Mercer International announced the temporary curtailment of operations at its Celgar pulp mill located in Castlegar, BC, including wood acceptance. The curtailment is currently scheduled to become effective July 29, 2023, until August 28, 2023. This temporary curtailment results from a significant loss of rail transport capacity resulting from the Vancouver port job action. The job action has led to a complete halt in railcar circulation, severely impacting the mill’s ability to transport pulp. President and CEO, Juan Carlos Bueno, expressed, “Regrettably, we are not able to run the mill economically until rail operations resume regular services. We currently expect the curtailment to persist for about a month. We will strive to keep all affected parties informed of any updates as the situation develops.”
In a development that may end the B.C. port strike, the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Canada (ILWU) said Friday that it will recommend members accept a deal with the employer. The union said there will be a stop-work meeting Tuesday for the 8 a.m. shift to recommend the terms of the settlement to the membership. The labour dispute between the union and the British Columbia Maritime Employers Association (BCMEA) shut down the province’s port facilities for 13 days earlier this month. “The tentative agreement presented is the result of months of negotiations and mediation; we are hopeful that the voting membership, like the ILWU Caucus Leadership and Bargaining Committee, will support the fair and equitable deal as recommended by the senior federal mediator,” the BCMEA said. The latest development comes after a dizzying week in which the strike appeared to be over, then back on, then over again.
A helicopter crash in northwestern Alberta has resulted in the third death in recent days involving wildfire-fighting efforts in Canada. “There are a lot of people across this country who have been stepping up during these very, very difficult forest fires, protecting their families, protecting their communities, protecting their fellow citizens,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said. …RCMP said forestry workers were trying to resuscitate the pilot, who was the only one in the helicopter, when officers arrived on the scene near Haig Lake, 140 kilometres northeast of Peace River, Alberta, on Wednesday night. They said the pilot was a 41-year-old from Whitecourt, but did not release his name. Last week, Devyn Gale, a 19-year-old firefighter, died after a tree fell on her near Revelstoke, B.C. Adam Yeadon, 25, died Saturday while fighting a wildfire near his home in Fort Liard, Northwest Territories.
July 27 remains the day when Canfor Corporation’s 12 board members responsible for its lumber operations are due to decide if the company will build a new sawmill in Houston or not. Company confidentiality prevents a detailed explanation of financial and other considerations. …“We expect to provide an update on the Houston rebuild following the July 27 board meeting,” said Michelle Ward. …Based on information available, Canfor’s plan, if accepted by the board, is to build a new mill aimed at producing a high value product with the facility able to withstand ups and downs of the lumber product. It is also involving the provincial government in decisions relating to a steady supply of fibre for any new facility. …Canfor is encouraging a greater involvement with First Nations in acquiring a wood supply and the ability to sell it.
The Province is supporting several Vancouver-Island-based projects that will create jobs. …The Government of B.C. is contributing as much as $700,000 toward capital projects located in Cobble Hill and Mill Bay, and $50,000 for a planning project in Gold River through the Province’s $180-million BC Manufacturing Jobs Fund. In Mill Bay, Kinsol Timber Systems will receive as much as $500,000 to build a pre-fabrication facility at their operating site to increase capacity for mass-timber production. The facility will add a nail-laminated timber line, increase its sawn-timber and glue-laminated-timber fabrication and establish a new panelized wall line. In Cobble Hill, Nexus Modular Solutions will receive as much as $200,000 to expand and upgrade its existing facility and purchase new machinery. …Gold River Aquafarms has been awarded as much as $50,000 toward final stage planning to assess the viability of retrofitting a former pulp and paper mill warehouse for a salmon-processing facility and aquafarm.
Fire season has arrived and experts say it’s time to put your rainy day habits behind you. “All we can really do is adapt to more extreme drought,” said John Richardson, Faculty of Forestry, University of British Columbia. …With El Niño superimposing on top of the climate effects occurring, Richardson said now is the time for people to tap the brakes on water usage. …cutting shower time down from four minutes to two minutes an individual would save up to 20 litres of water per shower, per person. …B.C.’s premier alongside the Emergency Minister Bowinn Ma have both stressed the severity of the situation in the province, citing these levels of drought have never occurred this early in the summer before now. Two-thirds of the province’s water basins are currently at Drought Level four or five, out of a scale of zero to five for severity.
VICTORIA – The Forest Practices Board will audit the forest planning and practices of the Valemount Community Forest Company Ltd., specifically community forest agreements KQ5, K2T, and forest licence A93987, in the Prince George Natural Resource District, starting Monday, July 24, 2023. Auditors will examine whether timber harvesting, roads, bridges, silviculture, wildfire protection and associated planning carried out between July 1, 2021, and July 28, 2023, met the requirements of the Forest and Range Practices Act, and the Wildfire Act. The Valemount Community Forest is in the Robson Valley Timber Supply Area in east-central B.C., and the territories of the Simpcw First Nation and Canim Lake Band. The audit area is both topographically and ecologically diverse, as reflected in the broad mix of tree species, the diversity of wildlife habitats and the wide variety of land uses in the area, including forestry, recreation, agriculture and protected areas.
The University of British Columbia’s Faculty of Forestry is launching nine new micro-certificates aimed at delivering in-demand skills and knowledge in a flexible manner to working professionals in forestry and construction. The micro-credential system is designed to work with the schedules of older professionals with an eye to meeting the needs of industry, said Sheri Andrews-Key, program lead and lecturer with UBC. …The nine new certificates are: Tall Wood Structures, Fire Safety for Timber Buildings, Zero Carbon Building Solutions, Hybrid Timber Construction, Forest Health Management, Communication Strategies for Resource Practitioners, Strategic Management for Sustainability, Environmental Footprints of Organizations and Circular Bioeconomy Business Development. The micro-certificate program was initially launched in 2021 with one certificate. In less than three years, the program will have grown to 13.
The logging of private forest lands, including for vineyards, is generating plenty of concern in the Cowichan Valley. It should also be a wake-up call to North Cowichan council to do what it can to protect B.C.’s most at-risk forest type — the coastal Douglas fir — found in the Municipal Forest Reserve. The latest controversy centres on California vintners logging 24 hectares of land off Menzies Road to grow grapes. Most of the logged land consisted of coastal Douglas fir. …At this Wednesday’s council meeting, Councillor Christopher Justice will propose a motion that North Cowichan consider the “financial and resource” impact of joining the 
The Province is helping First Nations communities strengthen their resilience to the adverse effects of climate change through the launch of an Indigenous climate-resilience capacity-building pilot program. The Province’s BC Climate Preparedness and Adaptation Strategy has provided $2 million to fund a one-year pilot program that will be delivered by two First Nations organizations with experience delivering environmental programs: the Coastal First Nations-Great Bear Initiative (CFN-GBI) and First Nations Emergency Services Society. …Many First Nations communities and organizations lack the capacity to manage climate risks and pursue adaptation-planning projects and funding. The Province has worked with Indigenous advisory groups to develop this pilot project to provide community supports, such as mentorship, knowledge products, adaptation training and a learning network to advance Indigenous climate resilience.
A wildfire burning near the B.C. community of Cranbrook in the St. Mary’s River is an estimated 3,342 hectares, up from 2,600 hectares on Friday. Officials said the fire is continuing to grow. “With the increased fire activity on the Northeast corner, the size is expected to change again the next time a track can be taken,” BC Wildfire staff said in an update. “Fire has (been) spotted across the Kootenay River onto the Bummers Flats on the East side of the river. Crews are working in the area to contain the spot with assistance from aviation resources when visibility permits.” …The St. Mary’s River fire was discovered Monday and is burning about 10 kilometres northeast of the East Kootenay community, primarily on ʔaq’am reserve land. At least seven homes on the reserve have been destroyed. Nearly 70 homes are on evacuation order, while another 135 are on evacuation alert.
ALBERTA — Carrol Johnston counted her blessings as she stood on the barren site where her home was destroyed by a fast-moving wildfire that forced her to flee her northern Alberta community two months ago. …The worst wildfire season in Canadian history is displacing Indigenous communities from Nova Scotia to British Columbia, blanketing them in thick smoke, destroying homes and forests and threatening important cultural activities like hunting, fishing and gathering native plants. …Fires aren’t uncommon on Indigenous lands, but they’re now occurring over such a widespread area that many more people are experiencing them at the same time — and some for the first time — stoking fears of what a hotter, drier future will bring, especially to communities where traditions run deep. …As of Monday, 106 wildfires have affected 93 First Nations communities this year, and there have been 64 evacuations involving almost 25,000 people, according to Indigenous Services Canada.
