CALGARY, Alberta — Alberta’s government is investing $6 million over three years to support the next generation of skilled trades workers with the launch of the Alberta Trades Discovery Centre. The industry-led initiative will offer junior high and high school students hands-on exposure to careers in the skilled trades before they graduate. Set to open this fall, the Alberta Trades Discovery Centre will provide a dedicated, professional space where students can explore construction trades, learn directly from experienced tradespeople and discover what they are good at and what they enjoy, helping them make informed choices about high school courses, post-secondary pathways and future careers.
A Nanaimo public hearing on a controversial rezoning application to allow for the industrial development of forested lands near Cedar is entering its third week. …The application was put forward last spring by Harmac Pacific, which operates the Nanaimo Forest Products site. The land is zoned as “rural resource,” meaning the property can’t be used for industry. The rezoning proposal includes a parkland designation for an 11.3-hectare section of “forested buffer” alongside the popular Cable Bay Trail. Paul Sadler, CEO of Harmac Pacific, said the company built the Cable Bay trail in 1990. “We’re interested in protecting it,” he said, adding that the buffer section would quadruple the size of the park area.Sadler said he feels that the public hearing process has been “hijacked” by those opposed to the rezoning… noting that any applications to use the site after it is rezoned would undergo environmental assessments and a government permit process.
San Group companies and federal bank launch multi-pronged legal attack after insurer denies claims over major 2024 fire in Delta. …At the heart of the dispute is Lloyd’s Underwriters and its move to deny a nearly $31-million insurance claim over claims the fire was not an accident, but a deliberate act of arson carried out by the owners. In a Dec. 30, 2025, letter Lloyd’s informed the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) and San Group subsidiary Acorn Forest Products that it was voiding the company’s primary and excess insurance policies. According to court documents, Lloyd’s determined the fire was “caused by arson perpetrated by Acorn, alone or in collusion with others” and through the acts or under the guidance of the company’s “directing minds.” The San Group has strongly denied the allegations. Both Acorn and its parent company maintain that Lloyd’s has failed to provide proof of arson and is using the allegation to avoid a massive payout.
A group of Chemainus sawmill workers facing the prospect of being out of work for at least the rest of this year is calling on the federal government to make good on a promise to provide an extra 20 weeks of employment insurance support. About two dozen employees of the Western Forest Products mill, which the company has said will be shuttered until at least 2027, say they have been excluded by Service Canada from a promised 20 extra weeks of EI. “All I’m asking for is for these 20 to 24 people just to be paid the 20 weeks that was promised to them,” said Brian Bull, who has worked at the Chemainus mill for 34 years. The last day of work at the mill was technically July 15, but the majority of the mill was shut down June 18, putting 120 people out of work, he said.
After meeting with Prime Minister Mark Carney on Thursday, Premier David Eby confirmed that US liquor products will remain off BC liquor store shelves, despite pressure from American officials. Eby wants the Americans to ease duties and tariffs on the softwood lumber sector before relenting on U.S. liquor products. …The issue gained renewed international attention after US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick called the measures against American alcohol products “disrespectful”. …One of the major sticking points for Eby is what he sees as preferential treatment by the US for lumber from Russia and Europe, just as punitive measures are ratcheted up on Canadian softwood products. “The reality is that British Columbians are pissed off about our industry being attacked, our families losing jobs for absolutely no reason, to prefer Russian and European lumber to Canadian lumber,” he said.
The Interior Logging Association is set to welcome members and delegates to Kamloops from April 30 to May 2 for its 68th AGM and Convention—an event that continues to bring the BC forestry community together around shared challenges and opportunities. This year’s theme, “Stronger Together for Forestry’s Future,” speaks to a program that blends business, safety, and good old-fashioned industry camaraderie. The three-day event kicks off with the Interior Safety Conference, followed by a full schedule of indoor and outdoor exhibits at the Powwow Grounds—open to the public and showcasing the latest in equipment, services, and innovation. Familiar favourites return, including the Simulator Tree Falling Competition and the ever-popular Big Truck Show & Shine. The convention offers plenty of opportunities to connect, with a Meet & Greet, breakfast, luncheon, and Friday night Dinner & Dance rounding out the agenda. Now in its 68th year, the convention remains a cornerstone event for the sector—highlighting the people, partnerships, and practical know-how that keep BC’s forestry industry moving forward.
A motion to contact the province and urge it to review and strengthen its forestry policies, including those governing raw-log exports, failed in a 4-3 vote at North Cowichan’s council meeting on April 15. The motion by Coun. Christopher Justice, if it passed, was intended to help improve fibre availability for domestic processing, support value-added wood manufacturing, and sustain forestry employment on Vancouver Island. A number of delegations spoke to council on the issue at the meeting. Arnold Bercov, a former president of the Public and Private Workers of Canada, spoke in favour of council supporting Justice’s motion. …Brian Bull, a long-time worker at the WFP’s curtailed Chemainus sawmill, said if the motion passes, it would create a conversation about the issue at a time when many forest companies and the province don’t want to have that conversation. …Mosaic Forest Management’s Karen Brandt and Nick Broekhuizen also spoke on the issue.
The Island has some of B.C.’s most well-known karst features — such as caves, sinkholes and underground rivers — but they’re threatened by logging. Around five years ago, Mark Worthing — heard a company was planning to log a huge drainage of old-growth forest and watershed 350 kilometres north of Victoria, with the only access point being a single road believed to have a karst cave underneath. Worthing, an old-growth forest campaigner [intended to] prove the cave stretched beneath the road, the destructive heavy logging machinery would not be allowed to pass through, and the old growth and watershed would be saved. …While researcher Jenica Ng-Cornish says B.C. has a comprehensively better karst plan than other jurisdictions, it falls short when put into practice. The forestry guidelines are based on aging documents: the 2002 Forest and Range Practices Act and 2003 Karst Management Handbook. There are also six Government Actions Regulation orders on karst protections.
Two men were arrested Friday after a protest blocked access to a Forest Service road near Nelway, preventing a contractor from reaching a worksite. Salmo RCMP responded on April 24 to a demonstration where a small group of people had obstructed the road in opposition to logging activity in the area. The protest is connected to ongoing efforts by the Rosebud Community Watershed Protection Group, which has been advocating for stronger protections in the Rosebud and Lomond Creek watersheds. …Police said officers attempted to negotiate with the group, but the demonstrators refused to leave. Two men were arrested as a result. During the arrest, an officer was allegedly struck in the face by one of the men. A 75-year-old Nelway man was subsequently arrested for assaulting a police officer with a weapon and obstruction, while a 37-year-old man, also from Nelway, was arrested for mischief and obstruction.
Last Wednesday, BC Premier David Eby released a statement celebrating B.C.’s wild places and passion for protecting the environment… commemorating Earth Day. …The problem? Conservation advocates, the BC Greens and a former BC Liberal cabinet minister who led a government biodiversity review said Eby’s claim about strengthening ecosystem protections largely isn’t true. Ken Wu, of the Endangered Ecosystems Alliance, said that after a promising start under Eby, BC has “stalled and started going backwards” when it comes to protecting ecosystems such as old-growth forests. …Former BC Liberal MLA Mike Morris, said he gives the Eby government “a failing grade” on strengthening ecosystem protections. …BC Green Party MLA Jeremy Valeriote said he hasn’t seen any evidence the government is strengthening ecosystem protections. …“With a huge deficit, and a premier taking it on the nose from the Conservatives on economic development, there’s a lot of focus on Look West,” he said.
A new UBC-led study into wildfire risk in Whistler finds residents report near-universal concern about wildfire, a level of awareness that is driving high rates of mitigation work on properties—but not the same level of preparedness for an emergency. The research suggests “strong leadership” in local FireSmart programs is contributing to the uptake of mitigation techniques while pointing to a possible trade-off: residents who have reduced risk around their homes may be less focused on planning what to do if a wildfire occurs. “People are very aware of the risk, but we’re not seeing very high level of preparedness,” said study author Adeniyi P. Asiyanbi, an assistant professor at UBC Okanagan. …Drawing on 234 survey responses, the study finds high levels of concern across the community, with 91 per cent reporting they are “concerned” or “very concerned” about wildfires in Whistler, and 80 per cent rating overall risk as “high” or “extreme.”
Climate change is making Vancouver Island more prone to wildfires, and the Homalco First Nation is taking proactive steps to prepare. To protect the community during wildfire season, the Nation has started a project designed to reduce wildfire risks in its privately owned forest next to the Homalco community south of Campbell River. Thinning the forest will make it less prone to fire and provide the community with another escape route in case of an emergency, says the Nation. …Ken Dodd, the manager of forest values with the Nation, said the abundance of ladder fuel, coupled with densely packed trees, could lead to a catastrophic forest fire if one were to ignite. …Dodd explained that the thinning technique replicates the qualities of an old-growth forest… Quentin Stefani, with Integrated Operations Group, the company hired to conduct the thinning, said the technology is typically used to thin forests in Europe. 
“Surely old-growth logging won’t be happening in five years.” That was my belief in 2020, when I was a 17-year-old activist who — almost by accident — helped initiate the Fairy Creek blockades and the largest act of civil disobedience in Canadian history. …In that moment, it seemed inevitable that the old paradigm of forestry in BC would not last. Today, that old paradigm seems more entrenched than ever, with old-growth deferrals getting canceled across the province and an NDP government more focused on short-term economic development than long-term sustainability. …At this moment, the prospect of true forestry reform in BC seems bleak. But Washington protected its state-owned old-growth forests 20 years ago and maintains a thriving forest products industry today. How did they do it? And what can Washington’s success teach us about BC’s forestry predicament?
Harrison Hot Springs leaders may be taking their forestry-related concerns right to the provincial government. During Monday’s council meeting, Harrison Hot Springs council voted 1-4 to defeat a motion from Coun. Mark Schweinbenz to direct village staff to speak with a number of entities concerning large-scale, clear-cut forestry and its effects on the community. Schweinbenz was the sole assenting vote. “Every year, we get a letter from (B.C. Timber Sales), and it’s confusing and obfuscates what is really going on,” Schweinbenz said. “I don’t think we have any real input and I think the citizens of Harrison Hot Springs are frustrated by that. I think that should change.” …Instead of engaging with multiple agencies such as the B.C. Timber Sales Chilliwack Forest District, local First Nations leaders and neighbouring communities, council will consider requesting a meeting with the Minister of Forests at the 2026 UBCM Conference at the Vancouver Convention Centre in September.
In October 2025, the Regional Parks Committee tasked staff with looking at a potential Strategic Forest Management and FireSmart Plan, including budget. With a report in hand, the committee agreed to embark on a phased approach to develop a forest management plan for regional parks with key considerations including wildfire risk reduction, ecological values, cultural considerations and FireSmart principles in 2027. The first step would include a request for proposal process, with a price tag of up to $75,000 from the 2027 budget, to retain a qualified consultant to assist in developing a Strategic Forest Management Plan framework guiding future wildfire risk reduction and forest resilience efforts, the parks committee agreed during its April 22 meeting.