Region Archives: Canada East

New Brunswick’s Progressive Conservative government spent two years increasing protected natural areas from just under five per cent of the province’s land and freshwater to 10%, a doubling that was proudly announced in December 2022. But now there’s a push from conservationists for far more: to hit 30% by 2030, the vaunted “30 by 30” that the Trudeau Liberal government pledged at a United Nations biodiversity forum. …The province’s timber industry isn’t rejecting the “30 by 30” idea outright, but it has concerns that the target would zero-in on Crown or public land, where four big for-profit firms have longterm leases to cut wood – J.D. Irving, Twin Rivers, Interfor and AV Group. Kim Allen, the executive director of Forest New Brunswick, points out that New Brunswick, unlike larger provinces like British Columbia or Quebec, whose territory is more than 90% public land, only has about half of its land in public trust. The rest is private.

QUEBEC — The developers of a project to install wind turbines in a habitat that’s home to a vulnerable caribou herd in central Quebec say they intend to proceed, despite reservations from provincial and federal experts. Renewable energy company Boralex is partnering with Hydro-Québec and Energir on the project in the Charlevoix region, which would see the installation of 68 wind turbines. Seventeen of the turbines would be on land set aside by the province for a small and vulnerable herd of woodland caribou. “The issue with wind turbines is that it’s a permanent disturbance,” said Pierre-Olivier Boudreault, at La Société pour la nature et les parcs. …The herd has recovered slightly and now counts 39 caribou. …Boralex’s Katheryne Coulombe, said, “Since the territory targeted by the development of the project is already more than 98% disturbed by forestry and vacation activities, the currently proposed project would not generate additional pressure on caribou habitat”.

The provincial government has announced that 15 caribou fawns were born in captivity installations in the Charlevoix and Gaspé regions this year even as Quebec’s herds are facing difficulty in the wild. The fawns and their mothers are doing well, according to a Quebec environment ministry communiqué. A total of 18 female caribou were recorded as being pregnant this spring, 11 in Charlevoix and seven in Gaspé. All gave birth, but three of the fawns did not survive. Quebec also has a captivity installation in Val-d’Or, but no females there became pregnant. The new arrivals bring to 39 the number of caribou in Charlevoix and 19 in the Gaspé. There are no fawns, but there are five male and four female caribou at the Val-d’Or installation.

The federal government is spending more than $972,000 to fund three economic development positions in Wawa ($297,000), Hornepayne ($245, 250) and Dubreuilville ($231,250) and to spur an Indigenous community forestry strategy.  …According to a FedNor news release, these economic development officers will be focused on broadband expansion, strategic planning, investment and workforce readiness, tourism, mining, forestry, business support and housing. In addition, Michipicoten First Nation snagged $198,000 to hire a forestry technician for a three-year period to work on a community forestry strategy, create partnerships with industry, and participate in area forest management planning.

Quebec Environment Minister Benoit Charette and provincial Forestry Minister Maïté Blanchette Vézina have informed federal Environment Minister Stephen Guilbeault that their government will not participate in consultations on the development of an emergency decree to protect caribou. In a six-page letter sent on Wednesday, the provincial ministers reiterated that the emergency decree announced last month by Ottawa is a “unilateral and illegitimate decision by the federal government that is categorically rejected by Quebec.” Ottawa’s approach “constitutes an unspeakable affront and is in opposition to the respect for the sharing of constitutional powers between the levels of government,” the ministers contend. Not only will Quebec not participate in consultations to determine the scope of the decree, but “the federal government must fully assume the economic and social consequences of its decision,” the ministers warned. …The job losses (~2,000) would result from a forecast loss of permitted logging …the equivalent of 1.4 million cubic metres of lumber annually.

Sturgeon Falls, ON – Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario announced an investment of $500,000 by the Government of Canada in Sturgeon Falls Brush and Contracting Limited (SFB). The announcement will help SFB purchase a boiler system that will allow the company to dry lumber to the specific requirements of its clients in the cross-laminated timber industry. The boiler will use biomass from area mills as its heat source. This project is part of an ongoing expansion by SFB which will see the company grow to meet local market  demands. In addition to the purchase of the boiler, this investment will create three skilled positions, while also enabling SFB to sell kiln-dried lumber as a new product offering, increasing revenues for the company. Over the coming years, SFB’s expansion is expected to attract new businesses and investments in Sturgeon Falls.

Additional coverage in Northern Ontario Business: Sturgeon Falls contractor enters the kiln-dried lumber business

Lise Vaugeois

In response to the comments made in the July 18 Trillium article “Ontario proposes new ministerial powers to prepare for wildfires, steeper penalties for offenders“, I’m disappointed and puzzled to hear that Minister Graydon Smith’s proposals on Wildfire Management once again ignore the key issue of firefighter recruitment and retention. Wildland firefighters have repeatedly made the case that they need to be classified as “firefighters” in order receive the appropriate level of pay and benefits. Without this, the service cannot keep experienced firefighters and … fully staff their crews. On June 24, the Ford government made a promise to my colleague, Guy Bourgouin, and committed to reclassification… And yet, here we are again, with the Ministry now “studying” the reclassification issue instead of making the change they committed to make on June 24. …Calling people heroes, while enforcing unacceptable job conditions, is adding insult to injury.

Anthony Taylor

LABRADOR — A forest ecologist says abnormal weather is becoming more common and will likely cause more wildfires like the ones that threatened Labrador towns in recent weeks. Anthony Taylor of the University of New Brunswick told CBC News in a recent interview that climate change is a factor in the number and severity of forest fires this summer in Labrador. “You’ll see an increase in the frequency of years where you have big fires, and it’s directly related to the fact that you’re going to have an increase in the frequency of weather that’s more conducive to fires,” said Taylor, who researches how climate change affects forests. …Although there has been close to normal amounts of rainfall in Labrador, he said, higher temperatures cause increased evaporation and drier forests, likely contributing to conditions that are conducive to fire.

Steven Guilbeault

Federal Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault has found himself in another spat with a province. For months, Guilbeault has been demanding Quebec adopt a new plan to protect the province’s woodland caribou from the impact of logging for industrial activities and road-network expansions, as herd numbers in the province appear to be dwindling. Now the federal minister is going over the province’s head, with an emergency decree ordering his own plan, outraging Quebec’s provincial government and the Bloc Québécois. …The emergency order, which could be implemented in August, is still at the consultation stage. If Quebec presents a new plan soon, Guilbeault says he will back down. …“Considering all the efforts made in recent years, the Quebec government considers the adoption of an emergency decree unjustified,” said a statement from Charette’s office. Quebec’s Forest Industry Council’s Jean-François Samray, said that if the decree is adopted, the industry could lose 6,500 jobs.

MONCTON, NB – Forests and trees capturing and storing carbon, offer habitats for wildlife, mitigate hot weather in cities and towns, ensure clean water and soil, and deliver essential spiritual, cultural and recreational benefits to Canadians from coast to coast. By planting two billion trees over a decade, the Government of Canada is taking a significant step forward in our country’s approach to tackling the dual crises of climate change and biodiversity decline. …Together, the Government of Canada and the Government of New Brunswick will provide more than $71 million to support progressive tree planting in New Brunswick, ensuring the right trees are planted in the right places so that the province’s forests can thrive in a changing climate. With this investment, the Province of New Brunswick aims to plant over 52 million climate-resilient trees on publicly managed land: the equivalent of planting over 60 trees for each resident of New Brunswick.

Quebec’s forestry potential would decrease by 1.4 million cubic metres of wood per year in the three zones where an emergency decree would be imposed to protect the caribou, according to Quebec’s chief forester. At the provincial level, the decree would cause a drop of 4.1 per cent in the allowable area. This is the conclusion reached by Quebec’s chief forester, Louis Pelletier, in an analysis he presented to the Quebec government published Tuesday. As part of this analysis, the mandate of the chief forester did not include making recommendations, but was limited to informing the ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry. Nor did Pelletier have the mandate to estimate the consequences on jobs in the forestry industry. Logging companies that cut trees in caribou habitat in the Pipmuacan area would suffer the greatest impact if the decree comes to fruition.

Last month, a dozen people hauled mulch and a thousand trees across the forest, walking trails and perimeter of Fermont in northern Quebec. The town near the border with Labrador planted what they hope will become a shield for the community, following last year’s unprecedented forest fire season. Unlike other replanting efforts, this one focused on deciduous trees, says Simon Côté, the head co-ordinator at Arbre-Évolution, the organization that helped back the planting project. “In the next year, it has to be something that every city will do,” said Côté. “It needs to be at least 30 metres like a shield of hardwood … in case of very extreme fire that cannot be controlled and that we know can happen.” …”The conifer, like the spruce, is full of organic oil that can ignite very, very quickly … like a forest of matches.”

LYME, New Hampshire — Wagner Forest Management, a manager of timberland investments, announced that it is considering strategic alternatives, including the potential sale of 480,000 acres of timberlands in Ontario, Canada. This property offers a unique opportunity for an investor to develop one of the largest nature-based carbon removal projects in the Voluntary Carbon Market. The project is anticipated to generate millions of emission reduction and removal credits, significantly contributing to climate change mitigation through sustainable forestry and land use practices. The company has retained TAP Securities as its financial advisor. TAP is preparing marketing materials describing the property and the carbon opportunity. …Wagner manages over 2.25mm acres of timberland throughout Northeastern United States and Eastern Canada.

THUNDER BAY — Spruce Budworm, which causes severe damage to fir trees, is overdue for a big rebound in Northwestern Ontario, but its advance this year may have been slowed by hot weather last year. Although there are reports of impacted tree stands around the Thunder Bay area, “it’s a bit of a surprise” there hasn’t been more defoliation from the spruce budworm, said Taylor Scarr, director at the Great Lakes Forestry Centre in Sault Ste. Marie. The Eastern Spruce Budworm feeds mainly on balsam fir and white spruce, and to a lesser extent on red spruce and black spruce. Trees typically die after four or more years of severe defoliation. …The MNR doesn’t consider the current extent of the budworm infestation in the Northwest to be enough to warrant mitigation measures like insecticide. Large outbreaks tend to occur every 30 to 40 years – the last big outbreak was in the 80s.