Region Archives: Canada East

BARRIE, ON – In an effort to give back to the environment, create a healthier climate, protect biodiversity, and help forest restoration efforts throughout Canada, One Tree Planted is partnering with Forests Ontario and its national division, Forest Recovery Canada, to plant 17.5 million trees over the next five years. “We are excited to bring our partnership with Forests Ontario to the next level,” Matt Hill, Founder & Chief Environmental Optimist, One Tree Planted, says. “We look forward to everything we will be able to accomplish for forests, biodiversity, and communities.” One Tree Planted is a non-profit that is focused on global reforestation. Since 2014, they have planted over 92 million trees in 80+ countries across North America, Latin America, Africa, Asia, Europe and the Pacific. Their work is done in partnership with local communities and knowledgeable experts to create lasting impact for nature, people, and wildlife.

Steven Guilbault

Conservative parties are not interested in fundamental debate. As for the budget, they oppose it before they see it and refuse to discuss it with all parties involvedSteven Guilbault said in a statement to Radio-Canada.  Remember that the latter threatened in early February to seek a federal mandate to protect endangered species in Quebec if the new conservation plan presented by Quebec in June is not satisfactory.  There is no mandate. In close collaboration with Quebec, indigenous peoples, industries and unions, we are working towards a joint plan with Quebec expected in June 2023. We are consulting with all interested and concerned members. Mr. Poilievre’s lack of interest in endangered species speaks to his lack of understanding of the realities around him.The Liberal minister continued. …During a press conference at the Scierie Girard in Shipsha during the day, Pierre Poilievre described Ottawa’s possible intervention. wokist command.

The invasive hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA) has been found in hemlock trees in west Hamilton. The City of Hamilton announced Thursday that the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) had confirmed the presence of HWA on both city and Royal Botanical Gardens property, in the forested areas around Churchill Park. The CFIA has issued a notice banning the movement of hemlock material — such as firewood, branches and mulch — in the area. …The insects kill hemlock trees and their presence has resulted in the loss of “whole tracts” of the trees in the United States. …City records show that hemlocks make up a “small portion” of Hamilton’s forest inventory (321 trees), meaning the threat for those areas is considered low. However, the potential impact of HWA on hemlocks in both publicly and privately owned woodlots is “harder to quantify” due to a lack of data.

TORONTO – At this time there are at least 650 vacant positions waiting to be filled within the forest industry in Ontario. The Ontario Forest Industries Association (OFIA) and Forests Ontario have been actively pursuing strategies to recruit and develop manpower to meet the needs of the industry. …In 2022 work had been taking place under the name of Bridging the Gap, examining what is needed to develop a workforce for the forest industry. Three reports are now available on the websites of Forests Ontario and on It Takes a Forest, McBride stated. …In Ontario the forestry sector is experiencing a labour force and skill shortage that is preventing the sector from realizing its full economic potential, and if we leave this unchecked the shortage could negatively impact the socio-economic standings of hundreds of communities across the province for years to come,” OFIA Operations and Membership Services Co-ordinator Lauren McBride said.

PORT HAWKESBURY: Over 155 of the region’s business and community leaders attended the Strait Area Chamber of Commerce’s State of the Strait at the Port Hawkesbury Civic Centre. …Port Hawkesbury Paper’s Director of Sustainability and Economic Development, Geoff Clarke spoke at the event. “We use energy, pressure, heat and steam to create a very, high-value product,” Clarke said. “We have a great vision for our future, but we are the last standing pulp and paper mill in the province.” …speaking on the company’s operations, he indicated they are the Port of Halifax’s third largest exporter, while also contributing $92 million for the provincial GDP. “We just signed our new four-year labour agreement after the original 10-years,” Clarke said, which received a round of applause. “We just executed a new 20-year forest land-use agreement with the province, as well as a 10-year sustainable forest management and outreach agreement.”

The boreal caribou is an iconic Canadian symbol. It’s on the 25 cent coin.   It’s widely acknowledged that the caribou population is on the decline, its range having diminished by as much as 50 per cent since the late 1890s.  And it’s also been posterized by environmental and conservation groups in the campaign against the natural resources sector and its practices.  “Sometimes I wonder if it’s just a vehicle to shut down this industry,” said Ian Dunn, president-CEO of the Ontario Forest Industries Association (OFIA), an industry trade group representing more than 40 companies in the province.  In mid-March, the Ontario government earmarked $29 million over the next four years toward caribou habitat restoration, protection and conservation.  …”It would be economic devastation,” said Dunn, of the potential impact to harvesting and forest product mill operations in the northwest.  Dunn called Guilbeault’s tone and approach “quite dangerous.”

PETERBOROUGH, ON – Break down barriers. Pursue your dreams. Join us at Fleming College on April 1 for Fleming’s annual Women in Natural Resource Sciences conference, a day-long event for women interested in exploring programs and careers in this sector. Women in Natural Resource Sciences is designed to promote and encourage women to pursue careers in fields like Geology, Urban Forestry, Forestry, Arboriculture, Drilling and Blasting through a series of hands-on workshops. Each workshop is led by Fleming’s instructors, many of which are leading women in their fields. Brush up on your blasting and drilling skills, learn how to operate and maintain a chainsaw or explore new heights during a tree climbing workshops. Learn about combating climate change through Urban Timber Salvage and try out the Frost Campus’s sawmill.

Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault affirmed last week that Ontario is not effectively protecting the habitat of boreal caribou. Last month, he presented a similar assessment for Quebec. …Instead of protecting critical caribou habitat as required under federal legislation, Ontario has exempted forestry activities from the provincial Endangered Species Act. On March 15, Ontario’s minister David Piccini pledged $29 million over four years to support habitat restoration and protection and research. By his side was the Ontario Forest Industries Association. ….Hopefully their support for Ontario’s funding represents a change of heart! Industry often asserts that protecting caribou habitat will be too much to bear, despite the fact that the provincial government recently claimed that it can sustainably double the amount of wood logged. …Forest sustainability should include caribou survival and recovery. A federal caribou protection order will provide a much-needed opportunity for a provincial forestry reset.

I am excited to share with you this first edition of The Tamarack, the Northern Forestry Centre’s new quarterly update. As the director of a federal research centre that is focused on serving Canadians and supporting Canada’s forest resources, I am excited for this new opportunity to communicate our science more regularly and openly. Our research is intended to help address some of the biggest challenges facing Canada’s boreal forest today, such as adapting to climate change and managing wildfire risk. The most important impact our centre’s research can make is in supporting folks like you: those who make on-the-ground forest management and policy decisions in the face of these challenges every day. Click the read more for the latest research, Boreal ecosystem health, Events, Job postings and more.

Government delays in setting up higher timber royalties in New Brunswick last summer to take advantage of elevated lumber prices helped forest companies escape millions of dollars in extra charges on wood they were cutting on public land at the time. Budget figures released this week show forest companies are likely to pay $92.8 million in timber royalties by the time the current fiscal year ends March 31.  That’s a record amount for New Brunswick but well below the $118.1 million government was originally suggesting higher fees would bring in when they were announced last spring. …But after deciding to raise timber royalties sometime in May, the province spent most of June working out how high they should go. It then had to obey a required 60-day waiting period in July and August prior to the new fees being imposed.

TORONTO – At this time there are at least 650 vacant positions waiting to be filled within the forest industry in Ontario. The Ontario Forest Industries Association (OFIA) has been surveying its members. The OFIA and Forests Ontario have been actively pursuing strategies to recruit and develop manpower to meet the needs of the industry. OFIA Operations and Membership Services Co-ordinator Lauren McBride commented that intense efforts are being made to find solutions. …In 2022 work had been taking place under the name of Bridging the Gap, examining what is needed to develop a workforce for the forest industry. Three reports are now available on the websites of Forests Ontario and on It Takes a Forest, McBride stated. …Efforts have been made to reach out to all Ontario colleges and universities that offer forestry curriculum to see how the sector can support them on enrolment and program development McBride said.

More than 1,000 people gathered on March 18, 2023, in Saint-Félicien, Que., for a rally organized by Unifor to raise questions to the provincial government on the upcoming strategy to stop the decline of woodland and mountain caribou populations. “We are marching today because there is a lot of uncertainty about the plan that the government wants to put in place,” said Daniel Cloutier, Unifor Quebec Director. “It is not normal that forestry workers are excluded from the elaboration of solutions for the woodland caribou. We must hold a real social dialogue and find a long-term sustainable solution.” The union is asking for a plan that will allow help with the economy in the affected areas, maintaining good jobs and support for workers affected by the forestry cuts.

OTTAWA — A lease to farm lands owned by the partners developing the future Tewin suburb (just outside Ottawa’s urban boundary) wasn’t signed until March 3 — weeks after the controversial clear-cutting of the property — a city committee heard Tuesday. For weeks, residents and some councillors have had questions about how the Algonquins of Ontario (AOO) and Taggart Group cut down thousands of trees, including in the middle of the night, without a permit. …The Tewin partners had said they did not need a permit to do the cutting because they were cleaning up a public hazard after trees fell during the derecho storm. They also said they were preparing to farm. City staff eventually agreed the clear-cutting was allowed under an exemption in the tree protection bylaw.” …But a number of committee members and a dozen public delegations expressed deep cynicism about the clear-cutting.

Nearly six months after post-tropical storm Fiona roared through Atlantic Canada, the Cape Breton Regional Municipality is still trying to figure out what to do with thousands of damaged trees. Solid waste manager Francis Campbell estimates that roughly 20,000 to 25,000 tonnes of wood waste was collected within the CBRM after the September storm. Piles of debris are now sitting at a municipal disposal site in Sydney, N.S. “It all came from Fiona,” said Campbell. “This is three or four times what we could get in a normal year, and we’ve gotten it in five months.” Campbell said the stockpiles pose a fire risk and are still taking up too much space. The CBRM is now working on finding a business or organization to take the wood chips, but don’t have a deal so far. “That’s the golden question, what are we going to do with it all?” Campbell said.

Jan Oudenes and Isobel Ralston

Isobel Ralston and Jan Oudenes have always found solace in our natural world. Following their retirement from their careers in the sciences and industry, Dr. Oudenes and Dr. Ralston established the MapleCross Fund, an organization that invests in ecologically sensitive land with the goal of preserving and protecting them for future generations. Since its inception in 2017, the MapleCross Fund has helped secure land in all 10 Canadian provinces, and last month landed the Aurora couple Forests Ontario’s 2023 Forest Stewardship Award. Upon their retirement, they set out to initially give back to the community they call home, including organizations like the Aurora Cultural Centre, but becoming involved with the Oak Ridges Moraine Land Trust spurred them to expand their reach….So far, the couple, through MapleCross, has pursued 45 projects, accounting for almost 15,000 hectares of preserved land across the country… 

David Piccini

Ontario plans to spend $29 million to help protect an iconic — and threatened — species: boreal caribou. David Piccini, the provincial minister made the announcement Wednesday. The funding will be distributed over four years to support habitat restoration and protection as well as monitoring, science and research. …On Wednesday, The Canadian Press published excerpts from a letter from federal Minister Steven Guilbeault to the provincial government that criticizes Ontario’s approach. …If Guilbeault finds Ontario is not effectively protecting boreal caribou, he has the power to recommend a protection order under the federal Species At Risk Act. Ian Dunn, CEO of the Ontario Forest Industries Association, spoke of the importance of industry involvement in conservation efforts. “It is simply dangerous and irresponsible for a federal government to even be considering injunctions across Ontario’s north and Quebec’s north,” Dunn said. “Canada’s commitments to the five-year conservation agreement [need] to be honoured.”

The City of Fredericton and the Greater Fredericton Region have been named as the Forest Capital of Canada for 2023.  The designation by the Canadian Institute of Forestry (CIF) kicks off a year-long celebration of the city’s rich forest history and the valuable role forestry has played in the social and environmental growth of the Greater Fredericton region. …“For a city whose motto is ‘Noble Daughter of the Forest’, being named Forest Capital of Canada is certainly a great honour,” said Fredericton Mayor Kate Rogers. …Fredericton and the region is a hub for excellence in the forest profession, home to several leading forest sector companies, as well as boasting several forest research, training and advocacy organizations within the Hugh John Flemming Forestry Complex. 

Some of the New Brunswick’s largest forestry companies say their business operations are at risk as a result of a title claim by the Wolastoqey Nation for about 60 per cent of land in the province. Three companies — and several subsidiaries — want a specific document removed from the claim, and they’ve recently filed legal motions asking the Court of King’s Bench to do so. They say allowing “certificates of pending litigation” — which warn others the land is part of an ongoing legal dispute — to be registered “is likely to disrupt and undermine the operations” of their companies, according to the motions, copies of which were obtained by CBC. The companies are part of a long list of defendants that includes some of the province’s largest entities, including the Province of New Brunswick, the Government of Canada, power companies, rail lines and recreational companies. 

Barrie, Ont. – The 2023 Ontario Envirothon competition is returning to in-person programming with workshops, training and competitions in regions across Ontario this year. Created for teams of Ontario youth in grades 9-12, Envirothon will also be available as a virtual competition for those unable to attend in-person programming in any of the 2023 Envirothon regions. “We are incredibly excited to be back in person for the 2023 Envirothon,” Allison Hands, Education, Manager, Forests Ontario, says. “It gives budding environmental leaders a chance to explore education and career paths in the natural sciences and network with potential mentors.” Forests Ontario is proud to be the lead agency of the Ontario Envirothon – a unique environmentally-themed competition that immerses students in hands-on learning and discovery. The program provides students with insights into forests, soils, wildlife, and aquatic ecosystems, while team-based activities are designed to develop critical thinking, problem solving, teamwork, leadership, and communication skills.

The government is currently considering all input to determine the best way to balance the recovery and protection of Black Ash, said Gary Wheeler from the Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP). Black Ash was classified as endangered in Ontario, he said, adding that the projected decline in the total number of trees is greater than 70 per cent over the next 100 years. Decisions will be made before the end of January 2024, when the two year temporary pause of protections is scheduled to conclude. Although the Endangered Species Act, 2007 (ESA) allows for temporarily pausing protections for a species for up to three years, the Ministry chose to pause protections for only a two-year period. …Tanner Kaemingh, general manager at Manitou Forest Products, agreed that protections were needed to protect the endangered Black Ash species but also expressed concern regarding the economic challenges that the proposal could bring to local sawmills and logging operations.

Ontario is failing to effectively protect some of the critical habitat for boreal caribou, Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault has warned in a letter to the province obtained by The Canadian Press. Ontario Environment Minister David Piccini is announcing Wednesday that the province will spend $29 million over four years to support boreal caribou habitat restoration, protection and other conservation activities… But Piccini told Guilbeault about the pending investment in February, and still Guilbeault expressed concerns in the letter dated March 6. “It is my opinion, based on the information available, that some of the critical habitat for the boreal population of woodland caribou (boreal caribou) located on non-federal lands in Ontario is not effectively protected,” Guilbeault wrote. Ontario and the federal government entered into an agreement last year to protect the caribou – though environmental advocates at the time said the deal fell short because it allowed for too much logging and mining in caribou habitat.

Malcolm Cockwell

If we don’t prioritize invasive species as a problem, we may not have an environment left to be worried about. Invasive pests should be at the top of our list of concerns as Ontarians, said Malcolm Cockwell, managing director at Haliburton Forest and Wildlife Reserve and president of Forests Ontario. “You’ve got to make sure there’s an environment to protect in the first place,” Cockwell said. “If you’re worried about climate change, you need to be worried about this. This is going to be the defining environmental issue for the next 100 years. If we don’t prioritize invasive pests, there will be no environment.” He said no matter who you are or how you enjoy the Highlands, you should be concerned about invasive pests. “Obviously, I am looking at it through the lens of a forester and a forest manager, but different people would prioritize different invasive pests,” Cockwell said.