CORNER BROOK, NL – Kruger confirmed today that a significant step has been taken toward advancing its proposed $700 million diversification project at Corner Brook Pulp and Paper Limited (CBPPL), following the issuance of a non-binding letter of intent by the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador. Through this letter, the government has indicated its intention to work toward extending the Mill’s existing power purchase agreement with NL Hydro for an additional twelve months to provide stability while the project is further assessed. This step reflects the Province’s willingness to work collaboratively with Kruger to support CBPPL’s continued operations and long-term future. Since acquiring the Corner Brook Mill more than four decades ago, Kruger has remained committed to ensuring its continued viability despite persistent challenges in publication paper markets.
ENGLEHART, Ontario — The Ontario government is investing $10 million in Georgia-Pacific North Woods to advance a major $191 million upgrade to its OSB plant. The project will support the increased production of Ontario-made wood products and protect more than 220 jobs and hundreds of indirect jobs in the region. …The province is making strategic investments to help forest sector businesses adapt, compete and grow to stay resilient in the face of US tariffs. …The government’s investment under the Forest Biomass Program will support Georgia-Pacific’s $191 million project, helping modernize and expand operations at its Englehart facility. The project includes upgrades to log processing operations, construction of new facilities, expansion of on-site storage and modern equipment. Once completed, these improvements will increase production by 14%, strengthening a key anchor facility in the northeast. Georgia-Pacific will also acquire a thermal energy system to use wood by-products for heat and power, supporting sustainable forest management by maximizing fibre value.
A union representing lumber workers in Canada warned that the federal government needs to help “stabilize” the forestry sector as the trade war with the United States drags on and impacts productivity, leading to sawmill closures. The sentiment emerged at a Tuesday meeting of the House natural resources committee as it continued its study into Canadian energy exports, where Unifor national president Lana Payne told MPs that the industry continues to struggle. Industry Minister Mélanie Joly had unveiled a $1.5-billion aid package for the steel, aluminum and copper sectors on Monday, with the bulk of this amount offered through three-year loans under a program that will be created by the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC). At the time, Joly stressed that Ottawa is still working to offer “similar terms” through BDC to the softwood lumber and forestry industries.
The clock began ticking April 7 on one of the most important Supreme Court of Canada cases in New Brunswick’s history. That’s the date the country’s top court told law firms involved in the Wolastoqey Nation’s landmark title claim it would determine if it would allow “leave for appeal.” …On one side are logging firms and other private property owners who say they’re caught in the middle of a three centuries-old fight that had nothing to do with them. The Indigenous nation wants the Supreme Court to overturn a Court of Appeal decision last December. That ruling found the nation would have no chance of success in its lawsuit proving that it has Aboriginal title over privately held lands. …By that measure, the Wolastoqey Nation could sue governments but would have no means to take back control of most of their old territory. …If the appeal goes ahead, the Supreme Court could hear the case as early as this fall.
Northern Pulp’s closure plan for its mill site in Abercrombie Point, N.S., is still not complete, but a B.C. court heard Tuesday that the plan could soon begin coming into focus as the company’s creditor protection process continues to play out. …Because the plan is not final, the monitor notes in its report that it’s subject to change. The report says the company will explore options for the mill site and remaining property, which could include trying to market it to sell. Failing that, however, demolition is expected to begin in November. The court also heard Tuesday that the sale of the company’s timberlands to a company owned by billionaire blueberry mogul John Bragg is expected to be complete in the coming days. That sale, worth $235 million, will generate money for the closure plan, the mill’s creditors and to wind up the company pension.
MONTREAL — Stella-Jones announced financial results for its first quarter ended March 31, 2026. Sales for the first quarter reached $791 million, versus sales of $773 million in the corresponding period last year. Excluding the impact of 2025 acquisitions of $42 million and the unfavourable currency conversion effect of $30 million, pressure-treated wood sales increased by $10 million, or 1%, largely driven by an increase in wood utility poles volumes. …Eric Vachon, President and CEO said “Our performance continues to be supported by disciplined operations. As part of our commitment to continuous improvement, we are advancing targeted initiatives across the business, with a current focus on optimizing our Railway Ties production network, enhancing efficiency and supporting future growth. We are also progressing our strategic growth priorities, notably with the finalization of the site selection for our new U.S. steel lattice manufacturing facility.”
NEW BRUNSWICK — Postmedia plans to stop printing most New Brunswick newspapers in Moncton. Postmedia publishes the Times & Transcript, Telegraph-Journal, Daily Gleaner and other local newspapers. They are printed and distributed from a building along Main Street in downtown Moncton. Dave Arsenault, president of the New Brunswick Media Guild, confirmed that print and distribution will cease in Moncton and be moved elsewhere. …”Following an assessment of printing and insert packaging operations, it was determined that outsourcing these operations from Postmedia’s Moncton facility would allow us to continue serving print subscribers and advertisers while supporting long-term financial sustainability,” the company said Wednesday. The printing will be outsourced out of province starting Aug. 2. Postmedia bought most of New Brunswick’s English-language newspapers from Irving-owned Brunswick News in 2022.
NEW BRUNSWICK — The Fredericton Fire Department is gearing up for what could be a busy wildfire season, training its firefighters in how best to respond when burning trees begin to threaten homes. Firefighters participated last week in a national training program aimed at offering crews techniques for defending homes against wildfires. These fires are an increasing threat to the city, both from climate change and from the growth of neighbourhoods beyond the city and suburbs. …”Working in the wildland interface, we’ve got to triage properties,” Sullivan said. “Oftentimes there’s not water sources nearby.” The training program is provided by the International Association of Firefighters, with 350 Canadian firefighters receiving it in 2023 and 2024. The training was funded by the federal government, which provided more funding in 2024 to train additional firefighters. …”As the line separating urban, suburban, and rural communities has blurred, wildfires are a threat spanning coast to coast.”
The amalgamation of Ontario’s 36 conservation authorities into nine regional bodies is expected to take effect in early 2027. A new directive from Environment Minister Todd McCarthy orders conservation authorities to halt any major decision-making processes, such as changing staffing structures or purchasing property, in the meantime. After a meeting between Environment Ministry officials and conservation authority staff on May 6, 2026, one public servant told The Narwhal, “The province has essentially handcuffed conservation authorities.” …A leaked document and a recording of an internal conversation between Ministry of Environment officials and conservation authority officials for this story. …In the recording, ministry officials are heard assuring attendees that they were happy to keep working with conservation authority staff, and that the government remains committed to preserving drinking water protections. But the officials repeatedly said things are still being figured out. They acknowledged the lack of answers was “not terribly reassuring” and “anxiety producing, probably” for conservation authorities. 
While Ontario has seen a much slower start to the wildfire season compared to last year, officials are warning people heading into the May long weekend that conditions can quickly change. There have been 22 wildfires confirmed in the province since the season began April 1, compared to 68 fires this time last year, said Alison Bezubiak, a fire information officer with Aviation, Forest Fire and Emergency Services in the northwest region. “The 10-year average for this date is 56, so we are below last year and the 10-year average in terms of total number of fires confirmed,” she told CBC News Thursday morning. One small fire, measuring 0.1 hectares, is being held in the Kenora district near Grassy Narrows First Nation as of Thursday. However, forest fire danger ratings range throughout the region, with the Fort Frances area seeing extreme hazard levels, according to the province’s interactive forest fire map.
Saint John’s fire department wants the city to adopt a long-term plan to reduce the risk of wildfires and strengthen the ability to fight them. A proposed plan, which includes raising public awareness and improving wildfire training for firefighters, earned the support of the city’s public safety committee at a meeting Wednesday. Recommendations came after a detailed evaluation of wildfire risks based on terrain, weather and climate influences, locations of homes and other factors. Saint John has not experienced large-scale wildfires in recent history, as other areas of New Brunswick have, but the evaluation identified a moderate overall wildfire risk in some areas of the city. Steep hillsides, and extensive forestry, park space and other green areas — particularly near dense neighbourhoods — create risky conditions for the city uncommon in other parts of the province, Deputy Chief Ed Moyer of the Saint John Fire Department told the committee.
NOVA SCOTIA — The Province continues to support the forestry sector by making wood heat and building materials a priority in public buildings. A request for proposals issued Thursday, May 14, will see five buildings converted to heating systems that use local wood products. “We are seizing an opportunity to prioritize a local product from our forestry sector that also makes our province more self-reliant and energy secure,” said Public Works Minister Fred Tilley. “By using more local wood products, we are creating jobs, growing our economy and creating a brighter future for Nova Scotia.” …This is the first major project under the government’s wood initiative announced in July 2025. The deadline for submissions is June 24. Using wood products aligns with the Nova Scotia Loyal program, reduces reliance on imports and enhances export markets. It also supports the forestry sector, reduces greenhouse gas emissions and helps the province move to a low-carbon economy.
MONTRÉAL – With global warming, rainfall is increasingly falling in short, intense, concentrated bursts separated by longer dry periods, and these changes could have a potentially devastating effect on the planet. These are the conclusions of a new study co‑authored by Corey Lesk, at the Université du Québec à Montréal, and Justin S. Mankin, at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire. … They observed that regardless of the total amount of water received annually, this new rainfall regime alters how precipitation is absorbed by the soil and promotes greater aridity across the Earth’s surface. “Drought is often measured by what is lacking–the total amount of rainfall–but how precipitation falls is just as important,” explains Professor Corey Lesk. “This new type of rainfall regime leads to increased evaporation at the land surface, limiting the soil’s ability to retain moisture, and thus reducing the amount of water available on land for human populations and ecosystems.”
THUNDER BAY — The Ontario government is investing $5.5 million to help Greenwater Technology produce renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuel using mill by-products and underused wood. This investment will support new opportunities for made-in-Ontario forest products, create new revenue streams to drive growth in forestry and empower the aviation and transportation industries to adopt sustainable fuels. As part of the government’s plan to protect Ontario, the government is making strategic investments to help forest sector businesses adapt, compete and grow to stay resilient in the face of U.S. tariffs. …After bringing the technology to market, Greenwater plans to integrate biofuel plants at anchor mills, providing an on-site use for forest biomass that would increase productivity, strengthen forestry supply chains and generate new revenue streams.
New Brunswick’s wildfire season has begun with more forests burned than at this time last year, according to the government’s wildfire dashboard. As of Wednesday afternoon, the dashboard reported there has been 178 fires so far this season, which have burned 343 hectares of forest. At the same date in 2025, there had been 100 fires burning 87.7 hectares of forest. The 10-year average for the period up to May 6 is 84 fires burning 105 hectares. As of 9 a.m. Wednesday, there were no out-of-control fires in the province, compared with six Tuesday night. …New Brunswick’s wildfire season begins in early April and continues through the summer. Last year, several fires resulted in restrictions on forest trail use. In Moncton, municipal fire departments joined with provincial firefighters. …“Record-low precipitation, minimal snowpack, and prolonged drought have pushed fire risks higher than normal,” the Department of Natural Resources said.
