Region Archives: Canada East

Business & Politics

New Brunswick softwood lumber industry braces for hit from Donald Trump’s latest tariffs

By Jordan Gill
CBC News
October 5, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada East

Companies reliant on New Brunswick’s softwood lumber industry are bracing for hard times after US President Trump announced new tariffs on Sept. 30. …In a letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney, New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt pleaded for the federal government to make softwood lumber tariffs a top priority. “In some communities in New Brunswick, one in every 11 workers depends directly on forest products,” Holt wrote. …Ron Marcolin, the New Brunswick vice-president with Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters, said the latest tariffs and duties are a big deal in a long-running drama over softwood lumber.  …While New Brunswick may largely rely on the American market, Marcolin said Americans also rely on New Brunswick’s products. …”The thing is, too, they realize their product is inferior. Their softwood lumber is not as good as a Canadian stick of lumber.”

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Kapuskasing strong’: Hundreds rally to save papermill

By Maija Hoggett
Timmins Today
October 2, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada East

KAPUSKASING – In the shadow of the Kap Paper mill and with empty rail cards in the background, hundreds of people rallied today to save the Kapuskasing facility that the company announced on Monday would be idled. The ask is for a three-month loan from the province to give the company time to apply for a federal government longer-term fund. “The money will ensure Kap Paper can transition to a long-term stable market. We need Ontario and the federal government to work with us on a solution and not point fingers at each other. The fate of our town’s mills, workers and families are too important for these games,” Kapuskasing, Mayor Dave Plourde said. GreenFirst announced today that its sawmill operations in Kapuskasing, Hearst, Cochrane will be reduced for one week starting on Oct. 6. While Politis said it was heartwarming to see the crowd standing together, he’s disappointed in politicians.

Related coverage in CBC News: Union says Kapuskasing mill workers were told it was ‘business as usual’ 2 weeks before shutdown

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Advanced Wood Manufacturing Companies in Ontario Condemns Punitive Tariffs

Wood Manufacturing Cluster of Ontario
October 2, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada East

The advanced wood manufacturing sector in Ontario and across Canada condemns the latest United States administration’s decision to impose unjustified punitive tariffs on kitchen cabinets, select wood furniture, and manufactured softwood lumber products. Immediate action is required by by our Federal and Provincial governments on all political sides to work diligently and aggressively to get these tariffs lifted; this is to guarantee jobs and prosperity for our communities across the country. The advanced wood manufacturing sector in Canada represents over $20 billion in revenues, over 100,000 employees, and includes a majority of small and medium-sized employers. …These tariffs will have a devastating impact on companies that export to the United States. They will also disrupt the North American housing sector supply chain, raise costs for housing in the United States, and destroy the shared prosperity and integrated trade relationship provided.

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Northern Ontario officials call on feds, province to stop Kap Paper mill closure

By Joseph Ryan
CityNews Everywhere
October 1, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada East

Officials and residents of Kapuskasing gathered Wednesday to call on provincial and federal governments to work with the town to keep a paper mill from closing, urging them to “not point fingers at each other.” Kap Paper announced it will begin winding down after failing to secure immediate financial support from the federal government. …the timing “doesn’t appear to be aligning” for a solution to keep the mill open. …Ottawa said Tuesday that it would keep working to help save the mill, with Industry Minister saying it had offered supports such as the Strategic Innovation Fund and targeted programs. …Meanwhile, the provincial government said Monday it has provided Kap Paper with millions to help cover operating expenses and is “disappointed” that the federal government has failed to join in providing immediate support. …Peter Politis, mayor of nearby Cochrane, Ont., said the issue impacts the entire northern Ontario community.

Related coverage from the Ontario Forest Industries Association: OFIA Statement on Kapuskasing Paper Mill and Sawmill Curtailments 

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Ottawa says it will ‘keep working’ with northern Ontario paper mill to resume its operations

The Canadian Press
September 30, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada East

Ottawa says it will keep working to help save a northern Ontario paper mill that cited a lack of immediate federal support as it announced this week it was forced to idle operations. Industry Minister Melanie Joly’s office says it had “come to the table” with federal supports for Kap Paper in Kapuskasing, Ont., which directly employs about 420 people and supports 2,500 jobs in the region. It says the federal government has been working directly with the struggling company, citing support offered through the Strategic Innovation Fund and targeted programs. Kap Paper said on Monday that it had received $50 million in loans from the Ontario government and had approached Ottawa for funding, but despite “initial positive responses,” there was no immediate solution to keep the paper mill open. …Joly’s office says it will keep working with the company on options to resume its operations.

Related Coverage in CBC News: Kapuskasing paper mill idling, but company and union saying little else

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GreenFirst Announces the Temporary Curtailment of Some of its Operations

GreenFirst Forest Products Inc.
September 30, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada East

TORONTO — GreenFirst Forest Products announced a temporary curtailment of certain operations in order to reassess its options, following Kap Paper’s decision to begin an orderly idling of operations at its Kapuskasing paper mill. The announced idling of Kap Paper — GreenFirst’s primary customer for wood by-products — significantly worsens the challenge of managing these residual materials in Ontario. This marks the fourth pulp and paper mill to close in the province over the past two years. The two remaining pulp and paper mills in Western Ontario cannot, on their own, absorb the full volume of chips and biomass generated by sawmill operations across the province. These tough times have been exacerbated by tariffs and resulting economic uncertainty. …Effective October 6, 2025, the Company will reduce sawmill operations at its Kapuskasing, Hearst, and Cochrane facilities for the equivalent of one week. The curtailment at the Kapuskasing sawmill could extend beyond this period.

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Kap Paper is calling it quits

Northern Ontario Business
September 29, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada East

Kap Paper announced it is idling operations at its Kapuskasing facility in northeastern Ontario. A Sept. 29 news release said the decision was made after years and months of discussion with governments and partners. …Approximately 300 people work at the mill. Skiffington said while there have been productive discussions with the province and feds, nothing more immediate is available at this time. A spokesperson for Kap Paper could not confirm if the shutdown is permanent or if the mill is being placed on care and maintenance in preparation for the asset to be sold. …The company said that they have approached Ottawa for support for a long-term solution through the federal Strategic Response Fund, but “the timing doesn’t appear to be aligning for an immediate solution to keep the mill operational. …Mike Harris said “We are deeply disappointed that the federal government has failed to join us in providing the immediate support required.”

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Stella-Jones Expands its Utility Product Offering with an Agreement to Acquire Brooks Manufacturing Co

Stella-Jones Inc.
September 30, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada East

Montreal, Quebec – Stella-Jones Inc. announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the assets of Brooks Manufacturing Co., a manufacturer of treated wood distribution crossarms and transmission framing components located in the United States. This transaction marks another significant step in the Company’s strategy to expand beyond its traditional product categories and leverage its extensive sales and distribution network to better support the needs of the utility sector. Founded in 1915, Brooks is a long-standing supplier to utilities with a proven track record of quality and customer service. It operates a facility located in Bellingham, Washington, supplying a wide array of treated crossarms and framing components that play a vital role in ensuring the strength and reliability of overhead electrical systems. …The definitive agreement provides for a purchase price of approximately US$140.0 million, subject to customary working capital adjustments. 

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Kapuskasing mayor says hard work continues to keep Kap Paper open

By Lydia Chubak
CTV News
September 26, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada East

Kapuskasing Mayor Dave Plourde said that, after much lobbying, the federal government said it is willing to sit down with the province to discuss a solution for the northeastern forest industry. That means that Kap Paper remains open, at least for now. The company is facing a crisis because of tariffs imposed by the US as part of the trade war launched by President Trump. …Plourde said he felt some relief to hear the federal government has agreed to sit down with the province. …News of a working group that includes the federal and provincial governments, as well as representatives from the industry, is also good news. …“In a recent news release, Kap Paper indicated a couple of ways the federal government can help would be to provide proportional forestry funding to Ontario, equivalent to BC and Quebec, and to address duties and tariffs that unfairly penalize Canadian producers.

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Ontario Investing An Additional $30 Million to Protect Forestry Workers

By Ministry of Natural Resources
The Government of Ontario
September 26, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada East

THUNDER BAY, Ontario — The Ontario government is investing a further $30 million to support businesses, workers and communities dependent on the province’s forest sector. This funding will build and maintain more forestry access roads and provide immediate support for Ontario sawmills to find new markets for their woodchips. These investments will strengthen Ontario’s forestry sector, create jobs and increase the sector’s competitiveness in the face of increased US softwood lumber duties and the threat of tariffs. …An additional $20 million is being invested through the Provincial Forest Access Roads Funding Program, bringing the government’s total funding for the program to over $79 million this year. …The government is also providing immediate support to sawmills by investing $10 million in the Ontario Sawmill Chip Support Program. The funding provides immediate support to sawmills while they find new, innovative markets for their wood chips such as energy production or alternatives for single-use plastics.

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CIB loans $660 million towards Saint John Mill Modernization

By Canada Infrastructure Bank
Cision Newswire
September 26, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada East

SAINT JOHN, NB – The Canada Infrastructure Bank (CIB) has reached financial close on a $660 million loan to Irving Pulp & Paper to support the large-scale modernization of the company’s pulp mill in west Saint John, New Brunswick. Enabled by the CIB’s partnership, the modernization project consists of replacing 1970s era technology with current best-available solutions to improve productivity and maintain mill competitiveness within the sector. This includes a new recovery boiler, steam turbine and generator to produce up to 145 megawatts of renewable energy. Excess energy generated at the mill will be exported to the provincial grid under a power purchase agreement with NB Power, with approximately 50 megawatts being used to sustainably energize mill operations.

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Decisions ‘forthcoming’ to keep Kap Paper from closure

Northern Ontario Business
September 24, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada East

Struggling Kap Paper is looking for a lifeline from Ottawa to keep the Kapuskasing newsprint mill afloat and avoiding closure. The northwestern Ontario company has been threatening to shut down within a few short weeks unless the federal government comes forth with matching funds that equals the commitment by the Ontario government for a $6-million loan extension. The company is making a direct appeal, via a news release, to “act now” to keep its 300 workers employed and the pulp and paper supply chain in northeastern Ontario intact. …A spokesperson issued this statement on Wednesday: Kap Paper continues to work closely with the Governments of Canada and Ontario on long-term stability measures. Decisions on next steps are forthcoming, and we will provide a public update immediately once they are finalized. In the meantime, our focus remains on meeting commitments to our employees, customers, and community.

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Quebec government scraps forestry reform bill that drew widespread ire

CBC News
September 25, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada East

François Legault

MONTREAL — Earlier this week, a coalition made up of First Nations chiefs, environmental groups, mayors and unions called on the Legault government to scrap its controversial forestry reform bill. On Thursday, the Legault government capitulated. CBC News has learned the premier will announce later today that his government is abandoning Bill 97, which was tabled in the spring and has faced persistent opposition since. The bill would have divided the province’s forest into three zones: one that prioritizes conservation, one focused on timber production and a third zone for multiple uses. The Assembly of First Nations Quebec-Labrador (AFNQL) had panned the proposed system, arguing the bill essentially would have given the forestry industry the right to bypass consultations with First Nations regarding activities on those territories zoned for intensive logging. …The AFNQL has said the province must try to create a new bill from scratch.

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$5M in funding announced for Interfor’s Sault lumber mill

By Stephen Alexander
Sootoday.com
September 22, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada East

Ontario’s Associate Minister of Forestry and Forest Products announced over $5 million in funding today for Interfor Sault Ste. Marie at the company’s mill on Peoples Road. Kevin Holland said the funding will help the mill install equipment and technology – including artificial intelligence screening – to increase production capacity by 12%, reduce wood waste by 25% and reduce emissions by 21%. “This project will enable greater processing of small diameter logs, which are underused in current operations,” Holland said. …The funding will support Interfor Sault Ste. Marie as the Canadian forestry sector grapples with U.S. tariffs. “The whole idea behind our forest biomass program is to invest into the sector as we deal with the increase in uncertainties created by the duties and tariffs that are being imposed by the United States government,” Holland said. …Interfor employs over 100 people in the Sault. …The announcement was accompanied separate funding for Northshore Forest to complete repairs to a bridge.

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Ontario Investing $3.5 Million to Support Job Creators in Province’s Forestry Sector

By Natural Resources
Government of Ontario
September 19, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada East

TORONTO – The Ontario government is investing over $3.5 million through the Forest Sector Investment and Innovation Program to support Ontario’s forestry sector and bring more made-in-Ontario wood products to market. This funding will provide businesses with advanced manufacturing technology to launch new product lines for local and international markets, create jobs and boost productivity. As part of its plan to protect Ontario, the government is helping forest sector businesses adapt, compete and grow to stay resilient in the face of U.S. tariffs. …Ontario’s investment will enhance operations at two forest sector businesses: DSI Industries, an office furniture manufacturer, is receiving $2.5 million to install automated finishing equipment; and Diamond CNC, a kitchen cabinet manufacturer, is receiving over $1 million to install robotic systems which automate material handling. 

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Statement – A collective and united approach against Bill 97

By Assembly of First Nations of Quebec and Labrador
Cision Newswire
September 22, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada East

WENDAKE, QC – On September 16, 2025, the Assembly of First Nations of Quebec and Labrador (AFNQL), its Chiefs Committee on Forestry, unions representing more than 20,000 forestry workers, environmental organizations, as well as the federations of ZECs and outfitters in Quebec supporting more than 5,000 jobs, came together for an unprecedented meeting. All share the same conclusion: Bill 97 is one of the most unifying pieces of legislation ever put forward—unifying in opposition. This joint declaration against it is proof of that. This convergence of voices reflects a deep concern with the current version of the bill and underscores that the forest must be regarded as a major societal issue. In this spirit, and as an act of collaboration, we call for Bill 97 not to be reintroduced in the new parliamentary session.

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Quebec MLA booted from cabinet quits party, says she has lost faith in leader Legault

The Canadian Press in Global News
September 18, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada East

Maïté Blanchette Vézina

QUÉBEC – A member of the Coalition Avenir Québec recently booted from cabinet has resigned from the party and says she no longer has faith in Premier François Legault. Maïté Blanchette Vézina says she will sit as an Independent and says Legault should reconsider his future as leader of the CAQ, adding that his policies have neglected Quebec’s regions. Her departure is the latest controversy to hit Legault and his party, both of which are deeply unpopular with electors one year away from the provincial election. Blanchette Vézina was elected in 2022 in the riding of Rimouski and was the natural resources and forestry minister until eight days ago. She had struggled steering a bill to protect the forestry industry but which triggered blockades from Indigenous people who said the legislation threatened their way of life.

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‘A lot of moving parts’ to Northern Pulp cleanup, says environment minister

By Michael Gorman
The Globe and Mail
September 18, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada East

Tim Halman

If Nova Scotia’s environment minister has information about the cleanup process for the property where the Northern Pulp mill once operated, including what it could cost and who might be responsible for the work, he wasn’t sharing the details with reporters on Thursday. “When the time is right, we’ll have more to say to Nova Scotians,” Tim Halman said. Northern Pulp is winding down its business, as the owner of the shuttered mill in Pictou County works through a multi-year creditor protection process. That process, which includes selling off assets, calls for the company to put $15 million toward a closure plan. Recent court filings, however, have raised questions about whether even that amount of money will be available, and there’s a suggestion that Northern Pulp could even file for bankruptcy. Halman could not say what that would mean for the cleanup of the property at Abercrombie Point, which also once included a chemical plant.

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Northern Ontario leaders plead for federal help to save Kap Paper Mill

By Lydia Chubak
CTV News
September 17, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada East

ONTARIO — The Federation of Northern Ontario Municipalities (FONOM) is issuing a stark warning that the Kap Paper Mill in Kapuskasing faces imminent closure without urgent financial support from the federal government. In a direct appeal, FONOM has stated the mill could shutter within two weeks if funding is not secured. FONOM President Danny Whalen confirmed the anxious wait for a federal response. …Kapuskasing Mayor Dave Plourde described the mill’s status over the past year as a “roller coaster ride. …We just need the federal government to ensure the 2500 jobs that would be affected in our area”. …Whalen pointed to punishing international tariffs as a core issue hindering the industry. …Plourde explained that the mill’s closure would trigger a catastrophic domino effect, crippling the entire local forestry sector as sawmills in the region rely on the Kap Paper Mill to consume their wood by-products, such as chips and sawdust.

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Uncertain future for 400 employees of Domtar’s Kénogami and Dolbeau plants

By David-Alexandre Vincent
TVA Nouvelles
September 15, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada East

QUEBEC — Just over 400 Domtar workers in Kénogami and Dolbeau, in Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean, are uncertain about the future of their plants. Unifor is scheduled to meet with senior management shortly to provide an update on the situation. “This year, production shutdowns have been more significant and longer than usual,” said Unifor Quebec Director Daniel Cloutier. The decline in demand for newsprint is forcing the company to adjust and review its business model. According to him, Domtar is managing the decline, but this strategy does not position the regional facilities for the long term. The union wants to discuss alternative solutions to ensure future prospects. …”It’s not necessarily about reassurance, we want the truth,” says Gilles Vaillancourt, of the Kénogami Pulp and Paper Workers Union. …Domtar assures it “continues to operate its various mills responsibly in order to address market trends,” while maintaining dialogue with the unions. [original article in French, translation by Google Translate]

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Finance & Economics

Ontario housing construction collapse ‘should alarm policymakers,’ report warns

By John MacFarlane
Yahoo! Finance
September 23, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: Canada, Canada East

Housing starts and pre-sales in much of Southern Ontario have earned failing grades and are on track to get even worse, a new study warns — a situation that “should alarm policymakers across all three orders of government.” The report from University of Ottawa’s Missing Middle Initiative compares housing starts and sales in 34 municipalities across the Greater Toronto Area and neighbouring Southern Ontario cities for the first six months of 2025 with the same period from 2021–2024. It found starts are down 40% relative to that four-year average, with pre-construction condo sales plunging 89 per cent and other homes 70 per cent. The reduction in starts has direct employment implications, and the collapse in pre-construction sales, the study says, is “a clear indication that Ontario’s housing situation will get worse before it gets better, and that market weakness is not isolated to the condo market.” …The study paints a similarly bleak picture for the first half of 2025.

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Wood, Paper & Green Building

The Buildings Show 2025: Setting the stage for Canada’s construction future

By Robin MacLennan, Editor, Ontario Construction News
Ontario Construction News
October 1, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada, Canada East

For more than 35 years, The Buildings Show has been the gathering place for Canada’s building industry, bringing together leaders, innovators and practitioners for three days of learning, networking and discovery. This year’s event — running December 3–5 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre — is shaping up to be the most dynamic yet. …New for 2025, the Canadian Wood Council joins forces with The Buildings Show to introduce WoodWorks, integrating technical expertise and sustainable material innovation directly into the event. With new Friday programming and offsite WoodWorks education, the conference line-up is stronger than ever. To mark the countdown to The Buildings Show, Ontario Construction News is launching a video series featuring expert voices from across the industry. …In this first video, Clive Thurston, President of Thurston Consulting Services, talks about what makes Canada’s construction industry unique compared to its global counterparts.

Additional coverage from The Buildings Show: WoodWorks at The Buildings Show – incredible opportunity for all professionals of the built environment to immerse themselves in the latest innovations in wood-based design and construction.

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Inside an office building that mirrors its mission with construction

By David Israelson
The Globe and Mail
September 30, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada East

The design and construction of the new headquarters of the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) is a nod to the agency’s environmental work. The $56-million structure, which took nine years to complete – partly delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic – officially opened in April. It’s an airy, open-concept, four-storey building that’s 86,000 square feet and made with mass timber – a low-carbon, fire-resistant construction material. …Mass-timber construction is on the uptick in Canada, with a recent report revealing that nearly 700 projects have been completed across the country, while more than 140 are either under construction or in the planning stages. Nature Resources Canada says mass-timber buildings can meet or exceed fire code safety requirements and they are capable of lasting hundreds of years, proving their resilience and longevity. …At a time when many workers are being ordered to return to office, an attractive, eco- and user-friendly building can be motivating for them to show up…

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Forestry

Forestry at University of New Brunswick: A century on, deep roots and new growth come together so that innovation, opportunity and sustainability can blossom

By Kayla Cormier
University of New Brunswick
October 2, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada East

The University of New Brunswick’s faculty of forestry and environmental management (ForEM) is an “old growth” tree, with over a hundred rings to show its age. Since its first graduating class in 1910, it continues growing out in new directions in an ever-changing landscape. As the climate crisis intensifies and industries evolve, the faculty is at the forefront of a sector undergoing rapid transformation. With cutting-edge technology, a growing demand for skilled professionals and a commitment to sustainability, ForEM grads are shaping the future of forestry. Over the next decade, New Brunswick’s forestry sector is anticipating a significant wave of job openings—as many as 3,200—as seasoned professionals retire and transition out of the workforce. “Our graduates are entering a workforce that’s hungry for their skills,” said Dr. Michelle Gray, ForEM dean and associate professor. “We’re seeing unprecedented demand for professionals who understand both the science and the technology driving modern forestry…”

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Mi’kmaw land protectors say they won’t leave mountain even if Nova Scotia passes controversial law

By Angel Moore
APTN News
October 1, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada East

While the Nova Scotia government works to pass its controversial law that would make it illegal to block forest roads in the province, Mi’kmaw land protectors say they’re not going anywhere. On Sept. 23, the province introduced the Protecting Nova Scotians Act… The part of the proposed law that is drawing the ire of Mi’kmaw across the province deals with Crown Lands. The bill promises to “prevent the blocking of forest access roads and to allow structures to be removed without notice if they are a hazard to public health, safety or order or if they are impeding the lawful use of Crown lands.” According to land protectors on the Hunters Mountain, that part of the bill is aimed at them. …They said they’re protecting the forest from clear-cutting. Sacred lands that contain medicines and important sites.

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University of Toronto students gather White Oak acorns at Queen’s Park in an effort to preserve native trees

Muriel Draaisma
CBC News
October 1, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada East

A group of University of Toronto forestry students collected acorns from a giant White Oak tree at Queen’s Park on Wednesday as part of an effort to preserve the diversity of Toronto’s native trees. Eric Davies, a forest ecologist at the University of Toronto, led a group of undergraduate students in the university’s foresters club as they gathered about six litres of acorns from a tree in Queen’s Park North, one of four remaining large White Oaks in the park. White Oaks, a common deciduous tree species in North America, are the largest and oldest trees in the green spaces outside the Ontario Legislature. …Davies said timing is key, as White Oaks produce acorns about once every five to 10 years — this year being one of them. …Davies said the students will donate most of the acorns to the City of Toronto’s tree seed diversity program in the next two weeks. Some of the acorns will be kept at U of T to be grown there, he added.

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Domtar, Government of Canada support efforts by Nature Conservancy of Canada to conserve ecologically significant lands in central Newfoundland

Domtar
October 1, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada East

GANDER, Newfoundland — The Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) is announcing a bold campaign to protect more than 1,800 hectares of boreal forest, freshwater shoreline and wetlands in central Newfoundland and Labrador. It is the largest land donation NCC has received during its 54-year history working in Atlantic Canada. Domtar has agreed to donate land to NCC, thus allowing NCC to conserve four large parcels of forested lands and waters along the Southwest Gander River and Gander Lake near the communities of Glenwood and Appleton. The land donation project is significant as it enables better wildlife movement through connected conservation lands. Less than three per cent of the Central Newfoundland ecoregion currently falls under conservation status. …”This initiative reflects our commitment to community, sustainability and collaboration… that safeguard biodiversity — which is embedded in our 2030 sustainability strategy. We are honored to play a role,” said Luc Thériault, President, Domtar Wood Products.

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Nova Scotia Crown lands bill would criminalize peaceful protests, critics say

By Keith Doucette
Canadian Press in CityNews Everywhere
September 29, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada East

The Nova Scotia government’s proposed move to make it illegal to block forest access roads on Crown lands is being dismissed as heavy-handed and an attempt to ignore Mi’kmaq rights. Several presenters spoke out in opposition Monday during an appearance before the legislature’s public bills committee hearing on the Protecting Nova Scotians Act. The omnibus bill includes one new piece of legislation and amends seven other acts, including the Crown Lands Act. The changes to the act would impose a $50,000 fine and/or six months in jail for protests or individuals who ignore protest camp removal orders. Michelle Paul, a Mi’kmaq water protector and land defender, said the bill was written without consultation or consideration of treaty rights and should be withdrawn. “It’s not lost upon us that this bill is being rushed through on the eve of Treaty Day and the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation,” said Paul. 

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Quinte Woodland Conference, Tending Our Woodlands: The Rewards of Action

By Susan Moore
Frontenac News
September 24, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada East

After 5 years, this celebrated conference is back with a new look. Don’t miss the Quinte Woodland Conference, Tending Our Woodlands: The Rewards of Action on October 2, 2025 in Belleville. The Quinte Woodlot Association has revived the former Trenton Woodlot Conference, continuing its 30-year legacy in our community. This one-day event welcomes rural landowners, foresters, farmers, conservationists and naturalists from all over Eastern Ontario. The program blends practical advice with science-based insights. In addition to the keynote, presentations will include: Wildfire Protection, Plantation Cooperatives, Biochar as Soil Amendment, and a panel on Succession Planning with a conservation planner, a farm preservation specialist, an accountant and a lawyer.  …The keynote speaker, Ethan Tapper, is a forester and the bestselling author of How to Love a Forest: The Bittersweet Work of Tending a Changing World.

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Omnibus bill tackles Crown land protesters in Nova Scotia, supports domestic violence survivors

By Michael Gorman
CBC News
September 23, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada East

NOVA SCOTIA — New powers to deal with protesters blocking logging roads on Crown land are being dealt with by the Nova Scotia government in… the Protecting Nova Scotians Act introduced Tuesday. …Notable changes include amendments to the Crown Lands Act that will make it illegal to “block, obstruct the use of or impede access to” forest access roads. It will also give officials the ability to remove structures without notice when they’re deemed to be a hazard to public health and safety or are harmful to the economic interests of the province. …An official with the Natural Resources Department said the changes are being made out of concern for people who might have protests or other gatherings located too close to logging equipment. …The proposed changes come as protesters in Cape Breton are blocking a logging operation by Port Hawkesbury Paper on Crown land. Natural Resources Minister Tory Rushton told reporters that the changes were requested by conservation officers. 

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Retired wildlife biologist on impact of clear-cutting in Cape Breton Highlands

By Bob Bancroft
The Halifax Examiner
September 22, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada East

The nature of the Cape Breton Highland forests with harsh, stormy winter conditions and deep snows made the sites appropriate for deep-rooted hardwood trees that could better withstand heavy winds and summer droughts. Conifers, on the other hand, are shallow-rooted and more susceptible to drought, insects, and wind. …According to science regarding their history, disturbances in Nova Scotia forests tended to result from hurricanes and insect infestations. Forest fires were rare. …Forests were not as vulnerable to fire until land clearing by humans began roughly 300 years ago. The interval between natural disturbances before Europeans arrived is estimated at 800-1,000 years. Humans are now harvesting and removing trees from many sites every 40 years. …Moose need to move through mature forests with small openings containing younger, diverse tree species for food, with aquatic vegetation available in waterways.

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Acadian Timber Announces $2.5M Investment in University of New Brunswick’s Digital Forestry Program

By Acadian Timber Corp.
GlobeNewswire
September 22, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada East

EDMUNDSTON, New Brunswick — Acadian Timber, together with its largest shareholder Macer Forest Holdings, is investing $2.5 million over 5 years in the University of New Brunswick to drive innovation in digital forestry. …The investment will support the creation of a new digital stream within UNB’s master of forestry program and fund infrastructure upgrades to enhance education and research capabilities. “This collaboration reflects Acadian’s commitment to advancing sustainable forestry through innovation,” said Adam Sheparski, CEO of Acadian. “By investing in UNB’s digital forestry program, we’re not only supporting the next generation of forestry professionals – we’re also accelerating the integration of cutting-edge technologies into our own operations and across the industry.” Spearheaded through a partnership with UNB’s Faculty of Forestry and Environmental Management and the McKenna Institute, this initiative will accelerate the use of AI, remote sensing, and digital modeling in sustainable forest management. 

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What fish in northwestern Ontario reveal about the impact of climate change, forestry

By Rajpreet Sahota
CBC News
September 15, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada East

Researchers from Trent University are immersing themselves in forests and streams in northwestern Ontario to understand how forestry practices and climate change affect brook trout populations and freshwater ecosystems. The team is working in the Walkinshaw and Wolf watersheds, northeast of Thunder Bay. They are focusing on headwater streams, which are small rivers that feed larger waterways across the Great Lakes. “Northern freshwater ecosystems are currently experiencing major disturbances, two of which are forest harvest and climate change. One of the effects of climate change is an increase in water temperatures. And the consequences of these predicted increased temperatures on the stream ecosystem are still unclear,” said PhD student Celeste Milli, who is leading the fieldwork. …Milli said the research could help inform science-based policy decisions in Canada’s northern forests, ensuring that both forest ecosystems and freshwater resources remain resilient in a changing climate.

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Port Hawkesbury Paper suspends logging in Cape Breton Highlands amid Mi’kmaw blockade

By Sis’moqon
CBC News
September 12, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada East

NOVA SCOTIA — A company responsible for logging in an area on Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia has temporarily suspended its operations after a group of Mi’kmaq blocked the road into the forest. …Now discussions between the province and Mi’kmaw organizations are taking place over how to address concerns over forestry management of the Cape Breton Highlands. The Assembly of Nova Scotia Mi’kmaw Chiefs said in a statement Friday that it met with Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston, provincial ministers and Port Hawkesbury Paper to discuss the concerns. ….Despite the ongoing talks, organizers say that they don’t plan on stopping the blockade. …Port Hawkesbury Paper mill co-manager Bevan Lock said “We are proud of the ongoing dialogue we’ve had with Mi’kmaw organizations and the assembly over the years, and we want to help the broader community better understand what we do and how important the forests are to us, too.” 

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‘It is a clear-cut operation’: Trees cleared out for lumber at provincial park hit by summer storm

By Jonathan Migneault
CBC News
September 12, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada East

Northeastern Ontario’s Samuel de Champlain Provincial Park has transformed into a temporary logging operation due to a storm that knocked down thousands of trees in June. “It is a clear-cut operation,” said Bill Steer, general manager of the Canadian Ecology Centre, which is located inside the park that is just west of Mattawa. On June 21, powerful winds from a downburst hit the park. It downed thousands of trees, which destroyed some trailers and vehicles in the park. Gary Wheeler, a spokesperson with Ontario’s Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks, said the ministry has been working with the Algonquin Forestry Authority on cleanup and salvage operations in the park. The forestry authority has hired local contractors to process the fallen trees. Wheeler said some have been turned into hydro poles and others will be assessed for lumber.

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Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy

Proposed wood waste-to-energy facility is licensed by province

Northern Ontario Business
September 26, 2025
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: Canada, Canada East

ONTARIO — Toronto’s CHAR Technologies and joint venture partner Lake Nipigon Forest Management Inc. (LNFMI) have secured a provincial forest resource processing facility licence for a proposed renewable energy facility. CHAR and LNFMI are the co-developers in a proposed wood waste-to-renewable energy facility, near Hurkett, Ontario. CHAR is an innovative clean technology specializing in the production of renewable natural gas and a bio-coal (biochar) product from residual wood waste. LNFMI is the Sustainable Forest License holder to the Lake Nipigon Forest. CHAR’s partnership with LNFMI secures the woody feedstock supply. CHAR calls receipt of the licence a “historic achievement”. It clears the path to greenlight construction for a “biohub” forestry processing operation, expected to commence sometime in 2026. Initial civil works at a greenfield site have been completed. …“LNFMI and CHAR are putting forest biomass to work and creating new opportunities in forestry,” said Kevin Holland, associate minister of forestry.

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Lakehead University researchers lead $1.67M global effort to help forests adapt to climate change

By Desmond Brown
CBC News
September 15, 2025
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: Canada, Canada East

Brigitte Leblon

Amid a stark increase in forest fires in recent years, a global project led by Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, Ont., aims to determine how woodland areas can adapt to climate change. Natural resource management experts at Lakehead are leading the $1.67-million global research project, which includes other Canadian universities and one in Germany. The multi-year research is being funded by the Eva Mayr-Stihl Foundation in that western European country. “The forest is made of wood, and the first thing wood is doing is burning,” lead researcher Brigitte Leblon of Lakehead told CBC News. “Fires become more and more intense and huge because of climate change. More drought means more intense fires, and when the fire is more intense, automatically, large areas are burned.” …They’ll be examining tree genetics, ecosystems, policy and land-use planning, as well as how biological, ecological and social systems interact to shape forest health in a changing climate.

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Forest Fires

275 homes, cottages under evacuation order as N.S. wildfire burns near Lake George

By Meig Campbell
CBC News
September 30, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada East

Nova Scotia’s Department of Natural Resources says more evacuations are possible as a fire near Lake George in the Annapolis Valley continues to burn out of control. Residents of … Aylesford Lake’s southwest end have been told to prepare to evacuate. The fire in Kings County, which broke out Sunday, is estimated to be 150 hectares. It had been pegged at 300 hectares Monday night but officials at a briefing Tuesday afternoon said that was the result of an overestimation due to dense smoke conditions. Jim Rudderham, DNR’s director of fleet and forest protection, told reporters the cause of the fire has not been determined but it’s presumed human activity is responsible since there has been no lightning in the area. “It’s frustrating for us and for everybody when this happens,” Rudderham said. No buildings have been damaged but 275 civic addresses have been evacuated and 56 others are under an evacuation alert. Some of those addresses are cottages.

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Out-of-control wildfire in Nova Scotia threatens homes in Annapolis Valley

Canadian Press in CityNews Everywhere
September 29, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada East

AYLESFORD — Nova Scotia officials say more evacuation orders are possible as a wildfire in the Annapolis Valley remains out of control. In a social media post, the Department of Natural Resources said a helicopter had been dispatched to gauge the area of the Lake George fire, which at last estimate was roughly 300 hectares in size. The fire broke out Sunday and was declared out of control late Monday, prompting officials to announce an evacuation of nearby campgrounds and homes. Officials said Tuesday residents on Birch Lane, Spruce Drive and Blue Lane at Aylesford Lake’s southwest end should be prepared to evacuated. Dry and windy conditions have helped push the fire from the northern end of Lake George eastward toward the northern end of Aylesford Lake. Evacuees are asked to register at the Louis Millett Community Complex in New Minas, N.S., where services are being offered.

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Crews fighting large forest fire in North Dundas

CBC News
September 22, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada, Canada East

North Dundas, Ont., has declared a state of emergency as crews battle a 40-hectare bog and forest fire that broke out Sunday night. The township said Monday the fire is in the Alvin Runnalls Forest near Morewood, south of Russell. So far, the fire has been successfully contained to the forest, the township said, though firefighting efforts have been complicated by the remote nature of the fire and limited access to the forest. The fire appeared to have started in a bog and spread, according to North Dundas Mayor Tony Fraser. “Peat fires travel underground,” Fraser said. “It’s grown quite a bit since last night.” …Further rain is forecast on Monday night, with officials hoping to assess its impact on Tuesday morning. …”But bog fires, they can last for months, they can go over winter and crop back up in spring, they’re underground and feed themselves.”

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