Region Archives: Canada East

Kevin Holland

MPP Kevin Holland presented a picture of Northwestern Ontario’s economic direction during the Thunder Bay Chamber of Commerce Leader’s Luncheon on Wednesday. Recently appointed as associate minister for forestry and forest products, Holland said forestry has been the “cornerstone of our economy for generations” and will continue to be. “The question is how we can incorporate and work the synergies between the mining boom that we’re expecting here, and forestry, which is one area that we can capitalize on,” he said. “But it’s really about making sure that the industry is in a position to have that sustainability and that viability. We all know that there are some challenges in the forestry sector right now, but with every challenge comes an opportunity.” …”Though, biomass energy is currently the buzzword on everyone’s mind, let’s not forget about the traditional uses of wood — lumber, structural panels, newsprint, pulp and paper, tissue and packaging,” he said.

The Government of Canada announced an additional $2.4 million in funding to the Bruce Trail Conservancy through the Nature Smart Climate Solutions Fund. This is part of the Government of Canada’s largest conservation campaign in the country to meet its emissions reduction targets and protect 30 percent of land and water in Canada by 2030. This funding is in addition to a $5 million investment through the Nature Smart Climate Solutions Fund, awarded to the Bruce Trail Conservancy in 2022. The funding will be used to help advance conservation goals with urgent Niagara Escarpment land securement. This additional funding advances conservation of over 300 hectares of important habitat and contributes to capturing and storing greenhouse gas emissions by securing carbon-rich forest, wetland, and grassland ecosystems within the Niagara Escarpment. …It will also improve the connectivity of the iconic Bruce Trail and expand recreational opportunities across all seasons for activities such as nature appreciation, hiking, birdwatching, snowshoeing, and more.

FREDERICTON – 5,000 Laricobius nigrinus beetles imported from British Columbia are ready to combat an invasive insect that is killing hemlock trees in Nova Scotia. Lucas Roscoe, research scientist with the Canadian Forest Service, said that in the fight against the invasive woolly adelgid that is destroying swaths of hemlock trees in Nova Scotia, the first step was to make sure the beetle — called Lari by scientists — could survive a Nova Scotia winter. They were released across six sites in Nova Scotia and Roscoe, along with other scientists, waited to see if the tiny black flying predators would live. …The scientists also visited the six sites this October, a year after the first releases, and found the beetles had reproduced, he said. …The next step for scientists is to evaluate whether the beetles have been able to destroy the woolly adelgid in the hemlock trees in those six sites, Roscoe said.

People risk their lives battling forest fires, but Ontario’s government is treating them unfairly. That’s the message Thunder Bay-Superior North MPP Lise Vaugeois and others brought to a news conference Wednesday at Queen’s Park. Wildland firefighters are not getting the “supports and respect” they deserve, said Vaugeois, who is the New Democrat critic for the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB). In particular, firefighter Noah Freedman said, recent legislation regarding WSIB coverage for workplace-related cancer “came with a glaring condition” requiring wildland firefighters to serve for 30 years before they could qualify. The law requires 15 years of service, but each annual fire season counts as only half a year, so a person battling forest blazes does not qualify until 30 fire seasons. Freedman, vice-president of OPSEU Local 703, said he and his colleagues are “risking our lives not only in the moment but forever” when they fight fires, because of airborne carcinogens.

THUNDER BAY — The city is failing to manage its urban forests, says urban forester Dan Corbett. …There were several instances, he said, in which the city either outright refused to implement the strategy or implemented it ineffectively. …Corbett said, “I created a plan to remove 700 trees per year in a certain order over the next six years to meet the 2030 target that’s identified in the emerald ash borer strategy.” …Corbett alleges that the city conducted the work piecemeal and did not include stump removal in its tree removal contracts. Now he says there are over 3,000 stumps that are past due for removal and the number continues to grow. …Kayla Dixon, Commissioner of Infrastructure & Operations told Newswatch in a statement that “the City of Thunder Bay does not respond to public statements made by former employees.”

THUNDER BAY — A local company has expanded its hangar at the Thunder Bay airport, with a big helping hand from the province. KBM Forestry Consultants Inc. received $340,764 from the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation (NOHFC) back in May. Ian Gillies, Principal Aviation at KBM Forestry Consultants Inc, told Newswatch the new 6,400 square foot expansion allows additional room to house their aircraft. “With aircraft, its dimensions are pretty key to making sure you’ve got a big enough door. It’s like your garage at home, you never quite build it big enough,” Gillies said. Thunder Bay-Atikokan MPP Kevin Holland was at the hangar on Tuesday to announce the funding. “KBM provides valuable resources or services to our natural resources industry,” said Holland, “which of course, is the cornerstone of the economy here in Northwestern Ontario.”

St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador — Natural Resources Canada announced funding of $295,000 under the 2 Billion Trees (2BT) program for the Memorial University Botanical Garden to establish a tree nursery on its expansive botanical garden, which will support tree planting in the region. With this funding, the Memorial University Botanical Garden will: build a tree nursery producing 500 saplings per year to plant across Newfoundland and Labrador; support future tree-planting projects that increase tree cover and green spaces; act as a hub for outreach, community engagement and hands-on training for students, researchers, Indigenous youth and the public; and create jobs in nursery management, horticulture and arboriculture. Today’s announcement follows the release of an update on the progress of the Government of Canada’s commitment to plant two billion trees, alongside an investment of over $200 million in more than 30 new tree-planting projects that will result in over 160 million new trees across the country.

Barrie, Ontario – Since 2007, Forests Ontario has facilitated the planting of 46.5 million trees, enhancing 900,000 hectares of connected forest landscapes through over 8,000 restoration projects across 10 provinces. Now, Forests Ontario is becoming Forests Canada to broaden the scope of its operations, while inspiring collaboration and investment to better conserve, restore and grow forests today and for future generations. “As Forests Canada, we are working to improve biodiversity and the connectivity of forested landscapes, increase much- needed wildlife habitat, fight the effects of climate change, and foster a connection to our forests – all while supporting local economies across Canada,” Jess Kaknevicius, CEO, Forests Canada, says. “We are taking our decades of knowledge and experience creating and supporting diverse, thriving forests in Ontario and applying it on a national scale to achieve the greatest possible outcomes from coast to coast to coast.”

Environnement vert plus has raised concerns about the credibility of a study that claims the caribou pilot project could result in significant job losses and an economic downturn of $23 million in Haute-Gaspésie… On the forestry aspect, Mr. Bergeron [Spokesperson] emphasizes that the plan to recover 5,000 hectares of forest damaged by a windfall last December is misleading.  “What science tells us is that it is not in our interest to come and disturb a habitat that has been naturally disturbed. When we read what is said about forest fires, we are going to recover the wood, we are affecting the soil, we are creating entry routes for predators… It is not a good idea. This proposal must be studied more rigorously,” believes Mr. Bergeron. 

The response by the Regroupement des MRC de la Gaspésie [who commissioned the study] is available here:
Caribou pilot project: 1,000 jobs at risk in Haute-Gaspésie according to study

The 2024 Ontario forest fire season officially comes to an end on Thursday. This year saw a total of 479 fires reported province-wide, burning nearly 90,000 hectares of forest. Of those, 218 fires were in the northwest, said Chris Marchand, fire information officer with Aviation, Forest Fire and Emergency Services. “Certainly it falls well below the 10-year average, which is about 694 fires,” Marchand said. “If we look to last year, we finished the season with 741 wildland fires, which impacted 441,000 hectares.” “Consistent and widespread spring rains across the province largely reduced our early spring fire danger,” he said. Fire activity did pick up toward the end of the season, thanks to dry conditions from late August to October, Marchand said. “The most active areas that we saw in Ontario in terms of forest fire activity remain, for the most part, in far northwestern Ontario,” said Geoff Coulson, warning preparedness meteorologist with Environment Canada.

Citizens in Toronto, Ontario, Canada are fighting to save a 300-year-old Northern Red Oak tree from being cut down by the owner of its host property. Homeowner Ali Simaga agreed to a deal with the Toronto City Council to sell the property to the city for conservation purposes. The tree dates back to some of the earliest French explorers who settled in Ontario. Standing at a stunning 79 feet (24 meters), the beautiful piece of history and nature is one of the oldest trees in the city. This special oak bears a powerful sentimental heritage from Canadians – It was an important landmark that safely guided thousands of native travelers. According to historian Madeleine McDowell, the tree’s current location was formerly the Humber Valley trail used by Indigenous Canadians and European traders.

After 18 months of work by a consultant, the City of Fredericton can now estimate how many trees it has in its urban core: 19,288. On Monday night, city council adopted a strategy for managing the urban forest on municipal land after commissioning Stantec Consulting in 2022 to come up with a 25-year management plan… “Fredericton is a leader in urban forestry with one of the most impressive and well-managed urban forests in Canada,” the report said… The consultant found that 44 per cent of urban Fredericton has tree canopy cover, while rural areas have almost 70 per cent cover… Stantec recommended increasing annual tree planting to 750 to 1,000 trees.

CHESTER, Nova Scotia — Wood products producer Kyle Millett Logging will receive funding from the Nova Scotia Forestry Innovation Transition Trust to increase production capacity, support sustainable forestry practices and reduce local greenhouse gas emissions at its Chester Grant mill. … “Our business has been part of the Chester Grant community for almost 60 years,” says Kyle Millett, owner of Kyle Millett Logging. “We are loyal to local tree harvesters and are proud to sell most of our wood products here in Nova Scotia. This investment in our business will allow us to modernize key aspects of our mill operations.” …The company will receive $500,000 toward a $526,545 project to upgrade power service at the mill. Converting operations to run on electricity instead of generators will increase the mill’s capacity while reducing energy use and emissions.

Canadians could soon lose access to a unique public collection of fungi that scientists say is crucial for important research, such as developing new drugs to treat antibiotic-resistant pathogens and treatments for fungal diseases emerging in a warmer climate. The public biobank at the UAMH Centre for Global Microfungal Biodiversity at the University of Toronto includes 12,000 strains of fungi collected since 1933, said James Scott, a professor at U of T’s Dalla Lana School of Public Health and director of the centre. “We are really the only biobank in Canada for fungi,” he said. It’s the largest collection of disease-causing fungi in the Western hemisphere, where Canadian researchers from industry, public health labs and colleges and universities can research diseases and their treatments. But it has run out of funding. Unless a government or other funder steps up, the collection will likely be sent overseas. 

Wood products producer Kyle Millett Logging will receive funding from the Nova Scotia Forestry Innovation Transition Trust to increase production capacity, support sustainable forestry practices and reduce local greenhouse gas emissions at its Chester Grant mill. Kyle Millett Logging sources all wood from private woodlot owners within a 50-kilometre radius of the mill. The family-run business is committed to supporting local private landowners while finding markets for its commercial and residential milled products at home in Nova Scotia. …By adopting sustainable business practices, Kyle Millet Logging will have an even greater impact on the local economy. The company will receive $500,000 toward a $526,545 project to upgrade power service at the mill. Converting operations to run on electricity instead of generators will increase the mill’s capacity while reducing energy use and emissions.

Woodland caribou … are in peril. The North American subspecies of reindeer is also at the center of a heated tussle between Ottawa and Quebec. It’s the third time in three years that the a species at risk has been caught between two government orders, underscoring the strain between federal and provincial jurisdiction in environmental protection. “It’s a shame to see this kind of tension between the provincial and federal governments because everyone agrees that it’s up to the provincial government to put in place sufficient measures to ensure adequate protection of biodiversity,” says Marc Bishai, a lawyer with the Quebec Environmental Law Center in Montreal. The responsibility for managing land and wildlife in Canada is a tangled web of legal jurisdiction shared among the federal government, provinces, territories, municipalities and Indigenous peoples. The provinces and territories have primary responsibility within their borders, subject to Aboriginal rights.