Region Archives: Canada West

Special Feature

Respect for BC Forestry Crews Grinding it Out Every Day

By Ravi Parmar, BC Minister of Forests
Truck LoggerBC Magazine
July 3, 2025
Category: Special Feature
Region: Canada, Canada West

In May, I had the honour of being invited By Dorian Uzzell to the Wahkash Contracting harvesting operation. From the first few moments in the air heading to East Thurlow Island… it was obvious how this area of the province could sustain both our economy and the abundant and beautiful nature we all cherish. Back on the ground, I met with the dry land sort and shop crews and the float camp staff who all make the operation possible. …I also had the opportunity to get an upclose look at the stewardship going into Tree Farm License (TFL) 47 in Hemming Bay, held by Mosaic Forest Management. This area is part of the Great Bear Rainforest where ecosystem-based management guides forest stewardship. The scale of work, the attention to detail, the sheer effort and the work going into the management of the full scope of values, including streams, cultural and biodiversity values is outstanding in this TFL. 

Related News by Dorian Uzzell, TLA President: My boots-on-the-ground tour with Forest Minister Ravi Parmar

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New BC Truck Loggers Association Director Peter Lister gets back to his forestry roots

By Robin Brunet
Truck LoggerBC Magazine
July 3, 2025
Category: Special Feature
Region: Canada, Canada West

Peter Lister

Growing up in the Courtenay – Campbell River area, Peter Lister understood that forestry, along with other resource industries, was a huge driver of regional prosperity. …Lister led the lumber manufacturing program at Forintek before joining the Forest Engineering Institute of Canada (FERIC) as general manager and national research director. …When FERIC merged with Forintek and Paprican to create FPInnovations, Lister became vice president of the Forest Operations Division with full responsibility for research, membership, and bottom-line financial performance. A year later he took over responsibility for the Wood Products Division of FPInnovations while successfully delivering a wide range of programs focused on expanding markets, developing new technologies, improving processes, worker safety and environmental performance. 

…Like so many of his colleagues, Lister spent decades charting the decline of his cherished industry, and now he feels primed to be an effective advocate. “I’m ready to help raise the profile of our sector and to fight for TLA’s members,” he says. “The forest sector is a critical part of BC and we have a great story to tell. Wood is our only renewable and sustainably produced building material and BC has one of the highest percentages of third-party certified, sustainably managed forests. It would be great if everyone in BC knew that.” He continues, “For much of its history, BC has been a global leader in forestry, forest products and forest product equipment. We’ve lost sight of the economic benefits that this has brought to our province and have suffered economically as a Result. …While recognizing that the issues facing the forest sector are many and complex, Lister has many ideas and is keen to engage with industry, associations and government. 

Related news by Peter Lister, TLA Executive Director: Why I’m fundamentally optimistic about BC’s forest sector.

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Business & Politics

Vancouver Fraser Port Authority opens bids for Roberts Bank Terminal 2 build

By Jeremy Hainsworth
Business in Vancouver
July 10, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority is now searching for a construction company to plan and build the Roberts Bank Terminal 2 container port project wharf and landside facilities. The port said the state-of-the-art marine container terminal will unlock over $100 billion in new trade capacity and contributing $3 billion in GDP annually. …Construction is planned to begin in 2028, and the terminal is expected to be in operation by the mid-2030s. …The port authority has signed mutual benefits agreements with 27 First Nations. …Following the federal and provincial governments’ 2023 approval of the project, the port authority submitted a Species at Risk Act-compliant Fisheries Act authorization application in 2024. A decision on that, the final major permit, is expected no later than October 2026, the port authority said. …Pang said the terminal will be a catalyst for economic transformation nationally. He said it aims to support Prairie grain exports and BC’s forestry sector.

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Kim Haakstad, BC Council of Forest Industries CEO, named to BIV BC 500 list

By Council of Forest Industries (via LinkedIn)
Business in Vancouver
June 30, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada West

Congratulations to COFI’s President & CEO, Kim Haakstad, on being named to BIV’s BC 500 list recognizing influential leaders shaping British Columbia’s future! Haakstad was selected for her leadership in advocating for a competitive, sustainable, and inclusive forest sector that supports jobs, communities, and climate solutions across B.C. With over 20 years of experience at the intersection of business and government, Haakstad’s work reflects COFI’s commitment to the long-term success of forestry in our province. She has over 20 years of experience at the intersection of business and government. She leads advocacy for BC’s forest sector, emphasizing sustainable forestry, Indigenous reconciliation and economic growth. Haakstad also serves on non-profit and innovation boards, reflecting her commitment to community and forward-thinking leadership. 

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B.C. builders welcome New Democrat Party changes to development cost charges as housing starts falter

By Alec Lazenby
The Vancouver Sun
July 3, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

The NDP government is making changes to development cost charges that builders say could help reduce the burden they face as material and labour costs continue to increase and the number of projects under construction drop. Starting in 2026, builders will only have to pay 25 per cent of their fees to municipalities up front and will be able to defer the remaining 75 per cent for four years or until people move into the building. The fees help cover the cost of infrastructure such as community centres, roads, sewers and parks. The changes will also allow developers to use bonds instead of irrevocable letters of credit as financial guarantees, allowing them to preserve access to capital throughout the project. Wendy McNeil, CEO of the Homebuilders Association Vancouver, said the changes will allow builders certainty when it comes to the cost of the project and the timeframe for making payments to municipalities.

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Lumber for Nations program supports Indigenous building projects — partnership between Meadow Lake Tribal Council and Tolko

Tolko Industries Ltd.
July 2, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

SASKATCHEWAN — The Meadow Lake Tribal Council (MLTC) and Tolko Industries Ltd. (Tolko) are pleased to announce the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), establishing a Lumber for Nations Program. The Lumber for Nations Program aims to support building projects in the Indigenous communities represented by MLTC. It provides both purchasing opportunities and product donations to help community-supported projects come to life. The MOU was signed for an initial period of five years and may be renewed by mutual agreement between the Parties. “MLTC is pleased to collaborate with Tolko in providing additional direct benefits of finished wood products, from our lumber and OSB mills, for use by MLTC’s First Nation communities,” says Tribal Chief Jeremy Norman. “I applaud the leadership of Tolko in taking this step with the Meadow Lake Tribal Council.”

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Powell River mill property sales agreement reached

Powell River Peak
June 30, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada West

Domtar (formerly Paper Excellence) has signed a purchase agreement with Cranberry Business Park Ltd. for the sale of the remaining half of its lands at the former Tis’kwat paper mill site in Powell River. “We are looking forward to contributing to the economic future of Powell River and the region,” stated Craig Austin and Thomas Ligocki, from Cranberry Business Park Ltd., in a media release. “With waterfront access and abundant energy sources, this site has so much potential. We are proud to be part of the revitalization of the city’s Historic Townsite, alongside our neighbour at Tis’kwat, the Tla’amin Nation.” “It was a priority for Domtar to find a buyer who would ensure that the lands continue to generate jobs and economic benefit for the broader community well into the future,” stated Carlo Dal Monte, vice-president, Domtar Legacy Assets.

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Local governments discuss the future in the forestry sector on Vancouver Island

By Justin Baumgardner
My Cowichan Valley Now
June 30, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

NORTH COWICHAN, BC — Dignitaries from the region gathered to discuss the key challenges around forestry and how the recent curtailments at the Chemainus Sawmill have impacted the region. North Cowichan mayor Rob Douglas says discussions were centered specifically on how to turn the challenges being faced in the forestry sector into opportunities in the future. “We discussed opportunities in the forestry sector, including mill curtailments, fibre access, updates to the Private Managed Forest land regulations, watershed health, and the success of the community fields,” he says. Western Forest Products started curtailments on Jun. 18 due to what Douglas says was an inability to find a viable supply of fibre, which affected 150 workers at the mill, and he says the community is uncertain about the future. “In North Cowichan, we remain deeply concerned about the future of the Crofton pulp mill and Western Forest Products facility,” he says.

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Wood, Paper & Green Building

Is mass timber worth the risk? ‘It’s a birch of a problem’

By Peter Caulfield
The Journal of Commerce
July 9, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada, Canada West

Although mass timber is widely praised for speedy, low-carbon construction, not everyone has boarded that train yet. Many people in construction still believe the risks of using mass timber outweigh the benefits. To shed some light on the subject, Urbanarium and the UBC School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture recently sponsored a debate in Vancouver on the proposition: “Mass timber is not worth the risk(s).” On the pro side (not worth the risk) were Adam Rysanek, an associate professor at SALA, and Graham Brewster, the senior director of development at Wesgroup Properties. On the con side were Shawn Keyes, the executive director of WoodWorks BC, and now VP strategic growth and development at Intelligent City, and Jana Foit, a principal and higher education practice lead in the Vancouver studio of Perkins&Will. …“Everybody came in wanting mass timber to work. What they heard were practical arguments that showed that it’s not that easy.”

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Forestry

First Nations protest unauthorized timber sale on unceded territory, ministry responds

By Tyson Whitney
North Island Gazette
July 10, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

The Gwa’sala-‘Nakwaxda’xw First Nations (GNN) held a protest outside of the Ministry of Forests office in Port McNeill on July 7. The Nations noted in a media release the protest was in direct response to Interfor Corporation’s attempt to “sell timber harvesting rights within GNN’s unceded Traditional Territory—without GNN’s consent, participation, or recognition of its rights and interests.” “In 1964, the Gwa’sala and ‘Nakwaxda’xw peoples were forcibly removed from their ancestral homelands along the central coast of British Columbia. Displaced by federal policy and relocated to Port Hardy, our communities endured cultural disruption, disconnection from our lands, and inter-generational trauma that still lingers today. Now, more than 60 years later, we face a renewed form of dispossession, this time through economic exclusion.” …GNN noted they are calling on Interfor and the Province of British Columbia to: Immediately halt all timber tenure transfers that ignore Indigenous governance and ecological realities…

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What’s with the white stuff? Why the Northwest Territories has so much tree fluff this summer

By Natalie Pressman
CBC News
July 9, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

Floating fluff? Summer snow? Cotton balls? If you’ve been noticing more of that white stuff floating around the N.W.T. this summer, you’re not alone. “One thing I noticed is a buildup of that stuff in my yard,” Yellowknifer Justin Grandjambe said. “When it’s windy it kind of gathers in corners and stuff … almost looks like a little bit of snow.” Turns out, that fluff is from trees dispelling their seeds. It’s a stress response from the poplars, aspen and willows reacting to the dry conditions from the past few years, according to the N.W.T.’s department of Environment and Climate Change (ECC). Within each fluff ball is a bunch of tiny seeds. The department’s experts couldn’t say how much more “fluff” there is this year compared to other years. That’s something that might also vary depending on where in the territory you’re looking.

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Wildfires scorched hundreds of thousands of hectares of forest, so what happens to those ecosystems after the flames die down?

By Stephanie Massicotte
CBC Radio
July 9, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

Host Stephanie Massicotte speaks with an expert from the University of Saskatchewan about how long it takes forests to grow back, and whether people should step in to help. [Listen to the segment from Saskatoon Morning here]

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Next stage of engagement begins on Heritage Conservation Act improvements

By the Ministry of Forests
Government of British Columbia
July 9, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

In partnership with the First Nations Leadership Council, the Province is moving forward to the next stage of consultation and engagement on modernizing the Heritage Conservation Act. The act, which regulates the protection, management and conservation of cultural and heritage sites in B.C., was last substantively updated in 1996. “The Heritage Conservation Act is how we protect important cultural and archeological sites in B.C., but the current system doesn’t work well for people, and it doesn’t fully reflect our shared values or commitments,” said Ravi Parmar, Minister of Forests. “As we embark on this important engagement, I am committed to ensuring our collective work will lead to a system that will support faster permitting, better planning and more meaningful discussions with people, communities, industry and First Nations.” The project is a multi-year collaborative effort, mandated in 2021 and co-developed through the Joint Working Group on First Nations Heritage Conservation…

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Parks Canada and British Columbia invest more than $8 M to improve ecological connectivity

By Parks Canada
Cision Newswire
July 9, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

KELOWNA, BC—Parks Canada announced $5.3 million in federal funding to support an agreement to advance ecological corridor projects, nature conservation and Indigenous stewardship in British Columbia. The Honourable Randene Neill, Minister of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship, announced that the Province of British Columbia is contributing an additional $3 million, further strengthening this collaborative effort to improve ecological connectivity. …With support from both governments, the Stewardship of Ecological Corridors in British Columbia initiative focuses on identifying, planning, and acting to improve movement of wild species through ecological corridors — linkages that connect natural habitats, including protected and conserved areas. Ecological corridors provide biodiversity and human well-being benefits and are vital for the long-term health of ecosystems.

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Cowichan River flow to be reduced with dry weather ahead

My Cowichan Valley Now
July 9, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

Flow at the Cowichan River will be reduced again with the lake at 48 per cent full. Brian Houle, environmental manager at Domtar’s Crofton pulp mill, says a meeting with regulators of the watershed on July 7 led to an agreement to reduce flow from seven cubic metres per second (cms) to 5.5. “Given the summer 2025 drought conditions in Cowichan Lake, careful watershed management decisions need to be made,” reads a news release from Houle. “Today’s water levels are not dissimilar to 2023, when several factors resulted in a fish kill event in the upper Cowichan River and pumping of lake to river was needed for extended period of 36 days in the fall.” In May, the flow was reduced to seven cms and Houle said the plan was to hold that rate through July and August. In 2023, the river flow was reduced to 4.5 cms in May. Houle says keeping it at seven this year was intended to reduce impacts on fish.

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B.C. not out of the woods yet as quieter fire season smoulders on

By Mark Page
Comox Valley Record
July 8, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

As the summer rolls on and the province heats up, B.C. is in a better position in terms of wildfires than in either of the past two years, according to a July 8 update from the BC Wildfire Service. So far this year, there have been 514 wildfire starts in B.C., but only 71 active fires as of July 8. By this date in 2024, there had been 422 starts, but 149 were active, and a province-wide campfire ban went into effect on July 12. Both years had a similar amount burned. The previous year, 2023, was the worst in B.C.’s fire season history. Officials noted that as the summer progresses, dry lightning events can become more frequent, resulting in an increased number of fires. …Taylor Colman, a fire information officer for the BC Wildfire Service appeared alongside Forests Minister Ravi Parmar to present the update to the media in Fort St. John at a BC Wildfire Service parattack base.

Additional coverage from the Canadian Press: B.C. Wildfire Service expecting more fires with forecast thunderstorms: minister 

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BC Timber Sales plans logging, wildfire mitigation in Bonnington area

By Bill Metcalfe
The Nelson Star
July 8, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

NELSON, BC — BC Timber Sales is talking to residents about logging and wildfire protection planned for the Falls Creek watershed in the Bonnington area. In a June 6 letter to residents posted on social media, Mark Tallman, planning forester for BCTS, said the agency is beginning a community watershed planning process that will include local residents. …Will BCTS have already decided which trees will be cut before the watershed plan is created? …A Ministry of Forests spokesperson said potential cut blocks have not yet been mapped. “The project is being designed to use early engagement with interested parties to help guide BCTS planning around forest harvesting, road construction, and wildfire risk reduction.” …An initial draft of the watershed forest plan is expected to be completed by “early winter 2026” and the “timing of the timber sale is anticipated to be around 2028-29 at the earliest.

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When normal forestry practices don’t cut it

By Bob Covey
Jasper Local
July 7, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

It’s a widely-accepted mystery: whether or not a tree that falls in the forest makes a sound. But what about the riddle that Jasper National Park officials were faced with last year: If hundreds of thousands of burned trees are down in high visitor use areas, who clears them away? Since the Jasper Wildfire Complex razed 33,000 ha of Jasper’s forests last July, Lethbridge’s Adam Ross and his team of arborists, foresters, danger tree specialists and wildlife tree assessors, have been cutting, pruning, clearing, mulching, sawing, chipping and generally making passable the area’s roads, right-of-ways and trails. “Bush surgeons, that’s who we are,” says Ross, who owns and operates Rossco’s Tree Service.  Ross’ company has been contracted to clear all of Jasper’s campgrounds, day-use areas and roadways impacted by the fire. The enormity of the crews’ task is difficult to put into perspective, and not just because of the sheer volume of trees to be cleared.

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Wildfire hazard assessment and abatement

By BC Wildfire Service
Government of British Columbia
July 4, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

Fire hazard assessments and hazard abatement are key activities in reducing the potential threat of wildfires arising from fuels left on the land base following industrial activities. Under the Wildfire Act a person carrying out an industrial activity or prescribed activity is required to assess and abate fire hazards as necessary. The BC Wildfire Service has developed A Guide to Fuel Hazard Assessment and Abatement in British Columbia to assist those carrying out industrial activities determine whether or not fuel hazard abatement is necessary, and if so, the threshold necessary to comply with the legislated obligations. The guide provides a procedure to determine fuel hazards created by an industrial or prescribed activity on forest land and contains a straightforward step by step instruction to enable a person to determine when fuel hazard abatement is needed in relation to the fire risk, proximity to interface, and, fuel loading and arrangement.

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BC Is Burning! The film and the missing elephant in the room

By Eli Pivnick
Castanet
July 8, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

Eli Pivnick

Late last month, the new documentary film, B.C. Is Burning!, was shown in Kelowna and Vernon. …The solutions [to reducing wildfire] proposed by the film include prescribed burns to reduce fuel load. By burning forested lands when conditions are not conducive to forest fires, the fires will be more controllable and cooler and not overly damaging to trees and soil, as can be the catastrophic fires we are now seeing. The other solution offered is thinning tree stands so fires spread less rapidly through the forest. …In the film, Murray Wilson, the film’s primary narrator and promoter, with more than 40 years experience working in the forest industry, perpetuates a number of the forest industry’s most frequently repeated myths. First, the film does not mention clearcut logging… Clearcut logging is the elephant in the room.

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BC is Burning — Merritt Premiere

Interior Logging Association
July 1, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

The Interior Logging Association is very pleased to announce they will be hosting the Merritt B.C. premiere of the newly released “BC Is Burning” documentary on Thursday, July 17th at 7pm at the Nicola Valley Institute of Technology. Tickets are capped at a maximum of 140 and both premiere events in Kelowna and Vernon sold out quickly! Tickets are just $15.00! Get your tickets today on line through Eventbrite at the read more link below.

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B.C. plans to allow logging in endangered southern mountain caribou habitat: report

By Tiffany Crawford
Vancouver Sun
July 5, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

B.C. plans to log old-growth forest, threatening endangered southern mountain caribou habitat, despite commitments to conserve these forests, warns a new report. The report, from three B.C. conservation groups — Wildsight, Stand.earth, and the Wilderness Committee — uses provincial satellite data to show that 57 square kilometres of old-growth forests are either approved or pending approval for logging in the ranges of three endangered caribou herds: the Columbia North, Groundhog and Wells Gray South herds. …For the report, the researchers used Forest Eye alerts — Stand.earth’s remote sensing systems developed two years ago that detect an unseasonal drop in forest cover using satellite monitoring. This showed old growth logging across the endangered herds as recently as May. …In an emailed statement Friday, Forests Minister Ravi Parmar said the government is performing a balancing act between conservation and forestry.

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BC Community Forest Association launches new Fuel For Thought resource

BC Community Forest Association
July 7, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

We’re excited to introduce Fuel For Thought, a new BCCFA extension resource developed in collaboration with the The University of British Columbia Centre for Wildfire Coexistence, BC Wildfire Service, FNESS – First Nations’ Emergency Services Society of BC, and the Silviculture Innovation Program. Fuel For Thought is designed to support forest practitioners in engaging with community members, stakeholders and partners. This tool helps clarify the complexities of fuel treatments, addresses common concerns and misconceptions, and features user-friendly graphics, a helpful glossary, and additional resources to support informed discussions. We encourage you to share widely with those who may find this explainer useful!

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Career Opportunity: Assistant Instructor, Natural Resources and Environment

BC Institute of Technology
July 7, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

At BCIT, putting people at the core of everything we do is paramount. The Forest and Natural Areas Management (FNAM) and the Fish, Wildlife and Recreation (FWR) program is seeking three (3) temporary full-time (1.0 FTE) contract appointments for an Assistant Instructors from August 26th to December 20, 2025, to assist in the delivery of a range of courses within the FNAM and FWR diploma programs. The Forest and Natural Areas Management (FNAM) and the Fish, Wildlife and Recreation (FWR) program is a practical two-year diploma that is part of the Renewable Resources Department at BCIT (British Columbia Institute of Technology). These two diploma programs are designed to give students a broad range of applied skills, experiences, and knowledge for careers in the dynamic and diverse field of natural resource management and stewardship. Posting closes July 19, 2025

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Strengthening southern Yukon communities against wildfire exposure

By Yukon Dept. of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities
Cision Newswire
July 3, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

WHITEHORSE, Yukon — Communities in southern Yukon will reduce their wildfire risk after a combined investment of more than $17 million from the federal and Yukon governments. The funding was announced by Dr. Brendan Hanley, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Northern and Arctic Affairs and Member of Parliament for Yukon. …Funding for the Government of Yukon’s Wildland Fire Management branch will decrease fire risk in the communities of Whitehorse, Teslin, and Haines Junction—communities which are part of the northern boreal forest region and prone to aggressive wildfire behaviour. …New treatment will include reducing or managing materials that are flammable or combustible in the wildland-urban interface. These measures follow national standards set out by FireSmart Canada and will increase the wildfire resilience of these three communities.

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Keep promise to North Lake residents, remove slash piles

Letter by Rick Craig and North Lake Neighbours Association
The Sunshine Coast Reporter
July 3, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

On the Easter long weekend, there was a wildfire on Egmont Forest Service Road that had to be controlled by the local fire department because a logging slash pile being burned was left unattended. How big does a wildfire have to get before the shíshálh Nation or the province will finally fulfill their promises to the residents around North Lake in Egmont? …Four years ago we participated in a community engagement process with BC Timber Sales and the shíshálh Nation regarding the cutting of 60,000 cubic metres (thousands of trees) around North and Klein Lakes. …One of the bigger concerns that we had was the removal of hundreds of large burn piles created by the logging. We were promised by both BCTS and the shíshálh Nation that the burn piles would be dealt with after the logging ended. It is now two years later and the burn piles have not been removed. 

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Without more trees, B.C.’s next heat dome could be even deadlier

Dr. Bethany Ricker, David Quigg and Dr. Melissa Lem
Victoria Times Colonist
July 2, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

Four years ago, British ­Columbia endured the ­deadliest weather event in recorded ­Canadian history. The 2021 heat dome claimed the lives of more than 600 ­people, many of whom died alone in overheated homes. As we mark the fourth anniversary of this devastating mass casualty event with record-breaking heat elsewhere in the country, we must confront a troubling truth: B.C. remains dangerously unprepared for the next one. Despite some advancements, including updated building codes, rebates for heat pumps and a now-depleted $30-million fund to provide vulnerable households with air conditioning units, one of the most critical aspects of climate readiness has seen little to no progress. In fact, it’s getting worse. Our communities are rapidly losing tree canopy, green space and permeable surfaces — the very elements that keep cities cooler during extreme heat.

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Board to audit stand-level biodiversity near Terrace

BC Forest Practices Board
July 2, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

VICTORIA – The Forest Practices Board will conduct a limited-scope audit focusing on stand-level biodiversity and the management of block reserves in the Coast Mountains Natural Resource District, starting on July 7, 2025. The audit will examine the practices of the licensees with the highest levels of harvesting activity over the past two years: BC Timber Sales (Skeena Business Area), Terrace Community Forest and Coast Tsimshian Resources Ltd. The audit will assess whether practices related to stand-level biodiversity and block reserve management carried out between July 1, 2023, and July 11, 2025, comply with legal requirements under the Forest and Range Practices Act. This includes evaluating Wildlife Tree Retention Areas, which are key tools for conserving biodiversity, protecting riparian zones, managing cultural values and maintaining visual quality.

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High Bar First Nation, West Fraser sign Joint Development Agreement

By Barbara Roden
100 Mile Free Press
June 30, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

Llenllenéy’ten (High Bar) First Nation (HBFN) has signed a historic Joint Development Agreement (JDA) with West Fraser Timber Co. Ltd. (West Fraser). The JDA was signed during HBFN’s National Indigenous Peoples Day event in Clinton on June 21. A press release issued by High Bar on June 24 stated that “The landmark agreement highlights HBFN’s commitment to sustainable forest management through partnership with the private sector to achieve mutually beneficial outcomes.” The relationship ensures fibre supply for West Fraser, and opens the door for more diverse fibre product development. At the same time, HBFN notes that the agreement creates a path toward increased resource revenues and decision-making authority for HBFN, which marks a meaningful step toward economic reconciliation. Under the JDA, West Fraser will transfer a portion of its timber harvesting rights to Llenllenéy’ten (High Bar) First Nation. 

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Foreign national trying to fight B.C. wildfires caught up in red tape

By Gordon McIntyre
Vancouver Sun
June 29, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

With wildfire season in full swing, an immigration consultant says there is a simple way to end the shortage of qualified people to fight wildfires: Let existing, trained firefighters who are non-residents stay once their work permits expire by letting them choose a path to permanent residency. Jennie McCahill is representing Irish national Jake McGavin, a team leader with a wildfire-fighting contractor called Carmanah Wildfire, which is based in Sidney but has firefighting crews spread all over B.C. …McGavin, who turns 29 in September, is in his third season fighting wildfires in B.C. He’s been lucky to have received a pair of two-year work permits, but the second is soon to run out. …He wants to stay in Canada not only because he’s fallen in love with B.C. …”Unfortunately, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada does not recognize wildland firefighting as skilled work.”

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Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy

Bioenergy research project tackles wildfire risk in Watson Lake

By Jake Howarth
Yukon News
July 9, 2025
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: Canada, Canada West

Yukon — Researchers with the Canadian Forest Service are exploring how forest fuel biomass from high-fire-risk areas around Watson Lake could be transformed into local energy, potentially reducing wildfire risk while providing sustainable power for remote Yukon communities. The multi-year project is part of a collaborative national research effort to assess the feasibility of linking wildfire mitigation with local bioenergy solutions. “We have to work with the community because we really want to use real-world data, real-world experience to determine if can we effectively apply this,” said Natural Resources Canada researcher Nicolas Mansuy. Researchers previously assessed biomass availability across Canada and found that nearly all 276 northern and remote communities facing wildfire risks could replace fossil fuels with local bioenergy. …Watson Lake emerged as a top candidate due to its dense forest fuels and strategic location, Mansuy said. 

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Health & Safety

Safe Phase Integration: Preventing Congestion in Forestry Operations

By Alexandra Skinner
The Truck LoggerBC Magazine
July 3, 2025
Category: Health & Safety
Region: Canada, Canada West

Overlapping work activities are one of forestry’s most complex safety challenges; without proper controls, phase congestion can pose serious hazards to workers. However, with proper management, forestry operations can achieve safe, efficient phase integration. “Preventing injuries and fatalities takes ongoing commitment to coordinated planning, qualified supervision, worker training, and clear communication, says Tom Pawloski, manager of prevention programs and services at WorkSafeBC. Phase congestion occurs when multiple harvesting phases overlap in the same or nearby area, often due to insufficient time or distance between phases. It often builds gradually and can go unnoticed until a serious incident occurs. …When phases aren’t properly coordinated, workers face greater risks of being struck by or caught between equipment or missing other hazards. …Safe phase integration begins before work starts. …”Phase congestion doesn’t always show up right away … staying proactive, adjusting plans as conditions change, and maintaining clear communication is essential to keeping workers safe,” Pawlowski says.

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Brink Forest Products fined over $129,000 for worker injury

By Jim Wilson
The Safety Magazine
June 27, 2025
Category: Health & Safety
Region: Canada, Canada West

PRINCE GEORGE, BC — Brink Forest Products, a British Columbia-based employer, has been fined $129,665.50 after a worker sustained serious injuries on the job. The incident occurred at the company’s wood products manufacturing facility in Prince George, according to WorkSafeBC. A worker was seriously injured while clearing a jam of wooden blocks in the waste conveyor system of a trimmer machine. Following the incident, WorkSafeBC conducted a workplace inspection. The agency found that Brink Forest Products “failed to ensure that energy sources were isolated and effectively controlled if the unexpected energization of machinery or release of an energy source could cause injury—a repeated violation.” “The firm also failed to provide its workers with the information, instruction, training, and supervision necessary to ensure their health and safety,” WorkSafeBC added. Both findings were classified as high-risk violations.

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Forest Fires

Manitoba renews provincewide emergency order as wildfires rage, forcing thousands out

By Steve Lambert
Canadian Press in the Winnipeg Free Press
July 10, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada, Canada West

WINNIPEG – The Manitoba government declared a provincewide state of emergency Thursday for the second time this year, as renewed wildfires forced thousands more out of northern communities. With the latest round of fires and evacuations, the province said more than one million hectares have burned — more than 10 times the average over the last 20 years. “This is the worst year in our 30-year electronic record,” said Kristin Hayward with the Manitoba Wildfire Service. In total, about 12,600 people are out of their homes in Manitoba. The government gave notice that it intends to use Winnipeg’s major convention centre to house evacuees. …Over the past week, the fires, aided by lightning strikes, have surged back. “I’ve shaken the hands of American firefighters in northern Manitoba who are helping us out and I would challenge these ambulance chasers in the U.S. Congress to go and do the same,” Premier Wab Kinew said.

 

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Smoke clears in the Kootenays as U.S. wildfire grows

By Sheri Regnier
Nelson Star
July 9, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada West

Wildfire smoke from just across the U.S. border is drifting into southern B.C., prompting a Level 1 activation of the Regional District of Kootenay Boundary’s Emergency Operations Centre (EOC). As of Wednesday night, the Hope Fire had grown to 3,500 acres with zero per cent containment, burning 11.4 miles southwest of Northport, Washington. Wednesday morning, the regional district issued an update on the Hope (USA) Fire. According to the Regional District of Kootenay Boundary (RDKB), as forecasted, favourable weather conditions last night resulted in shifting winds that blew the fire back onto itself and away from the Canada/US border. The United States has put considerable resources on the now 3,200-acre fire. For current information on the Hope Fire, residents are advised to consult U.S. agency sources, such as inciweb.wildfire

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Wildfire north of Lytton grows to 185 hectares

By Jordy Cunningham
Victoria News
July 5, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada, Canada West

BC Wildfire Service now estimates the Izman Creek blaze to be 185.3 hectares in size. Crews were able to come up with a more accurate number after being able to mapping of the fire perimeter, however, not all areas within the perimeter are actively burning or have burned. In BCWS’s latest update, which came out just after 2 p.m., it states the east flank moving upslope is experiencing increased activity. Additionally, pockets of smoke in the perimeter are displaying Rank 1 and 2 behaviour. Highway 12 remains open with alternating single lane traffic to ensure first responder safety.

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Saskatchewan’s massive Shoe Fire still only 68 per cent contained

News Talk 650 CKOM
July 5, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada West

©Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency

There were 64 active fires burning in Saskatchewan on Saturday, with the massive Shoe Fire first reported on May 7, still only 68 per cent contained, according to Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA). SPSA said in its daily report at 11 a.m. on July 5 that number includes grass and forest fires, and there have been 343 blazes so far in 2025. In 2024 at this time 221 fires had been recorded. SPSA said there were five evacuation orders in the province… The Saturday report said that 22 of the 64 blazes were not contained, while another 24 of the fires were under ongoing assessment and firefighters were protecting values in 11. Eight fires were considered contained.

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RCMP accidentally sparked wildfire near Lytton, which is now 155 hectares

By Amy Judd
Global News
July 3, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada West

The RCMP has confirmed that an accident involving one of its trailers led to the ignition of the Izman Creek wildfire near Lytton on Tuesday afternoon. In a statement, RCMP said that at approximately 2:20 p.m., an “equipment failure” of an RCMP trailer started the fire alongside Highway 12 near Lytton. “It appears that the right side wheel ejected from the trailer, ultimately causing a fire in the grass-filled ditch,” RCMP said in a statement. “The officer stopped to engage the flames with their issued fire extinguisher but the conditions were not favourable and they were unable (to) contain the fire.” The BC Wildfire Service was called in and dispatched crews to combat the blaze. The Izium Creek wildfire is now an estimated 155 hectares in size, as of Thursday afternoon, and has been classified as a wildfire of note.

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‘Out of control’ wildfire between Cowichan Valley and Port Renfrew

By Liz Brown
Chek News
July 2, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada West

BC Wildfire Services says it’s responding to a wildfire on Vancouver Island spotted Wednesday and deemed out of control at this time. Discovered on July 2, in the Harris Creek area between the Cowichan Valley and Port Renfrew, the wildfire reportedly spans two hectares. “There are currently 3 Initial Attack Crews responding to this wildfire,” states BCWS’ latest update. Additionally, two helicopters and airtankers are responding, as well as two pieces of heavy equipment. The service says it suspects the wildfire is human-caused. BCWS provided its latest update on this fire at 4:42 p.m. Wednesday. Further north on the Island, a wildfire near Nahmint Mountain, between Port Alberni and Tofino is deemed under control but according to BCWS, crews will remain in the area for some time.

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Wildfire closest to Lytton, B.C., being held — but fire north of village grows

By Akshay Kulkarni
CBC News
July 2, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada, Canada West

Evacuation orders related to Nikaia Creek wildfire now rescinded, but Highway 12 closed north of Lytton. A wildfire burning closest to Lytton, B.C., is not expected to grow beyond current perimeters, leading to evacuation orders being rescinded in the area. …However, the Izman Creek wildfire north of the village has grown significantly over the last two days. As a result, Highway 12 remains closed to most traffic between Lillooet and Lytton. The Izman Creek fire covers an area of 130 hectares as of 8:20 p.m. PT Wednesday, more than quadrupling in size from 25 hectares recorded on Tuesday night. …B.C. Wildfire Service information officer Taylor Stewart Shantz said the crews dealing with the Izman Creek wildfire were facing challenging conditions, which meant they couldn’t fight it head-on and would have to use indirect attack methods. …Both fires are suspected to have been human caused, with the region under a high or extreme fire danger rating.

Additional coverage by Brenna Owen, Canadian Press: Fire again threatens Lytton, B.C., one of hundreds of blazes across Canada

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