Dorian Uzzell
The 81st Annual Truck Loggers Association Convention opened in Vancouver Wednesday, with a clear message about both the challenges facing the sector and the purpose of the gathering. TLA President Dorian Uzzell welcomed delegates by reaffirming the association’s belief “that a strong and sustainable working forest will generate long-term prosperity for the people of British Columbia,” and that those who work in the forests “must share in that prosperity.” He said the convention’s theme, Fostering Collaboration and Partnerships, reflects the TLA’s view that “the power of working together is the key to building a stronger and more sustainable forestry sector.”
Dorian Uzzell
While acknowledging strong attendance and thanking sponsors, Uzzell did not soften his assessment of current conditions, noting that while mill closures draw attention, “there is little said about the small independent operators” who are “the backbone of a healthy forest economy and the small rural communities of BC.” He warned that current policies are “creating inefficiency leading to the creation of uneconomical forests to operate in,” and stressed that the sector must be viewed as “having a symbiotic relationship” across the supply chain.
The convention formally began with a welcome and blessing from Squamish Nation Elder Calvin Charlie Dawson, who acknowledged the gathering on traditional territory and welcomed participants on behalf of the Squamish Nation and neighbouring Nations. Moderator Vaughn Palmer then opened the three-day program, expressing his admiration for the organization’s persistence in a difficult period for the industry before moving the conference into its first session.
Vaughn Palmer
Calvin Charlie Dawson
Day 1 of the TLA Conference kicked off its technical program with the Markets & Economy panel, examining how trade disruption, shifting construction trends, and fibre supply constraints are reshaping Canada’s forest sector. Moderated by Vaughn Palmer, the session featured David Fell, Director of Research and Analysis at Forestry Innovation Investment (FII); Rick Jeffery, President and CEO of the Canadian Wood Council; and Don Wright, Senior Counsel at Global Public Affairs. Fell outlined BC’s reliance on export markets, the importance of diversification, and the role of building codes in supporting domestic demand. Jeffery focused on housing, industrialized construction, mass timber, and the need for supply-chain adaptation to capture future growth. Wright addressed the economics of competitiveness, pointing to declining harvest levels, policy-driven fibre constraints, and their implications for government revenue. In the discussion, Wright said restoring an economically sustainable harvest level was “job number one.”
The second session of the TLA Conference featured the Closing the Gap on Fibre Supply panel, examining the BC government’s Path to 45 target and what it means for contractors and operating companies. Moderated by Vaughn Palmer, the session brought together Jim Girvan, Associate at IFS; Paul Sadler, GM & CEO of Harmac Pacific; and Jonathan Armstrong, Vice President of Forestry and Fibre Supply at Western Forest Products. Girvan contrasted the 45-million-cubic-metre goal with current projections of roughly 28 million, stressing that the real issue is not volume alone but whether fibre is economically viable to harvest. Sadler focused on the operational realities facing mills and contractors, including cost, access, permitting timelines, and the need for predictable supply. Armstrong described how policy and regulatory layering has complicated planning and investment, particularly on the coast, and emphasized the gap between theoretical fibre and what can actually be brought to market.
Day 1 of the TLA Conference continued with the Government Initiatives Update panel, offering a detailed look at current policy work within the BC Ministry of Forests, reforms at BC Timber Sales, and longer-term system challenges. Moderated by Vaughn Palmer, the session featured Makenzie Leine, Deputy Minister of Forests; Melissa Sanderson, Assistant Deputy Minister; and Garry Merkel, Co-Chair of the Provincial Forestry Advisory Council. Leine outlined the ministry’s priorities, including tariff response, the Path to 45 initiative, and a shift toward management-unit-level problem-solving rather than broad, one-size-fits-all policy. Sanderson provided an update on the BCTS review, its expanded public-interest mandate, and early implementation steps, including Category 4 value-added supply, stewardship work, and measures affecting contractors. Merkel addressed longer-term structural issues, questioning why repeated reviews have failed to deliver lasting stability and calling for governance approaches that better align economic activity, communities, and forest stewardship.
Day 1 of the TLA Conference concluded with the Improving Workplace Safety panel, examining how industry and regulators are addressing risk during a period of economic pressure and operational uncertainty. Moderated by Vaughn Palmer, the session featured Rob Moonen, CEO of the BC Forest Safety Council, and Todd McDonald, Head of Prevention Services at WorkSafeBC. Moonen, who noted he will retire at the end of March, warned that cost pressures and tighter margins are creating conditions that can undermine safety, stressing that the industry “cannot afford to wait for another crisis before acting.” He highlighted mental health as a growing concern and outlined the Council’s new Connection to Care counselling initiative. McDonald described WorkSafeBC’s prevention approach, emphasizing education and consultation alongside enforcement, and identified key risk areas including extreme weather, motor-vehicle incidents, ergonomics, and mental health. Both speakers underscored that sustained leadership and collaboration remain essential to protecting forestry workers.
Day 1 of the TLA Conference featured the Politics over Lunch session, a wide-ranging and candid discussion of BC’s political landscape and its implications for the forest sector. Moderated by Vaughn Palmer, the luncheon brought together Rob Shaw, Political Correspondent with CHEK News, and Richard Zussman, Vice President of Public Affairs at Burson. The pair examined shifting government priorities, with Zussman arguing that economic growth and jobs are increasingly shaping policy decisions amid trade uncertainty and fiscal pressures, while Shaw highlighted inconsistent communication around those priorities. They explored the BC Conservative leadership race, the challenges of translating regional resource issues into urban political discourse, and ongoing uncertainty surrounding land use and DRIPA. Discussion also touched on the province’s projected $11-billion deficit, and the gap between government rhetoric and forestry realities. Delivered with humour and frankness, the session offered delegates a clear-eyed view of how politics, policy, and economic pressures are colliding in BC’s forest sector.
With Canadian lumber producers facing crippling American duties and tariffs, Canadian sawmills that want to stay in business may have to develop markets outside the U.S. Since North America is the only major lumber market that still uses imperial measurements for lumber, this would require retooling logging and sawmill operations to metric. Some B.C. mills are already partway there. With Japan and China becoming saturated, Canadian lumber exporters will need to develop–or redevelop–markets beyond the Indo-Pacific. “We did this before,” said Rick Doman, chairman of Forest Innovation Investment (FII). In the 1990s and early 2000s, Canadian sawmills produced lumber for those markets, he said, but eventually lost them. “The North American market got so strong that we left those markets, and really the Nordic countries took over those markets,” Doman said. But the U.S. has since erected trade barriers in the form of duties and tariffs.
BLUE RIDGE, Alberta — A fire at Blue Ridge Lumber in Woodlands County started on Saturday, Jan. 10 and was contained in the evening on that day, West Fraser confirmed with the Whitecourt Star. Woodlands County posted a message on social media on Monday, Jan. 12 that there were no injuries “Emergency response procedures were immediately activated, and all employees were safely evacuated,” the statement reads. Firefighters from Blue Ridge, Goose Lake, Anselmo and Whitecourt responded. The social media post states that West Fraser is investigating the cause of the fire, as well as how much damage was done and when mill operations can re-start. …The Blue Ridge Lumber mill falls under West Fraser and has a forest management agreement with the Alberta government. The mill is located north of the Hamlet of Blue Ridge.
Nathanson, Schachter & Thompson LLP is again ranked as a Tier 1 firm in Dispute Resolution in British Columbia by The Legal 500. We are included as one of four firms in British Columbia ranked as Tier 1. We are also the only firm in Tier 1 that received a Client Satisfaction accolade. Partners Irwin Nathanson, K.C. and Stephen Schachter, K.C. are included in the Hall of Fame category once again. They are the only two partners from the same firm included in this category. Partner Karen Carteri continues to be recognized as a Leading Partner, particularly for her work in complex shareholder and partnership disputes. Clients describe NST as a firm that “whole-heartedly embraces and delivers a hands-on and effective approach” while offering particular praise for partners Karen Carteri, Emily Hansen, Julia Lockhart and Kayla Strong. 
International Pulp Week (IPW) is the premier annual gathering of the global market pulp industry, hosted by the Pulp and Paper Products Council. As the leading event dedicated exclusively to the market pulp sector, IPW provides a unique platform for producers, end-users, and key stakeholders to exchange insights, strengthen relationships, and explore the trends shaping the industry’s future. 
Students and instructors at North Island College (NIC) say they’re disappointed following the institution’s recommendation to suspend 15 programs from its three main campuses on mid and north Vancouver Island. The recommendations were made as part of the college’s expedited program impact assessment that began last fall, and will go to the board of governors for approval on Feb. 5. …The suspensions are not permanent cuts, but create “opportunities to re-imagine how and what programs are delivered.” …NIC faculty president Jen Wrye says many of the programs have strong enrollment and offer good job opportunities for students at the Comox Valley, Campbell River and Port Alberni campuses — regions without other college-based post-secondary opportunities. The programs facing suspension include:
Nearly 1,060 hectares is being added to West Twin Protected Area to increase protection of important wildlife habitat across the Robson Valley. …West Twin Protected Area was established in 2001, and together with adjacent West Twin Park, covers more than 30,000 hectares to form the only protected wildlife corridor across the Robson Valley. The area spans from the Cariboo Mountains in the south, through the main Robson Valley trench and up to the front ranges of the Rocky Mountains. The additional land improves habitat connection for caribou, moose, elk, deer, grizzly bears and many other species. The Crown land was originally identified for protection through the Robson Valley Land and Resource Management Plan, but the land had two historical mineral claims that have now been forfeited. The land also contains old-growth priority deferral areas and an existing old-growth management area.
FORT ST. JOHN, B.C.— In the 2025 wildfire season, 199 wildfires were fought in Fort St. John, Fort Nelson and Dawson Creek areas in the “second-worst wildfire season in Canadian history.” The Ministry of Forests said in a news release on December 29th, 2025, the province has experienced over 1,350 wildfires burning an estimated 886,360 hectares of land since April 1st that year. In the news release, Ravi Parmar, minister of forests, said: “We’re coming off our second-worst wildfire season in Canadian history.” The Prince George Fire Centre specifically – the branch of the BC Wildfire Service (BCWS) covering northeast B.C. – recorded 354 fires in the 2025 wildfire season. …For the 2026 wildfire season, the province says it will continue to look at new technology and opportunities for better prevention and response.
A BC judge has quashed a decision from the province to transfer a major forestry licence to an Indigenous-owned forestry company, after the government was found to have failed to uphold the “honour of the Crown” with a neighbouring nation. The Jan. 8 ruling centred on the BC Ministry of Forest’s decision to approve the transfer of a forest licence to the Kitsumkalum First Nation. The transfer, which occurred after the previous holder Skeena Sawmills entered into bankruptcy proceedings in 2023, was opposed by eight Gitanyow hereditary chiefs. … In his decision, the judge found the government oversimplified the impacts of the transfer, and relied on “hope and optimism” that the two First Nations could reach an agreement. …The Gitanyow had called on the court to quash the transfer of the forestry licence. Instead, the judge forced the province to reconsider the licence transfer while properly consulting with the Gitanyow.
