Vaughn Palmer
It took a judge from the other side of the country to put a finger on the challenge posed by the designation of Aboriginal title for the Cowichan Tribes over private land in Richmond. “A declaration of Aboriginal title over privately owned lands — which, by its very nature, gives the Aboriginal beneficiary exclusive possession, occupation, and use — would sound the death knell of reconciliation with the interests of non-Aboriginal Canadians.” That’s Justice Ernest Drapeau of New Brunswick Court of Appeal. …There are differences between the New Brunswick case and…both are likely to end up on the docket of the Supreme Court of Canada sooner or later. …” This week, the premier suggested there could be no Indigenous reconciliation without protection for private property. …The B.C. NDP government, it has been the most progressive in the country on Indigenous relations. If it fears that agenda is going off the rails, it ought to be taken seriously.
The head of the New Brunswick Forest Products Commission was in front of a legislative committee Thursday, answering MLA’s questions about the state of the industry. The commission is a liaison of sorts between the provincial government, saw and pulp mills and wood marketing boards. Tim Fox acknowledged the Commission has been working to try and help the industry through challenging times, but he said everyone has to work together. “There’s obviously our sawmills who are impacted by the tariff situation and that has spilled over into the private woodlot sector as well,” he said after the meeting. …Private producers have recently expressed frustration over how little support there’s been for woodlot owners to help them through the ongoing U.S. tariff situation. Countervailing and anti-dumping duties on softwood are almost a decade old, but U.S. President Donald Trump added another 10 per cent in the fall, bringing tariff totals to 45 per cent.
The unravelling of our trade relationship with the US compels us to act decisively. The chaotic diplomacy of the Trump Administration should encourage Canada to build up economic capacity where Canadians possess both agency and an existing industrial base to rely upon. This capacity‑building goal dovetails with the inherent purpose of the Sustainable Jobs Action Plan (SJAP). …Acting on these priorities, industry can direct its capital and follow its own strategic objectives, but it will do so in an environment that better reflects Canada’s long‑term economic goals. The SJAP can play a pivotal role. …One can look to the forestry sector. …Forestry faces an existential crisis from the 45% U.S. duties and tariffs imposed on Canadian lumber. …However, the sector also holds immense potential for manufacturing a variety of high value‑added products while also being a renewable resource key to decarbonizing construction.
KENORA — Ontario New Democrats and union leaders say government should find ways to keep mills in Ear Falls, Ignace and elsewhere open, but with more worker involvement. “The bottom line is that when things are run on the corporate bottom lines only, communities get left behind, workers lose jobs, profits go out and the problems stay in the community,” said Luke Hildebrand, president of the NDP’s Kenora–Rainy River constituency association. “So the only long-term solution is workers having a stake in the future and not just a paycheque.” Hildebrand noted a petition calling on governments to “take immediate action to reopen the Ear Falls sawmill and stop the shutdown of Ignace sawmill” has gathered about 300 signatures. It also calls for establishment of a “forestry job protection task force,” development of “a unified provincial–federal strategy to ensure that Canadian lumber is used in Canadian homes” and support for worker equity in mills.
A letter from the Carleton-Victoria Forest Products Marketing Board to New Brunswick’s natural resources minister points to frustration building within the province’s forestry industry. The board’s general manager Kim Jensen, says some prices are the lowest they’ve seen in a decade. Jensen writes that US tariffs have been hard on the entire sector, including mills, but there’s been little support for private producers. “I have already heard from landowners who have changed their mind about having their woodlots cut,” she states. “Is the government’s long-term plan for the private forestry sector to just disappear? Because that is what is happening. Under your watch.” …Natural Resources Minister John Herron acknowledged that prices have declined since October. …But Herron didn’t mention any possible provincial support.” …J.D. Irving said 97% of the company’s lumber is under contract and not impacted by the price changes cited in the letter.
For a town still feeling the loss of its paper mill more than a decade ago, the promise of new industry is tantalizing; 50 or more new jobs, a much-needed boost to the local economy, perhaps a stepping stone to attract new business or help those already here expand. …the plan to build a new $210-million biofuel plant in Fort Frances is coming close to fruition and it could be a game-changer for the region – if it breaks ground this fall as anticipated. After an exhaustive search, the team has settled on the former Resolute mill site for its pilot project, a refinery that can turn the byproducts of logging … into synthetic gas, diesel and aviation fuel. The town is close to an abundant feedstock source, in the heart of a small labour market, owns its own affordable power production and is not far from colleges primed to provide essential training.
The Scierie St-Elzéar in Quebec, Canada, isn’t just a lumber mill; it’s a glimpse into the future of forestry. A $32.7 million investment in modernization, particularly in artificial intelligence (AI) and automation, is transforming the 80-year-old cooperative into a highly efficient, technologically advanced operation. …The core driver behind this shift is a growing labor shortage. …The St-Elzéar mill has reduced the number of personnel needed for planing operations from 16 to 8, while tripling productivity and boosting product quality by nearly 50%. This isn’t about replacing workers; it’s about shifting their roles. …The integration of AI isn’t limited to a single process. At Scierie St-Elzéar, AI-powered systems now identify wood species, allowing for the creation of more homogenous lumber batches for drying – a critical step in quality control. 
EDMUNDSTON, New Brunswick – Acadian Timber reported financial and operating results for the three months ended December 31, 2025 as well as for the full 2025 fiscal year. “While 2025 brought a multitude of challenges, Acadian delivered steady operational performance in New Brunswick, helping to offset weather-related challenges, trucking constraints, and productivity issues in Maine,” said Adam Sheparski, President and Chief Executive Officer. …During the fourth quarter, Acadian generated sales of $22.0 million compared to $20.2 million in the fourth quarter of 2024. Acadian generated $5.2 million of Adjusted EBITDA and declared dividends of $5.3 million. During 2025, Acadian generated revenue from timber sales and services of $87.0 million, compared to $91.6 million in the prior year. The sale of 752,100 voluntary carbon credits contributed an additional $24.6 million to total sales in 2024 while no sales of carbon credits occurred in 2025. 
EDMONTON, AB – Celebrated for its pioneering mass timber design and construction, commitment to safety and collaborative excellence, Limberlost Place has been named the Global Best Project of the Year by Engineering News-Record (ENR). In addition to PCL Construction and partners taking home the top honour, PCL was also awarded ENR’s Global Best Projects Award for Limberlost Place in the Education/Research category. …Ontario’s first institutional building of its kind, George Brown Polytechnic’s Limberlost Place has set a new precedent for mass timber construction as a model for sustainable, green building innovation. Located in Toronto, Ontario, the 10-story mass timber, net-zero educational facility integrates first-of-its-kind solutions including: Groundbreaking slab band structural system that advances the use of mass timber in multi-storey buildings; North America’s largest mass timber columns soaring three stories tall; and a striking mass timber feature stair, spanning levels three to five as a centerpiece of architectural design.
NEW BRUNSWICK — J.D. Irving approached a number of municipalities last fall, asking them to support its request to be able to log 32,000 hectares of protected areas on its Crown timber licence in exchange for conserving forest near those communities. At least nine municipalities signed a letter asking that Natural Resources Minister John Herron “give equal weight to the social and economic interests of local governments when seeking to balance the interests of multiple stakeholders across New Brunswick.” …Conservation groups, including the Conservation Council of New Brunswick, said the proposal is extremely concerning. Roberta Clowater questioned why protected areas would be treated as “a wood bank for industry.” …The proposal is in response to the government’s promise to increase conservation lands from 10% to 15% of the province’s landmass. That would mean protecting an additional 360,000 hectares, which the province hopes to source from a mixture of Crown and private land.
For generations, caribou have sustained Cree families, their culture and their way of life. Now, that relationship is at a critical moment, as the Leaf River herd population continues to decline. The Cree Nation Government (CNG) have issued a territory-wide call to pause caribou hunting, urging Cree not to harvest across Eeyou Istchee, the traditional territory of the Cree of northern Quebec. “We’re going to have a hard time blaming somebody else for this issue because it is only First Nations that are hunting right now. We need to step up and be proactive,” said Paul John Murdoch, who is the grand chief of Eeyou Istchee. This decision was based on consultation from land users and study results from the Quebec government, said Murdoch. Leaf River herd consisted of approximately 136,000 caribou in 2025, down from 175,000 in 2024, according to wildlife studies. In 2000, the herd’s population was 600,000. That’s more than a 75 per cent decline in 25 years.
NDP MPP Lise Vaugeois (Thunder Bay – Superior North) and MPP Guy Bourgouin (Mushkegowuk – James Bay) released the following joint statement following reports of the indefinite shutdown of the Ignace sawmill, leaving another group of forestry workers without jobs, and further eroding the fabric of our Northern Ontario communities. “Communities like Ear Falls, and now Ignace, deserve better than uncertainty and silence.” said Vaugeois. “The government must work directly with the company, and the company must work in good faith with the government and the union, to find solutions that protect workers, families, and good forestry jobs. Mills across the province are shrinking or shutting down; workers are being laid off at alarming rates, and infrastructure isn’t being replaced. Neglect is not a plan, and New Democrats urge collaboration between the government and the company as a responsible path forward for Ignace and northern Ontario.”
In late August 2025, FREED (Field Research in Ecology and Evolution Diversified) at their University of Toronto (UofT) chapter hosted their fourth annual weeklong event in Algonquin Park. FREED, created in 2020, was founded to provide accessible, barrier-free outdoor and fieldwork opportunities for Indigenous, Black, and/or Racialized (BIPOC) undergraduates. Experiencing the outdoors and nature can be formative in building a connection to the land and pursuing a career in a related field but these experiences are often inaccessible to underrepresented communities due to financial, societal, cultural, or other potential barriers. …At the Algonquin Wildlife Research Station (AWRS), we welcomed a wonderful group of fifteen BIPOC undergraduate students bringing bright, inquisitive energy, teeming with excitement for the week to begin. The 7-day program was filled with activities to help students build skills and confidence in the outdoors and field work, as well as to build community and relationships amongst their peers and with the Land.
QUEBEC — A rare old-growth forest in Quebec’s Mauricie region is at the centre of a growing conflict between conservation advocates and the provincial government, after forestry roadwork was authorized in an area currently under review for protected status. The forest, known as the Grandbois Lakes forest, is located near Sainte-Thècle, in the Mékinac Regional County Municipality, northeast of Shawinigan. Composed largely of red spruce trees, the ecosystem is considered one of the last intact forests of its kind in southern Quebec. Despite its ecological value, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forests has approved the construction of a winter road through part of the forest — a step that could lead to logging in the coming months. The roadwork is slated to be carried out by the forestry company Forex Langlois. …Environmental groups and local residents gathered to oppose what they say is a threat to an irreplaceable ecosystem.
We tend to take logging roads for granted as an inherent right of access to Crown land. Their importance was recently reinforced when, just before the first snowfall, we travelled on one of the longest continuous and scenic forestry roads in the province. Ontario’s forest industry is critical to the provincial economy and many northern and rural communities. In 2023, the forest industry contributed $5.4 billion to Ontario’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and generated $21.6 billion in total revenue. The sector supported approximately 128,000 direct, indirect, and induced jobs in 2024, many of which are in Indigenous, rural, and northern communities. …The Ontario Forest Industries Association’s policy advisor, Adrian Smith said, “Forest access roads serve far more than the forestry sector. Built and maintained by our sector, they provide vital infrastructure. Forestry companies invest millions of dollars in grading, resurfacing, bridge and culvert upkeep, and winter snow clearing to keep this extensive network safe and reliable.
The Quebec government says it’s pushing back its greenhouse gas reduction target by five years to protect the economy and jobs. Environment Minister Bernard Drainville announced today that the government will not meet its goal of reducing emissions by 37.5 per cent below 1990 levels by 2030. This target has now been set for 2035— a timeline the government describes as ambitious yet realistic. Drainville says in a news release that Quebec has reduced its greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 20 per cent since 1990. He says achieving the other half of the target in just five years would risk economic damage at a time of uncertainty and tariff threats from the US. In response, environment group Equiterre says the government is letting young Quebecers down.
Federal funding of nearly $460,000 will enable Bingwi Neyaashi Anishinaabek to move forward with the installation of a district biomass heating system in the community. The project is one of 10 being supported with $4.8 million from FedNor’s Northern Ontario Development Program, announced Dec. 5. Bingwi Neyaashi Anishinaabek — also known as Sand Point First Nation — has been 
THUNDER BAY — The source of the bad smell detected across a broad section of the city last week remains unconfirmed. Residents of various neighbourhoods contacted the fire department and Enbridge gas the morning of Jan. 7 to report an unpleasant odour in the air. A spokesperson for the ministry of the environment, conservation and parks says it investigated after a complaint was filed with the Spills Action Centre. “No incidents or spills were reported to the ministry (that were) linked to the odour,” he told Newswatch, adding that the ministry would follow up if it received any new information. The spokesperson also said Thunder Bay Pulp & Paper confirmed it was operating normally at the time the bad smell occurred.