Region Archives: Canada East

The images of millions of hectares of burned forest, thousands of people being evacuated and the smoke from Quebec fires reaching as far south as New York City brings back bad memories for Quebec’s forest fire prevention agency and communities across Quebec. “We’re going to be worried all summer,” says Guy Lafrenière, mayor of Lebel-sur-Quévillon, Que., a town located 800 kilometres north of Montreal. Lafrenière says he’s hoping for a rainy summer but fears a repeat of last year’s hot, dry weather, which forced his residents to evacuate twice. The Société de protection des forêts contre le feu (SOPFEU) is hoping to expand its ranks this year to be better prepared across Quebec by hiring 160 people including 80 firefighters in the next two years — increasing its staff by 32 per cent. A permanent SOPFEU base of operations with 14 firefighters will also be set up over the next few weeks in Lebel-sur-Quévillon.

Addressing current climate “challenges,” embracing innovation,and fostering “excellence” in landscape management, will be prime themes when Ontario foresters meet in Sault Ste. Marie later this month. ‘Forestry…Fired Up!’ is the theme of the Ontario Professional Foresters Association (OPFA) conference and annual general meeting April 16-18 at the Water Tower Inn. Prof. Alexis Achim, of Laval University, will deliver the keynote address, Don’t Give Up on (Canadian) Forests, and the conference agenda will be a mix of presentations, panel discussion, field tours and networking opportunities. Both in-person and virtual attendance options are available. The conference agenda reflects a “broad spectrum” of interests, from the transformative role of AI and drone technology in forest management to exploring new economic opportunities in wood use and addressing the “vital” task of engaging and welcoming the next generation into a profession in forestry, a release says.

©Annette Francis/APTN

TEMAGAMI – Temagami-area First Nations communities say they will continue their court action to have the Ontario Métis Harvesting Agreement declared illegal with respect to their homeland, N’dakimenan. The Teme-Augama Anishnabai (TAA) and Temagami First Nation (TFN) chiefs and councils have been advised that the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry has sent a letter to Marc Descoteaux requesting the removal of a cabin at Pond Lake, which is within the area claimed by the TAA and TFN. Descoteaux is a member of the Métis Nation of Ontario (MNO) and made an application to the ministry for approval under MNO rights to construct the cabin. However, in recent months the MNO concluded that the MNO as a whole did not approve the construction of the structure as an incidental cabin for the use of all community members. After receiving that notice, the ministry has requested Descoteaux to remove the cabin and restore the site by June 1, 2024.

Standing on top of a massive boulder, a young forest firefighter surveys the damage wrought by Quebec’s worst wildfire season in recent history. …The black-and-white photograph, captured last summer by Charles-Frédérick Ouellet and titled A Day in the Life of a Quebec Fire Crew has just won the North and Central American Single Photograph award at the 2023 World Press Photo contest. Ouellet spent more than a day in the life of a fire crew. In fact, he was part of one as an auxiliary firefighter with the province’s wildfire prevention agency, the Société de protection des forêts contre le feu (SOPFEU), last year. The photographer and filmmaker from the borough of Chicoutimi in Quebec’s Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region received auxiliary firefighter training for a documentary he was working on with fellow photographer, Nicolas Lévesque, in order to be able to document crews’ work on the ground. 

NORMANDIN, Q.C. — The Ministry of Employment announced an investment of $428,823 for the training of mechanics in the wood processing and paper manufacturing sector, to meet the needs of businesses in the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region. Work-study program – The mechanics and equipment maintenance training offered, tailor-made to meet specific needs, includes a total of 800 hours of training. This will take place in the form of a work-study program, consisting of 480 hours in class and 320 hours of paid internship in a company. Mainly focused on learning industrial mechanics, the training also includes a block devoted to understanding wood transformation processes. Tailor-made training now – As part of this cohort training, the Pays-des-Bleuets School Services Center, through its Business Services , will offer training to 16 workers from seven companies in the region, namely Sciages GP , PFR, Opiticiwan Sawmill, JAMEC, Tackipotcikan Sawmill Limited Partnership, Wemotaci and NJR Sharpening.

The Québec Minister of Natural Resources and Forests and Minister Responsible for the Bas-Saint-Laurent Region and the Gaspésie–Îles-de-la-Madeleine Region, Maïté Blanchette Vézina, today announced a maximum financial assistance of $2M, over three years, to FPInnovations to support the next phases of a truck platooning project aimed at modernizing forestry operations and mitigating the shortage of qualified drivers, during a visit to FPInnovations’ Québec laboratories along with president and CEO Stéphane Renou. The project aims to operate highly automated platooning trucks on low-traffic forest roads. Platooning involves connecting two or more trucks in convoy, using connectivity technology and automated driver assistance systems. The truck at the head of the platoon, with driver, acts as leader, with the vehicles behind it automatically adapting to changes in movement.

Quinte Conservation Authority (QCA) has announced a contribution of 10,357 hectares of conservation areas and reserves towards Canada’s international commitment to protect 30 per cent of lands and waters by 2030. Commonly known as the 30 by 30 target, it was adopted by nations around the world as part of the Global Biodiversity Framework at the United Nations Biodiversity Conference (COP 15), said QCA. The target aims to protect biodiversity, mitigate impacts of climate change, and ensure the sustainability of ecosystems. “We’re proud to have 66 of our properties, totaling 10,357 hectares, officially included in the Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database, ” said Brad McNevin, chief administrative officer with Quinte Conservation.

A nearly snow-free winter and a drought-like kickoff to spring has firefighters warning of an early start to the fire season. Ottawa Fire Services, which issued an open-air burn ban on the weekend, has responded to eight grass fires in the past 10 days, including one Monday afternoon near Hazeldean Road in Stittsville. “It’s absolutely a concern. We were already looking at a very, very dry spring and there isn’t a lot of precipitation in the forecast,” said fire Chief Paul Hutt. Eighty per cent of the city’s area is rural land and the fire service has six rugged brush trucks that can respond to fires in off-road areas, he said. The fire service’s wild lands fire program has been up and running now for several weeks. …Ontario deployed additional fire rangers on March 4 to beef up its fire response, the ministry said.

Gary Schneider

…Ken Doiron of New Glasgow wondered what the Island is doing to replenish the massive loss of trees caused by Fiona. … What we found out is that the province is planting about 1.3 million seedlings this year. It’s working with watershed groups, and since about 90 per cent of the land on P.E.I. is privately owned, the government is offering financial assistance to woodlot owners to help them clear their land and replenish their stock. …Gary Schneider is the co-manager of the Macphail Woods Ecological Forestry Project. He said many of the trees that came down during Fiona were destined to fall in the next few years anyway. …Schneider gave the example of white spruce, which have shallow roots and were planted on old agricultural sites. For forests to be sustainable, he said, there needs to be a wide variety of hardier trees such as red oak.

Ontario’s NDP says the province’s plan to provide wildland firefighters and support staff with one-time incentive payments isn’t enough to attract and retain staff. Under the plan, which was announced Thursday, front-line fire, aviation and critical support staff will receive a one-time payment of up to $5,000, while other support staff will receive up to $1,000. …Graydon Smith, Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry, said “In addition to this incentive, we continue to explore longer-term strategies and solutions to support attraction and retention of critical jobs for future years.” …However, NDP MPP Guy Bourgouin (Mushkegowuk—James Bay), said the plan doesn’t go far enough. “It doesn’t help to maintain or keep people in this field.” …The Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU), which represents wildland firefighters, also criticized the government announcement. A media release from OPSEU notes the union did agree to the payments.

The City of Mississauga has received the 2023 Tree Cities of the World designation, renewing recognition of one of only 200 cities worldwide to be recognized for its commitment to urban and community forestry. Since 2020, this is the fourth time the City has received this prestigious honour. The program, on behalf of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Arbor Day Foundation, acknowledges cities that ensure their urban forests and trees are properly maintained, sustainably managed and celebrated. Mississauga is among 18 Canadian municipalities to receive the designation this year. 

TORONTO — Ontario plans to give front-line wildland firefighters and pilots a $5,000 bonus and make 100 of those jobs permanent in an effort to recruit and retain more workers. But the union representing those fire rangers says it’s little more than a drop in the bucket and will not fix the “dire and ongoing crisis.” Natural Resources and Forestry Minister Graydon Smith says the province wants more people fighting wildland fires and is planning a recruitment blitz ahead of the start of the wildfire season that begins in April. The majority of the 660 forest firefighters in the province are part-timers and the union representing them has long said that part-time work, along with low pay, are major problems in retaining them. Smith says the government is working on longer-term plans to stabilize the workforce, which will include the purchase of new equipment, including water bombers.

As a warm winter with little precipitation gives way to a dry spring, municipalities in northwestern Ontario are getting ready for a potentially intense wildfire season. Preparations for the season — which begins in less than two weeks — are underway in Red Lake, a municipality in the western reaches of the province that has faced several environmental challenges, including a full evacuation due to a wildfire in recent years. …The fire season officially begins on April 1. Mota said there’s “some general anxiety for a lot of our population, and of course for myself and council, in regards to having those preparations done.” “I’m hopeful that the MNRF will be hiring lots of crews. I know there’s been shortages of crews, and especially crew leaders, to take on new MNRF firefighters, so that’s also a concern for me as well.”

The state of Ontario’s forest industry, particularly the pulp mills that anchor it, is a matter of concern that demands immediate attention from the provincial government. There has been inadequate public and private investment in the sector causing a significant loss of production capacity. The industry has seen a continuous decline over the past few decades. …Job losses have unfortunately been a consequence of this downward trend. The recent announcements that two of Northern Ontario’s remaining four pulp mills have been idled indicates that the sector is not well. …Neither the government nor the forest industry seem to have a response to this situation. Ontario deserves better. …In light of this, it is imperative for the Ontario government to establish an independent expert panel to delve into why there has been a lack of major investment in Ontario’s forest sector for the past two to three decades.

BELLEVILLE, ON – Quinte Conservation Authority (QCA) proudly announces its contribution of 10,357 hectares of conservation areas and reserves towards Canada’s international commitment to protect 30 percent of lands and waters by 2030. Commonly known as the 30×30 target, it was adopted by nations around the world as part of the Global Biodiversity Framework at the United Nations Biodiversity Conference (COP 15). The target aims to protect biodiversity, mitigate impacts of climate change and ensure the sustainability of ecosystems. Based on an assessment completed in partnership by Ontario Nature and QCA, it was determined that 66 properties meet the rigorous pan-Canadian standards, warranting their designation as protected areas in the national database that is monitored and maintained by Environment and Climate Change Canada. …The celebration of International Day of Forests on March 21st acknowledges the critical role that forests play in sustaining life on Earth. 

The National Tree Seed Centre houses a collection that now represents 273 of Canada’s 720 tree and shrub species. Preserving this genetic diversity is an ongoing job. A Nova Scotia mountain now has 110,000 more trees than it did in 2023. …But these weren’t just any seedlings. Throughout the preceding year, a conservation team collected millions of seeds from these species. Beginning in the fall of 2022 and through 2023, the team has harvested seeds from twenty-one different species in the park and shipped them to the National Tree Seed Centre (NTSC) in neighboring New Brunswick. There, tree seed specialists cleaned, dried, cataloged, and stored them indefinitely — depending on the species, seeds are viable for decades — so the park can access them anytime in the future for growing and planting. The NTSC then sent some of these seeds to a private forestry company that grew those 110,000 seedlings for planting in the park.

Canada is regarded as a country of spectacular nature, with magnificent forests. The boreal forest alone makes up 55 per cent of Canada’s land mass. In Ontario, 66 per cent of the land is made up of forests. The government wants you to think our forest management practices are beyond reproach. They aren’t. New research confirms that industrial logging isn’t ecologically sustainable. Rather, it’s rapidly degrading forest habitats and threatening species. A study by Brendan Mackey, from Griffith University in Australia, looked at forestry in Ontario and Quebec and found, “The Canadian Government claims that its forests have been managed according to the principles of sustainable forest management for many years, yet this notion of sustainability is tied mainly to maximizing wood production and ensuring the regeneration of commercially desirable tree species following logging.” …It’s past time to put words into action and do better at protecting forests. 

Rod Cumberland

A forestry college instructor who was found to be entitled to more than $50,000 for the way his employer fired him is seeking another $230,000 in damages. Rod Cumberland is appealing a May 2023 decision by New Brunswick Court of King’s Bench Chief Justice Tracey DeWare, who ruled he was only entitled to payment equalling seven months’ notice for his firing from the Maritime College of Forest Technology. On Tuesday, Paul Champ, Cumberland’s Ottawa-based lawyer, argued before three New Brunswick Court of Appeal judges that his client should have also received compensation for aggravating and punitive damages. “With the greatest respect to the chief justice and trial judge, this is a very troubling precedent for employment law,” Champ said in his opening arguments. “A very troubling precedent.” …The lawyer for the college, Clarence Bennett argued Cumberland is not entitled to punitive damages, as there’s no evidence the college’s conduct caused him to suffer “mental distress.”