Region Archives: Canada West

Special Feature

BC Forest Practices Board finds forestry under-used in wildfire defence

BC Forest Practices Board
June 19, 2025
Category: Special Feature
Region: Canada, Canada West

A two-year investigation by the Forest Practices Board has found outdated rules and unclear responsibilities are preventing forestry from becoming a powerful wildfire-defence tool. The board examined forestry operations from 2019 until 2022 in the wildland-urban interface — areas where communities and forests meet. …It begins with fire hazard assessments, a cornerstone of wildfire risk reduction. The investigation found that 70% of assessments met content requirements. However, fewer than one in four were completed on time. …Municipalities, the most populated areas of the province, are excluded from the legal interface. …Despite the challenges, the board observed strong examples of wildfire-conscious forestry. …The board is recommending five actions to the Province. … If adopted, these changes would help turn everyday forestry into a proactive wildfire prevention tool, supporting faster fuel cleanup, better co-ordination and more consistent protection for people and communities throughout B.C. “This is an opportunity to improve our policies and processes toward proactive, risk-reducing forestry,” Keith Atkinson said. 

Related coverage in:

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Protecting forestry workers during wildfire season

By Alexandra Skinner
WorkSafeBC
June 20, 2025
Category: Special Feature
Region: Canada West

With roughly 2,000 wildfires in B.C. each year, forestry workers are often operating in or near fire-affected areas. It’s up to employers to ensure their crews are properly trained and prepared to recognize the risks and respond safely. …Employers are responsible for identifying hazards, assessing risks, and ensuring effective controls are in place — along with providing training, supervision, and fit-for-use equipment.

“The key is planning,” says Budd Phillips, Prevention Field Services Manager at WorkSafeBC. “Employers must not only put the right controls in place but also ensure they’re working and adjust them when needed. This process is most effective when workers are properly supervised and actively involved.” …Employers should also monitor air quality levels and adjust work practices or reschedule outdoor work, if necessary, to minimize exposure. One useful tool is the IATSE Local 891 wildfire smoke exposure app, developed to help employers and workers assess air quality risk levels and develop exposure control plans. The app pulls data from local air quality monitoring stations and is used by WorkSafeBC to support field officers in assessing potential smoke exposure.

In 2025, WorkSafeBC inspections focus on smoke exposure, heat stress, danger tree management, and evacuation readiness, in collaboration with the BC Wildfire Service and Ministry of Forests. Resources include the B.C. Wildfire Service app and WorkSafeBC’s FAQ page on wildfire smoke.

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Opinion / EdiTOADial

Out of the Box Idea for Wildfire Resiliency

By David Elstone, Managing Director
The Spar Tree Group
June 17, 2025
Category: Opinion / EdiTOADial
Region: Canada, Canada West

David Elstone

Forestry in BC is more than harvesting trees, it is also becoming about wildfire resiliency. …As a broad generalization, the future of wildfire management is more than putting fires out but increasingly it is learning how to live with fire. …That happens with active forest management work such as stand thinning and fuel reduction treatments. Specifics of such depend on the ecological characteristics of the areas to receive treatments. Another reality is that forestry is no longer practiced without First Nations consultation and input. In fact, due to growing forest tenure ownership and now with leadership in forest landscape planning, forestry in BC forestry… is clearly evolving from an industry centric sector to one that looks like a triangulation of Wildfire Resiliency: Indigenous Forestry: Forest Industry….To effectively and urgently treat millions of hectares of forests for resiliency to wildfire, the amount of required funding is magnitudes greater than what is being applied today.

…So here is an idea that does not need government funds, just motivation that brings together the three sides of the triangle as described above: Create large scale temporary stewardship areas, in the thousands of hectares where there are homogenous forests of an age range – say between 20 years to 40 years old – where qualified operators could thin stands from below, following a broad stand management prescription for the area. Planning work with First Nations should be done in advance for the entire area. …No tenure, no conventional cutting permit, just an application/timber mark. No appraisal – just say $1/m3 stumpage. Make it so there are no negative repercussions to AAC cut control so existing forest tenure licensees should have no concern. …Doing this work at scale will drive investment in more efficient equipment. Mills receive steady and reliable fibre to keep operating and maintain jobs. Government and First Nations get more wildfire resilient forested landscapes, raising the quality of forests increases other values like moose, and carbon management etc.

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Out of the Box Idea for Wildfire Resiliency

David Elstone, Managing Director
The Spar Tree Group
June 17, 2025
Category: Opinion / EdiTOADial
Region: Canada, Canada West

David Elstone

Forestry in BC is more than harvesting trees, it is also becoming about wildfire resiliency. …As a broad generalization, the future of wildfire management is more than putting fires out but increasingly it is learning how to live with fire. …That happens with active forest management work such as stand thinning and fuel reduction treatments. Specifics of such depend on the ecological characteristics of the areas to receive treatments. Another reality is that forestry is no longer practiced without First Nations consultation and input. In fact, due to growing forest tenure ownership and now with leadership in forest landscape planning, forestry in BC is fast becoming synonymous with Indigenous forestry. …To effectively and urgently treat millions of hectares of forests for resiliency to wildfire, the amount of required funding is magnitudes greater than what is being applied today. …So here is an idea that does not need government funds, just motivation that brings together the three sides of the triangle as described above:

Create large scale temporary stewardship areas, in the thousands of hectares where there are homogenous forests of an age range – say between 20 years to 40 years old – where qualified operators could thin stands from below, following a broad stand management prescription for the area. Planning work with First Nations should be done in advance for the entire area. …No tenure, no conventional cutting permit, just an application/timber mark. No appraisal – just say $1/m3 stumpage. Make it so there are no negative repercussions to AAC cut control so existing forest tenure licensees should have no concern. …Doing this work at scale will drive investment in more efficient equipment. Mills receive steady and reliable fibre to keep operating and maintain jobs. Government and First Nations get more wildfire resilient forested landscapes, raising the quality of forests increases other values like moose, and carbon management etc.

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Business & Politics

San Group’s Port Alberni holdings sold after bankruptcy

By Susie Quinn
Tofino-Ucluelet Westerly News
June 23, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

Two industrial properties in the Alberni Valley that were shuttered when San Group declared bankruptcy last year have been sold. The Coulson Mill, located a few kilometres up the Alberni Inlet, has been purchased for an undisclosed amount by Fraserview, a Surrey company that has been producing manufactured wood products since 1994. The remanufacturing plant on Stamp Avenue has been sold to a numbered company, 037BC, which will in turn lease the premises to IGV Housing Ltd. This company, from Ucluelet, specializes in manufacturing scalable and sustainable housing using a hybrid construction system, according to court documents. The company intends to “revitalize the…plant as a central hub for prefabrication and production of affordable housing.” Again, the purchase price was not disclosed. The closing date for the reman plant purchase will be before June 30, 2025.

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Indigenous interests won’t be trampled under B.C.’s economic fast-track plan: Eby

By Jessica Durling
Campbell River Mirror
June 20, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

David Eby

Premier David Eby is aware that legislation fast-tracking energy and infrastructure projects has caused a “significant amount of anxiety” among B.C.’s Indigenous communities, but promises projects will not go through on Crown land without First Nations consent. The premier gave a keynote address on Thursday, June 19, during the Indigenous Resource Opportunities Conference at Nanaimo’s Vancouver Island Conference Centre. “I don’t believe practically in British Columbia in the year 2025 that we can fast-track without full Indigenous co-operation and support on the project, because we made commitments under the Declaration of Rights of Indigenous People that we passed,” Eby said. …Also during his address, the premier applauded Nak’azdli Development Corporation’s Deadwood Innovations, which turns traditionally low-value timber into premium high-quality lumber products, and credited project partners on B.C. Hydro’s “call for power” procurement process for clean and renewable energy.

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Minister Parmar’s statement on Canadian Council of Forest Ministers chair appointment

By Ministry of Forests
Government of British Columbia
June 17, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

Ravi Parmar

Ravi Parmar, Minister of Forests, released the following statement on the annual meeting of the Canadian Council of Forest Ministers (CCFM): I met with federal, provincial and territorial forest ministers from across Canada… It’s an honour to take on the role of incoming chair of the CCFM for the upcoming year. I want to thank the Honourable Lisa Dempster, Minister of Fisheries, Forests and Agriculture for Newfoundland and Labrador, for her leadership over the past year. …My priority will always be to put people first. Whether it’s protecting their homes from wildfire, adding more local jobs or ensuring forestry continues to be a source of pride and prosperity for our rural, remote and First Nations communities, this work must be rooted in the well-being of people. …The ongoing threat of U.S. softwood lumber tariffs continues to unfairly impact workers, families and communities in Canada. I’m committed to … push back against these unjust trade actions…

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Historic court sentencing at shíshálh longhouse sees $230,000 in fines issued for grave site damages

By Connie Jordison
The Sunshine Coast Reporter
June 17, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada West

A contractor hired to oversee logging on a Sechelt property and that site’s numbered company owner were sentenced for violations of the Heritage Conservation Act June 16, in the first ever B.C. Provincial Court sitting held at the shíshálh Nation longhouse.   Grant Starrs, 55, of Sechelt and 0990199 B.C. Ltd. both pleaded guilty to the 2020 disruption of an identified heritage site. That area was occupied by the graves of 49 shíshálh people, according to federal Crown counsel Molly Greene.  Provincial Court Judge Robert Hamilton accepted the joint submission of the Crown and defence attorneys, and fined the company $200,000, payable within five business days. Starrs was fined $30,000 and given 90 days to pay. Each is also to pay a victim surcharge of 15 per cent of their fine amounts. …In issuing his decision, Hamilton stated the fine to the company was four times higher than previous ones issued for such violations of the Heritage Conservation Act.

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Wood, Paper & Green Building

Project milestone reached in YLW airport expansion

The Kelowna Courier
June 23, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada, Canada West

The Kelowna International Airport (YLW) is proud to share a significant project milestone for Airport Terminal Building (ATB) expansion – the mass timber roof structure of the facility is now complete. The use of mass timber throughout the terminal building expansion highlights the airport’s commitment to sustainability, innovation and community reflection in this project. YLW received $500,000 from the Province’s Mass Timber Demonstration Program, which aims to grow B.C.’s mass timber and engineered wood products industry and position B.C. as a world leader in wood design, engineering and construction. An important design consideration for the ATB Expansion is to incorporate characteristics that showcase our local community. The use of mass timber plays a meaningful role in conveying our region’s natural beauty, heritage and character.

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How robots are taking prefabricated housing construction to a new level for this Vancouver company

By Derrick Penner
The Vancouver Sun
June 23, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada, Canada West

Behind the three-storey rolling doors of its prototype factory in Delta, a Metro Vancouver company is fine-tuning an approach to prefabricated construction that it believes could be key to solving Canada’s housing crisis. Intelligent City is using massive industrial robots and advanced techniques in mass-timber construction to produce complete floor and exterior wall sections for a nine-storey apartment building that will be assembled in the Toronto suburb of Etobicoke. In the middle of the factory, a pair of automated machines on parallel tracks engage in a precisely choreographed dance to the tune of detailed digitized plans, laying down layers of glue and nailing elements together to assemble floor panels. …The time saved by Intelligent City’s method — which is about four to six months over traditional concrete construction — can help governments meet the ambitious targets they are setting for home building.

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2025 Global Buyers Mission Update and Newsletter

BC Wood Specialties Group
June 19, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada West

The Annual GBM is fast approaching, and we are happy to announce that this September 4th to 6th, we will once again invite international buyers and specifiers to meet our Canadian suppliers in Whistler, to celebrate our 22nd Anniversary! If you have not received your invitation link, email us at gbm@bcwood.com to receive it. Space is limited and only registered exhibitors get an opportunity to participate in our Sponsorship opportunities.  We are introducing the New Product Showcase, where all registered Exhibitors will be invited to present their innovations in a dedicated area on the show floor. We are expecting many new buyers this year. With the help of our overseas staff, along with the continued support of the federal International Trade Commissioner Service and the provincial Trade & Investment Representatives abroad, we anticipate a strong international attendance.

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Kelowna airport terminal expansion hits milestone with completion of mass timber roof

By Cindy White
Castanet
June 17, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada, Canada West

©Lispett Photo Group

The expansion of Kelowna International Airport has hit a major milestone. The mass timber roof structure of the new airport terminal building is now complete. “A key component to everything we do at YLW is ensuring we reflect the community in our airport. Mass timber embodies our commitment to sustainability and innovation, while also honouring the local industries and resources,” said airport CEO Sam Samaddar. …The project was partially funded through a $500,000 investment from the province’s Mass Timber Demonstration Program. The mass timber panels were manufactured at Kalesnikoff’s state-of-the-art facility in Castlegar, B.C. The roof incorporated 788-square-metres of wood from the Slocan Valley and its construction supported the employment of more than 350 people in B.C. …”B.C. mass timber projects like this showcase how our province is a world leader in the industry and supports our objectives around a clean, sustainable economy,” said Diana Gibson, Minister of Jobs, Economic Development and Innovation.

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Forestry

Coulson Aviation to do first night-vision aerial firefighting in B.C.

By Darron Kloster
Victoria Times Colonist
June 21, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

Coulson Aviation is joining the firefight in B.C.’s forests, bringing its night-vision technology to battle wildfires. The Port Alberni-based company, whose pilots use night-vision goggles to battle fires in Australia and the United States, has signed a 70-day contract with the B.C. Wildfire Service to provide one of its Sikorsky S-61 Type 1 helitankers that are equipped for night-time operations. The deal marks the first time Coulson will conduct night-vision aerial firefighting missions on Canadian soil. …Coulson Aviation Canada has logged thousands of night-vision flight hours and dropped tens of millions of gallons at night on urban wildfires in California and through parts of Australia. The company earned the world’s first night-vision firefighting certification from Transport Canada in 2011, followed by the first approvals in Australia and the United States. …Coulson Aviation employs a two-aircraft team, including a Sikorsky S-61 firefighting helicopter and a Sikorsky S-76 supervision helicopter.

Read the Coulson Aviation Press Release

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Kamloops councillor says community forest would provide FireSmart, revenue generation opportunities

By Kristen Holliday
Castanet
June 20, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

A Kamloops city councillor is pitching the idea of a community forest as a way to generate revenue for local amenities and projects while reducing wildfire risk for the region. During Wednesday’s livability and sustainability select committee meeting, Coun. Stephen Karpuk said he’d like to see the City of Kamloops strike a working group to get more information about pursuing a provincial community forest agreement. “There’s an opportunity for all parties to gain some economic value, some certainty on the land base, and some safety and security and some benefits economically that we can bring back to our communities,” Karpuk said. He said surrounding communities of Barriere, Clearwater, Valemount, Clinton and Logan Lake all have community forests — a tract of land set aside for the municipality to manage.

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Trouble in the Headwaters: the hidden impacts of clear-cut logging in B.C.

By Jacqueline Ronson
The Narwhal
June 19, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

Trouble in the Headwaters, a 25-minute documentary by filmmaker Daniel J. Pierce, explores the root causes behind the devastating 2018 floods in Grand Forks, B.C. More than 100 families were displaced and millions of dollars were spent on flood infrastructure — yet floods continue to threaten the region. The film follows Dr. Younes Alila, a professor of forest hydrology at the University of BC, as he investigates the upstream impacts of clear-cut logging in the Kettle River watershed. …Climate change is responsible for some of the increase in flooding. But decades of research by Alila and his peers suggests the role of industrial forestry is significant, and has long been underestimated. He spent years investigating… the cumulative effects of clearcutting. …Alila sees hope in ongoing class-action lawsuits: people impacted by floods in Grand Forks, Chemainus and elsewhere are suing governments and forestry companies.

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Scotch broom is a dangerous bully

By Joanne Sales, Executive Director, Broombusters
The Parkville Qualicum Beach News
June 21, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

QUALICUM BEACH, BC — Alien invasive species like Scotch broom do not move into a void. They displace something that was originally present. Broom displaces grasses and native plants – but while grass is food, broom is toxic to grazing animals, wild and domestic. Broom provides flowers for bees in May – but wipes out the native flowers that bees rely on for the rest of the season. Farmers call broom the Scourge of Pastureland – and it affects our food security. Broom competing with young trees on forest land creates millions of dollars in losses to forest companies – and the loss to the future of our forests is beyond measure. Biodiversity? Researchers designate Scotch broom as THE invasive species doing the greatest harm to species at risk in all of B.C. Broom is the top offender of biodiversity. Wildfire? Broom’s high oil content, naturally occurring dry branches, and dense growth patterns make broom extremely flammable. FireSmart classifies broom in the highest risk category.

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Calls to defer Elphinstone Highlands cutblock auction supported

By Connie Jordison
The Sunshine Coast Reporter
June 19, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

Elphinstone and West Howe Sound community associations’ efforts to have B.C. Timber Sales (BCTS) defer the 35.2 hectare Elphinstone Highlands cutblock (TA0519) from its current Q1 sales schedule received support from the Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) board. Provision of a letter of support for the deferral requests was endorsed at the board’s June 12 meeting. According to the BCTS Chinook area sales schedule released April 17, TA0519 was slated to go to auction by June 30. In a June 18 email response to Coast Reporter, the Ministry of Forests stated that “Sales schedules are issued to notify of upcoming proposed timber sales auctions. BC Timber Sales starts accepting bids when a licence is placed on BC Bid for auction… TA0519 is a partial harvest/commercial thin sale and was pulled from BC Bid due to an administrative error. It is anticipated that TA0519 will be reposted this fiscal year.”

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BC prepares to clearcut old growth in the Walker Valley

By James Steidle
The Prince George Citizen
June 20, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

James Steidle

One of the great mysteries in the local forest industry has got to be why BC Timber Sales would start auctioning off the Walker wilderness for clearcut logging while obstructing a shift to plantation thinning. I went to a Conservation North event on May 23 to watch their film The Walker Valley. …What really struck me about the presentation was the importance of the Walker for threatened bull trout and endangered chinook salmon. …Despite that, BC Timber Sales is in the process of auctioning off cutblocks of old-growth in the lower Walker to start moving the industrial clearcut plantation machine into the headwaters. If the history of logging around Prince George is any indicator, where the clearcuts happen, the helicopter glyphosate herbicides follow and we usually end up with lifeless even-aged monocrop plantations with next to no wildlife, nothing like the old growth mixtures we had before.

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Speĺkúmtn Community Forest launches carbonizer pilot project

By Luke Faulks
The Pique News Magazine
June 20, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

The Spel’kúmtn Community Forest is piloting a new technology with the potential to change how post-harvest forest waste is managed in the Pemberton Valley. The community forest has brought in a mobile carbonizer from SkyTech Yarding to process woody debris left over from timber harvests, known as slash piles, in the Miller Creek area. The machine converts biomass into biochar—a valuable soil product—and is touted as a cleaner, more climate-conscious alternative to conventional open-pile burning. …The Tigercat Carbonizer 6040 being used in Miller Creek burns biomass in a low-oxygen environment, producing significantly less smoke and yielding biochar—a charcoal-like, carbon-rich material that can enhance soil health and sequester carbon long-term.

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Class of 2025: Father and child graduate Forest Technology together

By Scott Messenger
Northern Alberta Institute of Technology
June 18, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

Cassady & Darren Spencer

In 2023, Cassady and Darren Spencer (Forest Technology ’25, both) decided to answer the call of the wild… [which] led them to one place: as father and child studying the same program at NAIT at the same time. Darren, now 49, was curious about a career change. Cassady, now 21, was intrigued by a summer job as a junior forest ranger with Alberta’s Ministry of Forestry and Parks. Once Cassady was accepted into NAIT, Darren broached the issue. “We discussed the strange possibility of me going to post-secondary school with Cass,” he says. But Cassady didn’t think it was strange at all. The opposite, in fact. …We caught up with them, now out in the wild – Darren with Alberta Parks as an interpreter in the David Thomson Corridor; Cassady with West Fraser Timber, supporting forest management – to learn more about their mutual milestone.

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‘Absolutely critical’: Teched out new planes lead B.C. wildfire response

By Andrew Johnson
CTV News
June 19, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

Before an aircraft in British Columbia drops water on a wildfire or crews attack flames from the ground, a pilot like Rob Verstraten gets there first. “We size up the fire to see what terrain and hazards we have to deal with,” Verstraten said. He flies in one of two new TBM 960 Air Attack planes from Conair Aerial Firefighting, known as “birddogs,” alongside a provincial air attack officer. Together, they orchestrate the aerial response to a wildfire. It’s a crucial role, according to Conair’s director of business development. “Without a strong birddog team your operation won’t be safe, effective, or efficient,” said Michael Benson said. Benson says the two new birddogs are the most modern in the world, and cost roughly $10 million based on the purchase price paid by Conair and modifications to maximize their effectiveness at fighting fires. The installed technology includes advanced weather sensors and infrared cameras.

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BC logging deal sparks clash over Indigenous rights and endangered owl

By Stefan Labbe
Business in Vancouver
June 20, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

An insolvent BC forestry company’s attempt to sell off a forest licence to pay back creditors has triggered a dispute with several First Nations, who allege the company is attempting an “end run” around their rights. This spring, three Indigenous groups challenged the Teal-Jones Group before a BC Supreme Court judge for attempting to complete an interim transfer of forest licence A19201 to Western Canadian Timber Products (WCTP). The move came before the B.C. Minister of Forests could consult with 39 First Nations who have territory in the area. …The legal dispute hinged on whether the proposed interim agreement triggered a duty to consult with First Nations. But Fitzpatrick ruled Teal Jones’ agreement with WCTP remained “the highest and best offer presently available for consideration and approval after all that time.” The judge concluded that the sales process had been conducted in a “fair and reasonable manner”.

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Matthews West begins vision for Somass Lands

By Gord Kurbis
Alberni Valley News
June 18, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

Looking over the 40-acre waterfront Somass property, Port Alberni’s Chief Administrative Officer Mike Fox sees an area that is key to shaping the city’s future. “I believe this project will be one of those defining moments where people will look back years from now and comment on how the community rallied and how we enabled the development of this key waterfront area,” he says. The land that once housed Western Forest Products Somass Division was purchased from the timber giant after the mill was shuttered in 2017 and the land sat vacant for more than a decade… While there was early discussion about trying to incorporate some of the structures used in the operation of the mill, geotechnical and structural analysis work is being done to see if any meet building standards. One of the buildings included in initial discussions burned down last summer.

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Whistler advances new tree and environmental bylaws amid widespread support

By Liz McDonald
Pique News Magazine
June 18, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

Whistler’s mayor and council advanced a pair of sweeping environmental bylaws that will introduce stricter rules for tree removal and land disturbance across the resort community. At its regular meeting, council gave first three readings to new environmental and tree protection bylaws, with 87 letters submitted in support and a wave of speakers appearing in council chambers to back the regulations. The bylaws were introduced to address long-standing gaps in how Whistler protects its natural areas, following community concern over clear-cut lots, unregulated vegetation removal and heightened wildfire risk. In addition to creating a new permit process for tree removal, the rules prohibit land clearing in sensitive areas and carry steep penalties for infractions—up to $50,000 for unauthorized tree-cutting.

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McBride Community Forest Expanded Election Boundaries

Letter by Al Birnie, Former Chair, Take Back Our Forest, 2010
The Rocky Mountain Goat
June 17, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

Attending the McBride Community Forest Corporation Open House on May 24, I was both surprised and delighted to hear Chair Mike Monroe announce that the Articles of Incorporation of the MCFC have been permanently amended to guarantee that, starting with the 2026 Board elections, the majority of members will be elected by voters throughout the area of the forest, rather than only McBride Village Council! …This is how the CF was proposed to be structured in the first place, and is exactly what Mike and I and many others unsuccessfully fought for back in 2010 through the community group Take Back Our Forest! …The new arrangement by no means automatically solves every issue the CF will have to deal with, as there naturally will be differing opinions on how it should operate.

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Documentary ‘B.C. is Burning’ set to premiere in region feeling the heat

By Jen Zielinski
The Northern View
June 17, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

An independent documentary on the causes and consequences of British Columbia’s escalating wildfire crisis will premiere in Kelowna and Vernon this month. The 45-minute film, B.C. is Burning, was put together through community funding and will attempt to investigate what’s fuelling today’s mega-fires and look into the science-based solutions that could protect the province’s forests, communities, and future. Produced and written by retired forester Murray Wilson, the film was initiated by associate producer Rick Maddison… Featuring forest professionals, wildfire officials, and researchers, B.C. is Burning reveals the growing urgency—and the real solutions—to managing fire in an age of climate change, said Wilson. …The Kelowna screening will take place Tuesday, June 24 at 7 p.m. at the Mary Irwin Theatre. The Vernon screening will take place Thursday, June 26,  at 7 p.m. at the Vernon Performing Arts Centre

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Nakusp open house welcomes public into wildfire fuel break work

By Evert Lindquist
Revelstoke Review
June 17, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

Residents curious for an update and behind-the-scenes on local forest fuel mitigation this wildfire season are invited to attend a free open house in Nakusp this Wednesday, June 17. Hosted by the Nakusp & Area Community Forest (NACFOR), the event unites voices from forestry, conservation, wildfire management and FireSmart to educate participants on work happening northeast of Nakusp at the Wensley Creek Cross Country Ski Trails to minimize fire-spreading foliage. “NACFOR contractors have been working on both the commercial harvesting patches that were planned for the Wensley Creek area, and continuing hand treatment of understory and ground fuel in other areas,” communications specialist Skye Cunningham shared by email.

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Wildfire risk reduction project near Merritt a model for community-led forest management

By Jeff Andreas
RadioNL
June 16, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

A wildfire risk reduction initiative led by the Lower Nicola Indian Band Development Corporation (LNIBDC) has significantly decreased wildfire hazards in the Steffens Estates area, just north of Merritt, while setting an example for Indigenous-led land stewardship in British Columbia. The multi-phase project, which began in 2022 and was completed in March 2024, combined strategic timber harvesting with intensive fuel mitigation efforts to create safer forest conditions near the Steffens Estates subdivision—land bordering private residences and Crown forests. With more work planned near Steffens Estates and around critical communications infrastructure on Iron Mountain, the project is part of a broader effort to proactively manage wildfire risk in British Columbia. B.C. Minister of Forests Ravi Parmar also praised the initiative: “Wildfire risk reduction is one of the most important ways we can protect people, homes, and vital infrastructure – especially as our province faces the growing impacts of climate change.”

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Flourish or flounder: How wildfires affect Boreal forest wildlife

By Jeremy Warren
CBC News
June 17, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

There’s an entire cycle of life that helps some wildlife thrive when the boreal forest burns, but experts say climate change and human activity have led to larger, more intense wildfires, exacerbating the negative effects on some species. While it’s too early to know exactly how one of the worst wildfire seasons in Saskatchewan history is affecting wildlife, research shows some species have evolved over millennia to take advantage of forest fire cycles. “It’s almost essential, particularly in the boreal forest, to have some degree of fire on the landscape, because it is important to create that sort of regenerative habitat for species that depend on it,” said Jean-Michele DeVink, an environmental consultant and adjunct professor at the University of Saskatchewan. “The challenge, is that for other species that do require more mature forest, the extent of fires that we’re seeing throughout the boreal forest is a bit of a problem.”

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Wildfire recovery equipment repeatedly vandalized, says Okanagan Indian Band

By Chelsey Mutter
Castanet
June 13, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

Wildfire recovery work on the Okanagan Indian Band is being subjected to acts of vandalism. According to a post on the OKIB website, equipment used in the Bradley Creek Wildfire Salvage Project is being repeatedly vandalized. “These illegal actions are putting a stop to critical recovery work and placing our community and lands at further risk,” said the OKIB in a community notice. The salvage project is working with Tolko Industries to remove dead standing (fire-killed) timber to support ecological recovery and reduce wildfire risks in the Bradley Creek area which was impacted by the 2021 White Rock Lake Wildfire. …OKIB said the project is essential to reduce wildfire risk, and restore watershed through erosion control and soil stabilization. The project also supports the return of traditional plants and medicines, creates local employment opportunities and generates revenue through the OKIB forest license.

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Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy

Why Mercer International is Looking to Sequester Carbon at Scale in Alberta

By Knowlton Thomas
Calgary.tech
June 17, 2025
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: Canada, Canada West

Earlier this year, Burnaby’s Svante Technologies made inroads in Alberta. The move eastward is partially powered by a newly formed partnership with Mercer International. The Canadian cleantech’s carbon capture project is targeting biogenic CO2 emissions from Mercer’s Peace River pulp mill. …One of the strategies the firm intends to adopt in Canada is carbon sequestration. Within Alberta, carbon sequestration is a sensible tactic to apply, according to Mercer International’s chief executive officer, Juan Carlos Bueno. “The reason why we’re doing it there is because the mill is located in Alberta, where you have geological formations that are suitable for sequestering CO2,” Bueno informed Andrew Snook of Pulp & Paper Canada. …Finalizing investment in the project, however, is no small consideration. There is a price tag north of $500 million and moving forward would require extensive support from both the Province of Alberta and Government of Canada.

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We need to talk about the fossil fuel elephant in the room

By Julia Beatty, Shuswap Climate Action Society
The Salmon Arm Observer
June 18, 2025
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: Canada West

Currently, parts of Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia are being ravaged by early and extreme wildfires. …Copernicus reported that wildfires in Canada in 2023 emitted 1,740 megatonnes of C02e, which is nearly three times Canada’s human-contributed emissions in 2022. …Forest and wildfire researchers are telling us that climate change is creating the conditions for the unprecedented wildfire destruction we are seeing. …What can be done to prepare for increasingly intense wildfire seasons? Addressing the problem requires a multi-pronged approach encompassing prevention, preparedness and response. …However, reducing carbon emissions is crucial to avoid further warming and reduce extreme weather events. As citizens we must speak up and demand that all levels of government and industry strive to lower greenhouse gas emissions while preparing for and adapting to a future with increasing risk of fire.

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Rhetoric–not evidence–continues to dominate climate debate and policy

By Kenneth P. Green, Senior Fellow, The Fraser Institute
Cision Newswire
June 17, 2025
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: Canada, Canada West

VANCOUVER, BC – …The study published by the Fraser Institute, Four Climate Fallacies, dispels several myths about climate change and popular—but ineffective—emission reduction policies, specifically:

  • Capitalism causes climate change: …the more economically free a country is, the more effective it is at protecting its environment and combatting climate change.
  • Even small-emitting countries can do their part to fight climate change: Even if Canada reduced its greenhouse gas emissions to zero, there would be little to no measurable impact in global emissions, …the main drivers of emissions, which are ChinaIndia and the developing world.
  • Vehicle electrification will reduce climate risk and clean the air: …they often are not, and further, have offsetting environmental harms, reducing net environmental/climate benefits.
  • Carbon capture and storage is a viable strategy to combat climate change: While effective at a small scale, the benefits of carbon capture and storage … on a massive scale are limited and questionable.

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Health & Safety

In Vancouver, wildfire smoke and heat combine to significantly increase mortality risk, finds study

By Stefan labbe
Business in Vancouver
June 23, 2025
Category: Health & Safety
Region: Canada, Canada West

Wildfire smoke and extreme heat are combining to create a lethal cocktail of environmental conditions that multiply the risk of death in Metro Vancouver, a new study has found. The research… found days dominated by hot temperatures and smoky skies combine to raise the risk of death across the region by 7.9%. Sarah Henderson, senior author and scientific director of the BC Centre for Disease Control’s Environmental Health Services, said the research comes as BC saw an uptick in smoky, hot days over the past two decades — a trend that’s only expected to accelerate with climate change. …The researchers tracked more than 21,000 deaths between 2010 and 2022. …Henderson said the combination of smoke and heat mean the human body is trying to maintain its core temperature while copying to fight inflammation caused by smoke exposure. …Henderson said the results align with other studies in California and Washington State.

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Preventing heat stress | Rate information sessions

WorkSafeBC
June 20, 2025
Category: Health & Safety
Region: Canada West

In the recent WorkSafeBC Health and Safety News, you’ll find these stories and more:

  • Prevent heat stress at work: Take action to protect your workers from heat stress. Find resources, including our heat stress screening tool.
  • Making it easier for workers to report an injury online: Recent improvements to our injury reporting form make it more convenient to report injuries online, anytime and on any device.
  • Finding strength in inspiring others: Darcy was only 20 years old when he sustained a life-altering injury at his job at a sawmill. Years later, he uses his experience to teach young workers about the importance of following safety procedures and taking the time to do work safely.
  • Rate information sessions: Learn about WorkSafeBC’s preliminary assessment (insurance) rates for 2026. In-person and virtual sessions are free to attend.

 

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Forest Fires

Manitoba premier ends state of emergency as wildfire danger recedes, evacuees return

By Steve Lambert
Flin Flon Reminder
June 23, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada West

Wab Kinew

WINNIPEG — Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew says the provincewide state of emergency has been lifted as the danger from wildfires recedes. He announced Monday that while the emergency rules are no longer needed, crews remain vigilant as fires rage. His government also says pressure remains on hotel room space for evacuees as Manitoba deals with one of its worst fire seasons in years. States of emergency allow for law changes and freedom restrictions so that various levels of government can work quickly and work together to respond to disaster situations. Kinew told a news conference that emergency powers should be invoked and renewed only when absolutely necessary. He said Manitobans need only look to the United States to see what happens when such powers are used recklessly. …Saskatchewan also has been battling one of its worst fire seasons in recent memory. …The province remains under a state of emergency.

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Rain dampens fire activity in Northwest B.C., largest fire ‘being held’

Victoria News
June 18, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada West

The B.C. Wildfire Service has changed the status of the province’s largest wildfire to “being held” as of Monday, June 16 after heavy weekend rains aided the firefighting effort. This Pocket Creek Fire in the province’s northeast corner is now 151,310 hectares. The fire had forced the closure of Highway 97 for a short time earlier this month. The area received more than 100 millimetres of rain over the weekend, “significantly” hampering fire growth, according to the wildfire service. A B.C. Wildfire Service spokesperson said rain is expected to continue to reduce fire behaviour in the area over the next couple days. There are currently 53 firefighters and four helicopters still working the fire. The change in weather also means campfire bans were rescinded in the Peace Forest Districts, including the Dawson Creek and Fort St. John zones as of noon on Tuesday (June 17).

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Wildfire in B.C. central Interior triggers evacuation alert, fire crews on scene

The Canadian Press in Castanet
June 17, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada West

Cariboo Regional District has issued an evacuation alert for properties near a wildfire that is burning out of control in British Columbia’s central Interior. The Martin Lake fire was discovered Sunday and is burning about 220 kilometres west of Williams Lake. The district says the purpose of the alert is to allow people to prepare to evacuate should it be necessary as conditions could change quickly. The BC Wildfire Service says the blaze has grown to about 290 hectares in size, and crews and aviation resources are on site, working to limit its spread. It is one of about 100 wildfires burning in B.C., many of which are situated in the province’s northeast. The service says most of those fires — including the Martin Lake blaze — are believed to have been set off by lightning, while 21 per cent are suspected to be caused by humans.

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Squamish wildfire being held, crews working toward full containment

By Jan Schuermann
CityNews Everywhere
June 16, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada, Canada West

The wildfire on the northern edge of Squamish is classified as being held on Monday after a weekend of favourable weather conditions. BC Wildfire Service Fire Information Officer Sarah Budd says dozens of ground crews are working to get the Dryden Creek wildfire fully under control. “We also have three helicopters actioning this fire,” Budd told 1130 NewsRadio, adding the fire now sits at just under 60 hectares. An evacuation alert for properties near the fire, issued by the Squamish Fire Department, has been downsized. Because the Dryden Creek Fire is in difficult terrain, it could take crews another week or so to wrap things up. “This fire has been burning in sort of really difficult terrain,” explained Budd.

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More Manitoba fire evacuees to head home

By Steve Lambert
Canadian Press in the Brandon Sun
June 17, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada, Canada West

WINNIPEG — Rain and cooler temperatures brought relief to fire-ravaged Manitoba and Saskatchewan Monday, allowing fire bans to be reduced and more evacuees to go home. The weather helped fire crews get an upper hand in parts of northern Manitoba to clear the way for some of the 21,000 or more evacuees to start returning home. David Monias, chief of Pimicikamak Cree Nation, reposted video of heavy rainfall on social media along with video of small planes leaving Winnipeg with evacuees who were forced out almost three weeks earlier. “Our people are coming home,” Monias wrote on Facebook, adding the community’s infrastructure is intact and water systems have been tested by health officials. …There were 18 fires still burning across Manitoba, with seven of them listed as out of control.

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