since Friday. …The wildfire service is also asking the public to stop behaviours that could hinder their work. An overnight statement from the agency says that since Highway 1 reopened Saturday, between Boston Bar and Jackass Summit, drivers have been speeding through the fire zone and even stopping to film the ongoing firefighting efforts.. … a drone was also seen flying near the Brunswick Creek wildfire while emergency aircrews were fighting the blaze.

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Residents in parts of northern Ontario ordered out by growing forest fires

Canadian Press in Global News
July 13, 2026
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada East

Residents of a handful of communities in northwestern Ontario have been ordered to flee their homes due to nearby forest fires. The Ontario Provincial Police force says on social media that evacuation orders are in place for Armstrong and Cushing Lake, as well as Collins First Nation, Whitesand First Nation and Lac des Mille Lacs First Nation. An alert from Emergency Management Ontario says residents should leave the area and head south to Thunder Bay. Meanwhile, the OPP says those in Ignace, Crystal Lake and the Highway 633 area should prepare for possible evacuations. Photos and videos on social media appear to show large grey and black plumes of smoke and towering flames from wildfires. Environment Canada has much of northern Ontario under a severe heat warning, with forecasters predicting highs of 36 C and the humidex making it feel as hot as 40 C.

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