Through the Regional Tariff Response Initiative (RTRI), the Government of Canada is helping businesses across the country navigate ongoing trade challenges by boosting productivity, strengthening supply chains, and reaching new domestic and global markets. The Honourable Gregor Robertson, Minister of Housing and Infrastructure and Minister responsible for Pacific Economic Development Canada (PacifiCan), announced an investment of over $30.5 million in RTRI funding for 24 businesses and organizations across B.C. to help them pivot to new pathways for growth — protecting jobs in key sectors affected by global trade disruptions such as advanced manufacturing, forestry, and steel and aluminum.
From the backgrounder:
- Nanaimo Forest Products (Harmac) — $5,500,000
- BC Wood Specialties Group — $5,280,480
- Canadian Bavarian Millwork & Lumber — $1,000,000
- PowerWood — $1,000,000
A Canfor spokesperson recently told the Whitecourt Star that discussions with Fox Creek sawmill staff, some of whom may transition to Whitecourt operations after the Fox Creek mill closes, are “ongoing.” The discussions follow Canadian Forest Products (Canfor)’s announcement at the end of July that the Fox Creek sawmill will permanently close by the late summer. “At this time, we have sufficient fibre supply to support our operations in Alberta, including Whitecourt and Grande Prairie,” Canfor media relations told the Star via email. Canfor confirmed approximately 70 staff members are impacted by the closure of the Fox Creek location, adding that it’s anticipated around 30 per cent will be offered other “opportunities.” These opportunities include roles at Whitecourt operations and other locations, or caretaking work at the Fox Creek site, according to Canfor. …The company stated the Fox Creek mill closure will result in a loss of 120 million board feet of production capacity.
The TLA, together with the ILA, NWLA and MNP is pleased to share the 2026 Timber Harvest Cost Model. This model was developed to provide contractors with reliable data to support contract negotiations and align with government requirements. These rates reflect the required revenues of a contractor who runs a reasonably efficient operation. The BC Timber Harvest Rate Model calculates the hourly rates for equipment used in BC’s forest industry. It is designed to give contractors a baseline rate for a selected piece of equipment, serving as a starting point for setting rates. The inputs used in the calculations for the rate guide have been gathered from contractors, equipment manufacturers, service providers and administrative sources. …In May 2025, the beta version of the model was launched and shared with the BC contractor community. Since then, MNP has been gathering feedback from users to identify enhancements that will help contractors determine appropriate equipment rates.
The Municipality of North Cowichan is asking the provincial government to help fund critical infrastructure projects it says are needed to support the redevelopment of the former Domtar pulp mill site in Crofton and future growth throughout the municipality. In a letter to Premier David Eby, Mayor Rob Douglas outlines several priorities related to the closure of the Crofton mill, including securing the community’s long-term drinking water supply, exploring the use of the site’s wastewater treatment facilities and investing in infrastructure needed to support industrial, commercial and residential development. Douglas said North Cowichan’s primary goal is to see the former mill property remain an industrial employment centre while restoring the stable industrial tax base the municipality relied on during the mill’s decades of operation. The Domtar pulp mill ceased operations earlier this year… prompting discussions about how the strategically located waterfront industrial property can be redeveloped for future growth.
VALEMOUNT, BC — The Valemount Industrial Park sawmill may be only weeks away from exhausting its remaining log supply, raising the prospect of another curtailment and further layoffs unless additional fibre can be secured. The issue at hand is that there are no new logging contracts for the mill. During a lengthy and at times tense board discussion on July 29th, members were told the mill had approximately 15 to 20 operating days of logs left. …The looming end of the log supply means the board may soon face a decision larger than how to measure the mill’s performance. Without a new source of fibre, the board will have to determine whether to curtail operations, reduce costs and wait for market conditions to change, or continue trying to keep the mill operating with help from Industrial Park lease revenue.
A Prince George city councillor is challenging billionaire Jim Pattison to personally hand out final paycheques to workers losing their jobs at Canfor’s Northwood Pulp Mill. Pattison owns the Jim Pattison Group, the majority shareholder in Canfor. …Canfor has closed multiple mills around B.C., impacting hundreds of workers. The latest is 300 people at the Northwood Pulp Mill. At a July news conference, Coun. Brian Skakun — himself a former Canfor employee — said he wanted to see Pattison … personally hand out cheques as the workers leave the job site for the last time. “If Jimmy Pattison really wants to live by his decision, then I would encourage him to come out to these mills when they’re shut down and hand out the last cheques to each employee personally and say, ‘I am sorry for what is going on,'” Skakun said, accusing Canfor of being more concerned about shareholders than communities.
The Independent Lumber Manufacturers’ Association (ILMA) has chosen a convention theme that’s sure to get people talking: WTF? Where’s The Fibre? The title may raise a smile, but the question is serious. 
A niche corner of B.C.’s forest sector … is now staring down a deadline for a crushing blow in the next round of tariff charges announced by U.S. President Trump. Those new charges would slap a 50 per cent tariff on $28 billion of Canadian exports including B.C. plywood, veneers and plywood panels starting Aug. 19, leaving producers short on strategies to adjust. “(We’re) just hoping that Trump is flip-flopping again,” said Bhavjit Thandi, chief financial officer of Richmond Plywood. …Thandi said Richmond Plywood sells most of the output of its 450-employee mill into the Canadian market, but the 10 to 12 per cent it has been shipping into the U.S. represents its best and highest-value product. …To Brian Menzies, executive director of the Independent Wood Producers Association, the threatened tariffs add insult to injury for his members that have been struggling for almost a decade under the punitive duties of the Canada-U.S. softwood lumber dispute. [A Vancouver Sun subscription is required for full story access]
VANCOUVER, BC – Canfor announced that it will permanently close its Fox Creek sawmill in Fox Creek, Alberta. …The Fox Creek sawmill, destroyed by a fire in 2008, was rebuilt in 2011 as a single-shift operation to process the uplift in available timber as part of the Province of Alberta’s strategy to reduce the amount of pine beetle susceptible forests. …However, with the end of the pine beetle strategy and with wildfire-damaged timber now largely exhausted, there is insufficient fibre to sustain the operation over the long term. Coupled with prolonged weak markets and punishing duties and tariffs, this facility is no longer viable. …Susan Yurkovich, Canfor CEO said “This decision does not diminish the dedication and contribution of our Fox Creek team. We are committed to helping those impacted.” …The closure of Fox Creek sawmill represents a reduction of 120 million board feet of production capacity. Operations are expected to be concluded by late summer.
PRINCE GEORGE, BC — Standing in the pouring rain in front of Canfor’s Northwood Pulp Mill in Prince George, provincial and federal opposition members called on their respective levels of government to do more to assist BC and Canada’s struggling forestry industry. …Tamara Jansen, the Conservative MP for Cloverdale-Langley City, said that the closure announcement isn’t isolated. “And many people genuinely believed that things were going to change”. …Jansen called on the federal government to reduce red tape, eliminate the industrial carbon tax that remains in place after the consumer version was repealed and change other factors preventing Canadian industries like the pulp sector from being competitive. …Bob Zimmer, Conservative MP for Prince George-Peace River-Northern Rockies, said… even though trade tensions between Canada and the US have escalated, the problem has gone on since the federal Liberals took power in 2015 and have failed to secure an agreement.
Fire Lake lies near Garibaldi Park. …Five years ago, the B.C. government earmarked the Fire Lake forest as a priority old-growth logging deferral area. Part of the forest sits in a wildlife habitat area that the government set aside for the endangered northern spotted owl… But none of these designations carried any weight last fall when BC Timber Sales auctioned off about 70 hectares of the forest … for clearcut logging. Joe Foy, a campaigner for the Wilderness Committee, drove along freshly bulldozed roads to shoot photos and video of the forest and document recent logging. …When Foy and his colleague combed through B.C. government websites and maps, they discovered the forest around Fire Lake is far from the only federally designated critical habitat for spotted owls that Premier David Eby’s government has slated for logging. …The government claims it is safeguarding species at risk, Foy said, but “species are literally disappearing as they talk.”
A group of protesters gathered outside B.C. Forests Minister Ravi Parmar’s Langford office Sunday, accusing the provincial government of failing to live up to its commitments to protect old-growth forests. The demonstrators say the province is moving in the wrong direction on old-growth protection and pointed to an increase in old-growth timber being offered through BC Timber Sales. …The protest comes amid an ongoing debate over the future of B.C.’s forestry industry, as the province attempts to balance old-growth protection, First Nations rights and the economic importance of forestry. …The province has previously maintained it is working to protect at-risk old-growth forests while supporting forestry-dependent communities and maintaining a viable industry. …The dispute comes as B.C.’s forestry sector faces significant economic challenges. According to the BC Council of Forest Industries, 21 lumber mills have closed permanently or indefinitely since 2023.
ALBERTA — A multi-year investigation into an unapproved bridge built over the Highwood River by a logging company in critical habitat for a threatened fish species was halted by a federal ministry due to a lack of resources. An internal 2025 document… states Fisheries and Oceans Canada had multiple ongoing investigations into critical habitat being destroyed, but the regulator lacked resources to work on them all. …Highwood River in Kananaskis Country grabbed the regulator’s attention after it learned Spray Lake Sawmills built a bridge over it without federal approval in 2023. …The two-year investigation was halted despite federal staff finding “destruction of critical habitat for bull trout” had happened, during an on-site visit in 2023. Instead, the federal ministry found West Fraser’s work (the company that took over the project from Spray Lake Sawmills) had been “fulfilled to the satisfaction of the (DFO)” after it removed the unapproved bridges and created a remediation plan.
The Forest Enhancement Society of BC (FESBC) has expanded eligibility under its Fibre Utilization Funding Program to include Timber Sale Licences. Eligible applicants can now apply for funding to recover biomass from active and approved Timber Sale Licences (TSLs) issued prior to July 31, 2026. Organizations that are new to the program, or that do not currently have FESBC Fibre Utilization funding, are encouraged to review the 2026-27 Fibre Utilization Funding Program Guide and submit an application. Current Fibre Utilization funding recipients may also be able to amend their existing projects to include eligible Timber Sales Licences.
The BC government’s decision to grant a logging company permits to install three gates blocking access to the Walbran Valley’s old-growth forests was almost certain to draw criticism from environmental organizations. …“Blocking access to these places damages the relationship people have to the landscape… which only benefits logging companies,” said Torrance Coste of the Wilderness Committee. …But the gates are much more than just a physical barrier to would-be travellers. They also highlight a divide among environmental organizations and First Nations and the BC government over the future of old-growth forests. …Tsawak-qin is invested in logging Vancouver Island’s increasingly rare old-growth forests, including forests adjacent to and potentially inside the unprotected portion of the Walbran. …Jeff Jones, Elected Chief of the Pacheedaht First Nation, said… “we have two community forest partnerships. We have a sawmill that we benefit from… that creates employment. And we also get the revenues from the partnerships.”
Retreat to the woods and waves of Vancouver Island this fall for the 29th Annual Woodlots BC Conference and AGM in Parksville from October 1-3. This year’s event will be held at the tranquil Tigh-Na-Mara Seaside Spa Resort, located on the traditional lands of the Qualicum and Snaw-Naw-As First Nations. Explore the theme “Woods & Waves: Navigating the Narrative” through coastal field tours followed by a full day of speakers and sessions. This is a fantastic opportunity to combine professional development with a relaxing resort experience. Enjoy the 22-acre forested oceanfront resort featuring 3 kms of sandy beach, the Grotto Spa, indoor pool and on-site restaurant. This year’s theme is Woods & Waves: Navigating the Narrative. Woodlots in BC face unique, shifting challenges—from intense weather events to changing regulations. This theme uses “navigation” as a metaphor, positioning open communication and collective wisdom as the ultimate compass for woodlot managers. Register by the Early Bird deadline on August 31, 2026, for a chance to win your Early Bird registration back. 
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As wildfires burn across Canada and smoke again reaches communities far from the fire line, a harder question is emerging behind the daily evacuation updates and air quality warnings: Is British Columbia doing enough to manage its forests before the next crisis? The question has taken on added political weight as criticism of Canadian wildfire smoke has surfaced south of the border and as politicians debate whether severe fire seasons are primarily a climate problem, a forest management problem or both. Murray Wilson says that framing misses the point if it becomes an excuse for inaction. Wilson, a former forester, discussed wildfire risk, smoke, forest management and the shrinking capacity of the forest sector in an interview with 
In the Okanagan, we have sadly become all too familiar with the smoke and devastation caused by wildfires. Most recently, several wildfires have impacted our region, most notably the Bradley Creek fire, which has threatened parts of the Okanagan Indian Band lands and resulted in the loss of more than 200 homes. It should also be noted that some residents reportedly evacuated before an official evacuation order was in effect, a reminder of how quickly conditions can change when wind and weather shift unexpectedly. …Earlier this year, I discussed many of these issues with retired forester Murray Wilson on my Finding Solutions podcast. Drawing on decades of experience, Mr. Wilson shared his perspective on forest management and how we can better understand and mitigate wildfire risk. …Forest management is undoubtedly important. However, it is also reasonable to expect that more progress can be made in reducing the number of human-caused fires.
Two protesters from the Walbran Valley blockade were sentenced Tuesday, after pleading guilty to breaching an injunction order in November 2025. The order barred protesters from blocking access to the Tsawak-qin Forestry logging site. Twelve protesters were arrested in total. Kenni Apt was sentenced to 12 months’ probation, with 75 hours of community service or a fine of $2,250. They were arrested after attaching themselves to a large wooden cougar statue within the injunction area, intending to block logging activity. Apt says they feel good about their sentence, but they’re sad that they won’t be able to visit the valley any time soon. …Zoey Barak was sentenced to seven days’ jail time. She was arrested after being found in an elevated sling between two trees within the injunction area. The blockade in Walbran Valley was linked to the same organizers behind the Fairy Creek anti-logging blockade on southwest Vancouver Island, which saw thousands arrested in 2021. 
Prolonged drought conditions are forcing British Columbia’s fire tacticians to rethink how they battle blazes in the province’s dry and hot Interior. As huge, destructive blazes spread across the southern Interior, many are burning across land that has already experienced fire over the last decade. In years past, the BC Wildfire Service would expect previous burn scars to slow, or even stop, the progress of a new fire. But this fire season, a prolonged drought has upended that assumption. Firefighters’ experiences could have implications for what British Columbians can expect from fire seasons for years to come. …A burn scar “used to be something we could use as a control line,” Chapman said. Current conditions, though, make those scars untrustworthy. “The fire behaviour can be almost as extreme in some of those old burns, depending on their age and how severe the burn was.”
Timberwolf Wilderness Society is asking for a judicial review in federal court after a permit was provided for a logging operation in Kananaskis Country in an area with threatened bull trout. Timberwolf launched legal action after 
Critical ecosystems throughout B.C. will be safer and better protected, thanks to provincial funding for a new partnership led by the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation (HCTF). B.C. is providing $1 million to HCTF to identify and assess water-control infrastructure on conservation lands and other areas that support ecological values throughout the province, helping guide investments that improve habitat, reduce risks and support local communities. …As part of the work, a shared database will be created to identify infrastructure such as small dams, dikes and water-control structures. It will track infrastructure condition and safety risks, while taking into account ecological, cultural and community needs associated with each site. …The initiative is expected to provide, for the first time, a co-ordinated inventory and assessment of water-control structures allowing government and conservation partners to better understand infrastructure needs and prioritize future upgrades. 
PORT RENFREW, British Columbia — The five-car caravan crept down a gravel logging road as the day’s last beams of golden light filtered through the trees. About 20 forest defenders were making a stand in southwest Vancouver Island, at a spot where a logging company was expected to cut 
In 2004, Dr. Geoff Scudder of UBC completed one of B.C.’s most important biodiversity analyses. By mapping species rarity and richness, he identified where the province’s most threatened species occur and where biodiversity is most concentrated. These biodiversity hotspots are the places where conservation matters most. These hotspots occur mostly in the South Okanagan, the Lower Mainland, and Southeastern Vancouver Island along with the Gulf Islands. Despite their global significance, these hotspots remain largely outside B.C.’s protected area network. As Canada advances its 30×30 plan to protect 30% of land and ocean by 2030, the gap between what is protected and what needs protection is poised to widen. Canada has committed to 10 new national parks, and B.C. has proposed three new conservation areas. Yet none of these proposals capture Scudder’s hotspots. Once again, B.C. is protecting more of what is already safe and less of what is truly at risk.
Ravi Parmar, Minister of Forests, has issued the following statement in response to the arrival of wildfire personnel from Mexico: Supporting our neighbours and communities, showing hospitality to our partners and taking care of each other. These are the values that make me proud to be a British Columbian. In our time of need, I am honoured to welcome more than 100 wildfire personnel from Mexico on Monday, Aug. 3, 2026, with more than 200 arriving later in the week. They’ve travelled from their homes to help us protect ours amidst a challenging wildfire season. As British Columbians, let’s welcome them warmly as they prepare to work alongside our BC Wildfire Service crews. Wildfire response is built on teamwork. Whether support comes from within B.C., across Canada or around the world, every person who joins the effort strengthens our response capacity and helps ensure resources are available when and where they are needed most.
After a visit to Stanley Park, Nina Shoroplova, a Vancouver naturalist, went on to research and write a book about the park and its trees. Stanley Park holds a fascination for many. Sometimes called the crown jewel of the city, the park contains about 600,000 trees. But the urban forest is changing in ways that challenge both the health of the ecosystem and ideas about the park itself. An outbreak of western hemlock looper killed about 30 per cent of the large trees in Stanley Park as of April 2023… Recent droughts have made the damage more severe, increasing the wildfire risk in the park… Amid some opposition, park board crews have cut down about 14,000 trees since fall 2023. …The idea that Stanley Park is an area of untamed wilderness has always held appeal. But its history and present reality are much more complex, said Sean Kheraj, author of Inventing Stanley Park: An Environmental History. …The reality is that Stanley Park’s forest has long been influenced by people. [A Vancouver Sun subscription is required for full access]
PORT ALBERNI, BC — It’s been almost a year since Mount Underwood erupted south of Port Alberni, quickly spreading across a bone-dry slope to become the largest wildfire the area has seen in over a century. While this forest fire season has been relatively mild by comparison, some residents are questioning if slash left over from past logging fueled the rapid growth of the blaze in August 2025. …“BC Wildfire Service described that behaviour as ‘explosive’,” stated the alliance. “We are concerned that the fire’s behaviour and size were the direct and foreseeable result of fuel hazard conditions created by rapid logging and establishment of conifer plantations.” …With an investigation still underway, the BC Wildfire Service has not disclosed what caused Mount Underwood. But Mosaic believes that “preliminary information suggests it was caused by human activity.” “There were no active forestry operations in the area at the time the fire started,” stated Mosaic. 
A pest is placing huge swaths of BC’s forests under strain while adding a red tinge to the province’s landscape. Data from the Ministry shows the current outbreak of the western spruce budworm was mapped last year at 1.7 million hectares, more than double the previous two outbreaks which peaked in 1987 and 2008 at around 800,000 hectares. The budworm is native to BC and has been studied for a century due to the visible, and at times, deadly impact it can have on the province’s forests. …The pest takes a year to complete its life cycle. The eggs hatch in about 12 days, resulting in larvae that feed on tree needles, causing them to turn red. “These trees are not dead,” said a statement from the Ministry of Forest. “They may die after successive years of defoliation.” The ministry said younger, understory trees are more susceptible to being killed by the budworm.
In BC, almost 40% of the wildfires that started between 2015 and 2024 were sparked by people — our campfires, our infrastructure, our vehicles. To avoid preventable fires, officials ban campfires, restrict the use of heavy machinery and sometimes prohibit the use of off-road vehicles. But before making those decisions, they need to determine just how bad the fire danger is in the first place. …The billboards, with their green, yellow, orange and red markers that denote different fire danger levels. …Forest fire danger rating research began in Canada in the 1920s with studies in experimental plots to investigate the moisture content and flammability of forest fuels — everything from the fine needles and twigs that litter the forest floor to the deeper organic layers below. Over time, researchers incorporated that work into a series of scientific models now used across Canada and around the world to estimate wildfire danger and fire behaviour.
Our Policy, Regulation and Research Department is requesting feedback on sections 4.107 and 4.110–4.118, Harassment and Violence, of the proposed new Part 4.1, Psychological Health and Safety, Harassment and Violence, of the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation. The consultation phase gives stakeholders an opportunity to share feedback before the proposed amendments are taken to public hearing. View the 
As the Bald Ridge wildfire near Summerland, B.C., continues to burn, many are wondering how the blaze spread so quickly. …the Bald Ridge wildfire quickly grew to 50 square kilometres in just three hours after it was first detected. …“It was absolutely shocking to see that fire in Summerland go from an ignition and then spread to a thousand hectares within an hour or so, 5,000 overnight and 10,000 within 24 hours,” Lori Daniels, Centre for Wildfire Coexistence at the University of British Columbia said. …Cliff Chapman with the B.C. Wildfire Service said conditions in that region of British Columbia right now “are explosive.” …The fires across B.C. are occurring at a time when “fires are coming on the shield of prolonged droughts,” according to Daniels. …Daniels believes that, “if we have forest and trees near us now in Canada,” people in the country are “susceptible” to evacuations and wildfire effects.
SUMMERLAND, BC — Kyla Gaudiuso says she found out her home in Faulder, BC, had been destroyed when she received a photo of the ridge where it once stood. The community west of Summerland was one of the first areas overrun by the Bald Range wildfire that has claimed one life and forced more than 20,000 residents around Okanagan Lake to flee. RCMP say an 80-year-old woman died because of the fire as she tried to escape her home in Meadow Valley, west of Summerland, over the weekend. The British Columbia government on Saturday declared a provincial state of emergency and says property losses are significant, though details are scant. …The BC Wildfire Service says the fire is about 136 square kilometres as it burns out of control on the outskirts of Summerland, a community of 12,000 people that has been ordered evacuated. About 10,000 homes are under evacuation order in the Summerland and Peachland area.
VERNON — The devastation stretches for more than a kilometre along the northwest shore of British Columbia’s Okanagan Lake, house after house reduced to scorched and twisted metal and grey dust. The apocalyptic scenes — burned-out cars, still-smouldering ground and homes levelled to their foundations — stand in contrast to the postcard views previously enjoyed by this once-pretty waterfront community on the Okanagan Indian Band’s reserve. But the aftermath of the Bradley Creek wildfire, that was fanned by howling winds as it tore through the area on Saturday, extends far beyond the shoreline, and smoke still billows from behind the community, on a steep, forest-covered ridge. The depths of the destruction go deep into the reserve, where Chief Dan Wilson said on Tuesday that about 230 homes had been destroyed in one of the worst wildfire losses in recent Canadian history. Wilson said 30 homes of band members and 200 non-band homes had burned.
B.C. Hydro says it will have to replace hundreds of power poles due to wildfires raging in the southern part of the province, but that its major transmission lines have escaped major damage. “There is quite a long list of items that are going to be replaced,” B.C. Hydro spokesperson Bob Gammer told CBC’s Daybreak North. The Pear Lake wildfire, burning near Clinton, has torched more than 230 power poles and knocked out power to about 1,100 customers. In the Boston Bar area, the fires of the Brunswick fire complex have left about 100 customers without power and burned 34 transmission poles. Significant quantities of power line and transformers will also need to be replaced, Gammer said. However, the fires have not knocked out any of B.C. Hydro’s major 500 kV transformer systems, and all of its primary transmission corridors — which supply power to millions of British Columbia — remain in service, the Crown corporation told CBC News.