Region Archives: Canada

Breaking News

Prime Minister Carney announces new measures to transform Canada’s softwood lumber industry

Office of the Prime Minister of Canada
August 5, 2025
Category: Breaking News
Region: Canada

Mark Carney

The global trade landscape has fundamentally changed. Canada’s new government will invest in domestic production, develop Canadian expertise, support our companies to retool and reinvest, and help industries pivot to a growing Canadian market and those of new, reliable trading partners around the world. As part of that strategy, the Prime Minister, Carney, announced a series of new measures to help the softwood lumber industry transform to remain competitive. …Canada’s new government will:

  • Provide up to $700 million in loan guarantees to address the immediate pressures facing the softwood lumber sector. 
  • Invest $500 million to supercharge product and market diversification to make the industry more competitive for the long-term. 
  • Build Canadian by prioritizing Canadian materials in construction and changing federal procurement processes to require companies contracting with the federal government to source Canadian lumber. 
  • Diversify international markets for Canada’s sustainably sourced forest products. 
  • Provide $50 million for upskilling, reskilling, and income supports for more than 6,000 affected softwood lumber workers through the Labour Market Development Agreements. 

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Prime Minister Mark Carney announces support measures as the US ratchets up duties on Canadian lumber

By Wolfgang Depner
The Canadian Press in the Times-Colonist
August 5, 2025
Category: Breaking News
Region: Canada

KELOWNA — Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government is preparing financial supports for the forestry sector as the United States ratchets up duties on Canadian softwood lumber. …It comes amid heightened trade tensions with the United States over softwood lumber, a decades-long friction point in the Canada-U.S. trade relationship. The US Commerce Department recently announced it intends to hike anti-dumping duties on Canadian softwood to just over 20%. The prime minister outlined a series of supports at a lumber mill in West Kelowna, B.C., on Tuesday, saying Canada will be its own best customer by relying on more Canadian timber as it works to double the pace of new home building to almost 500,000 homes a year over the next decade.

In support of the Canadian announcement: 

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Business & Politics

Kinew accuses group of Republicans of pitching ‘timber tantrum’ over wildfire smoke

By Kelly Malone
The Canadian Press in Global News
August 6, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada

Wab Kinew

Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew accused a group of Republicans of throwing a “timber tantrum” and playing “political games” after they called out Canada over wildfires sending smoke billowing across the international border into their states. “These are attention-seekers who can’t come up with a good idea on health care or on making life more affordable,” Kinew said. “So they’re playing games with something that’s very serious.” Kinew said he doesn’t “generalize these attention-seekers’ misguided words to all Americans.” He noted that American firefighters have been helping to fight Canada’s wildfires and Canadian firefighters were on the ground and in the air during California’s devastating wildfire season. …In a Wednesday news release, Wisconsin state Rep. Calvin Callahan joined other Republican state lawmakers in filing a formal complaint against Canada.

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Developer concerned $1.2B lumber support plan ‘could be read as another subsidy’

By Joshua Santos
BNN Bloomberg
August 7, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, United States

Amar Doman

Prime Minister Mark Carney’s decision to offer over a billion dollars for Canada’s softwood lumber industry has a developer concerned funds will be perceived as subsidies causing uncertainty for exporters relying on business with the United States. “I think the Prime Minister is doing what he can and trying to put his arms around the industry the best he can. The problem with what he’s doing is that it could be read as another subsidy, and that’s what this whole thing is about,” Amar Doman, founder and CEO of Doman Building Materials, told BNN Bloomberg. “It’s about our stumpage system and about how we unfairly dump lumber into the states. We’ve got to be a little careful if we’re throwing more, call it money, to the sawmill industry. …we might get back into hot water and get viewed as more subsidies, and that’s not what we need.”

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Northwest mayors cheer Ottawa aid package to backstop forest industry

Northern Ontario Business
August 6, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, United States

A $1.2-billion lifeline from Ottawa that’s being thrown to the forest industry is welcome news to northwestern Ontario mayors and the Canadian Wood Council. …The 37-member Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association (NOMA) called it a “significant and timely commitment to ensuring the long-term competitiveness of the forest sector” and comes at a crucial time when local jobs, economic growth and municipal stability is on the line. …“These measures recognize the vital role of forestry in Northwestern Ontario and across Canada,” said Marathon Mayor and NOMA president Rick Dubas in a statement, “helping our sector adapt to ongoing trade challenges, protect local jobs, and create opportunities for both Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities.”

In related coverage:

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Tariff Rate Quotas: A New Strategy for Canada-US Trade Talks

Canadian Politics and Public Policy
August 6, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, United States

Fen Osler Hampson

In the aftermath of the decision by the US to ratchet up tariffs to 35% on all non-CUSMA-compliant Canadian exports, Canada finds itself at a crossroads. …Automobiles and softwood lumber are also in his crosshairs. Unless there is a breakthrough in talks soon, or relief through successful court challenges… further trouble may arise unless we adjust our strategy. The time has come for Canadian negotiators to consider redirecting talks away from tariffs to tariff rate quota-based (TRQ) trade. …By their nature, tariffs are blunt instruments. When the US slaps a 35% duty at the border, Canadian producers do not recoup any benefit; rather, it is the US Treasury that lines its pockets. Quotas, on the other hand, set a ceiling for managed trade. …BC Premier David Eby has called for TRQs instead of tariffs on BC lumber exports to the US. The same principle should be applied to Canadian exports in steel, aluminum, and autos.

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International solidarity is always the answer

By Marty Warren, Canada National Director
United Steelworkers
August 7, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada

For us Steelworkers, international solidarity runs deep in our veins. It is the lifeblood of our union… Currently, we are facing tremendous challenges on both sides of the border. Here in Canada, our jobs are facing a great deal of uncertainty and the cost of living has continued to rise, with little affordable housing available in the backdrop of a contracting economy. Members and people across Canada more generally are worried and reasonably so. In the U.S., hundreds of thousands of jobs are being cut from the public sector, rights are being rolled back with each passing day, immigration raids are terrorizing communities and life is growing more expensive, worsened by an ongoing trade war. That is why our union has taken on this tariff fight with such gusto. …I have worked alongside USW International President Dave McCall and [others] on the issue of the reckless tariffs levied against Canada by U.S. President Donald Trump.

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Carney hints at dropping some US tariffs if it will help Canadian industries hit by trade war

By Catharine Tunney
CBC News
August 5, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, United States

Mark Carney & Nick Arkle

Prime Minister Mark Carney showed no signs of retaliating against U.S. President Donald Trump’s increased tariffs — and even suggested he’s open to removing existing tariffs if it would help Canadian industries. …”We’ve always said we will apply tariffs where they had the maximum impact on the United States and minimum impact in Canada,” said Carney when asked why Canada hasn’t fired back against the new tariff rate. Prime Minister Mark Carney said he hadn’t ‘spoken to the president in recent days’ as Canada and the US are still without a trade deal. ….”So we don’t automatically adjust. We look at what we can do for our industry that’s most effective. In some cases that will be to remove tariffs.” …Carney floating the idea of dropping tariffs is notable after Trump granted Mexico a 90-day pause on tariff hikes with the goal of signing a new deal.

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BC veneer manufacturer accuses government of hypocrisy over promoted product

By Simon Little & Richard Zussman
Global News
August 8, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

A BC manufacturer that says it’s facing closure is accusing the provincial government of hypocrisy after the premier recently touted a product it had a hand in. BC Veneer Products provided the wood fibre that UBC designers used to fabricate a soccer ball out of innovative “wood leather,” something which Premier Eby promoted while on a June trade mission to Japan. …The problem, Gunia explained, is the company hasn’t been able to secure more logs to keep his plant and its 17 employees working. The forestry company he works with on Vancouver Island has already reached its maximum allowable cut for the year. The operator has another block it can harvest in January, but Gunia says that will be too late. …Gunia said his company’s troubles are particularly galling, given the emphasis the premier and the province have put on promoting value-added wood products.

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Kalesnikoff recognized for role in federal housing strategy

By Storrm Lennie
My Kootenay Now
August 7, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

Kalesnikoff Mass Timber has been recognized by the federal government for its role in advancing Canada’s housing goals. In June, Kalesnikoff opened North America’s first mass timber pre-fabrication and modular facility, expanding its product for use in multi-storey affordable and market housing, schools, workforce housing, and more. The facility aligns closely with Prime Minister Mark Carney’s new Build Canada Homes Program, which he discussed during a stop in Kelowna on Aug. 5. Carney plans to launch the program this fall, offering federal financing to homebuilders who use Canadian materials, as the government aims to develop around 500,000 homes per year. He praised Kalesnikoff as a catalyst for this effort, while announcing several other initiatives aimed at increasing housing supply and market diversification – including a $25-billion commitment for private builders who prioritize Canadian materials in housing and infrastructure projects.

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Lumber producers praise federal plan to diversify markets amid trade war with U.S.

By Jeffrey Jones
The Globe and Mail
August 8, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

Eric Johnson

Russ Taylor

Bruce St. John

Canada’s softwood lumber industry is welcoming a $1.2-billion federal support package that promotes diversifying the country’s trading partners as the trade war with the U.S. drags on, but officials caution that exporters cannot completely extricate themselves from their closest and largest market. …Resolving the long-running trade dispute with the U.S. remains a top priority, but the new measures will make sure mills keep operating and employees keep working, said Eric Johnson, the vice-president of federal government relations with the Forest Products Association of Canada. …However, Vancouver-based forestry analyst Russ Taylor said global market diversification is a long-term objective for an industry that is under pressure today. …Mr. Carney referenced Canada Wood Group for its success over the past two decades promoting wood-based construction in Asia, which lags North America in terms of that building method. …Bruce St. John, Canada Wood’s president, said he is optimistic after the Prime Minister’s comments. [A Globe and Mail subscription is required for full access]

Related content in the Campbell River Mirror by Robin Grant: Campbell River mayor calls for urgent action to support struggling B.C. forestry industry

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Fire out at Kalesnikoff Lumber

By Greg Nesteroff
My Kootenay Now
August 6, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

CASTLEGAR, BC — No one was injured in a fire at Kalesnikoff Lumber this afternoon, but damage is described as “significant.” Tarrys Fire Chief Greg Patterson said five fire departments responded to the call at about 1 p.m. and spent three hours on the scene. The sawmill’s own fire brigade did their own initial attack, which was “a great benefit.” The cause was a fan bearing that overheated in a mechanical room at the southeast corner of the mill, Patterson said. Radiant heat spread the fire into walls. …“There’s definitely some significant damage to the mill, but things that can be repaired and replaced, and the structure itself is still sound.” …Castlegar provided aerial apparatus to give firefighters the height they needed to attack the fire. Patterson said Kalesnikoff is assessing the damage, but he didn’t think that it would prevent the mill from continuing to operate.

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‘Great News – But Not Enough’: B.C. Leaders Weigh In on Federal Lumber Aid”

By Jeff Andreas
Radio NL 610 AM
August 6, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

British Columbia’s forestry leaders offer a mix of praise and caution following the announcement of federal aid for Canada’s lumber industry. While both welcomed the support, they emphasized the urgent need for fiber access and resolving the US trade dispute. B.C. Forestry Minister Ravi Parmar called the federal funding package “really good news” and a long-overdue show of federal support for a sector that has long felt sidelined in Ottawa. …Parmar emphasized that B.C., as the world’s second-largest exporter of softwood lumber, must receive a proportional share of the funding to modernize its mills and build new global partnerships. …B.C. Conservative forestry critic Ward Stamer, welcomed the funding as a positive sign of federal commitment but warned that the underlying problems plaguing B.C.’s forestry industry remain unaddressed. …“It shows the federal government understands how important the forest industry is not just to B.C., but to the whole country,” said Stamer.

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Finance & Economics

Interfor reports Q2, 2025 net earnings of $11.1 million

Interfor Corporation
August 7, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: Canada, United States

BURNABY, BC — Interfor recorded net earnings in Q2’25 of $11.1 million compared to a net loss of $35.1 million in Q1’25 and a net loss of $75.8 million Q2’24. Adjusted EBITDA was $17.2 million on sales of $780.5 million in Q2’25 versus Adjusted EBITDA of $48.6 million on sales of $735.5 million in Q1’25 and an Adjusted EBITDA loss of $16.7 million on sales of $771.2 million in Q2’24. …North American lumber markets over the near term are expected to remain volatile as the economy continues to adjust to changing monetary policies, tariffs, labour shortages and geo-political uncertainty. …Overall, the Company is well positioned to navigate this volatility with a diversified product mix in Canada and the US, with approximately 60% of its total lumber produced and sold within the US Ultimately, only about 25% of the Company’s total lumber production is exported from Canada to the U.S. and exposed to duties and any potential tariff.

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Western Forest Products reports Q2, 2025 net loss of $17.4 million

Western Forest Products Inc.
August 7, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: Canada, United States

VANCOUVER, BC – Western Forest Products reported its second quarter 2025 financial results. Highlights include: Revenue of $289.1 million (versus $309.5 million in the second quarter of 2024, and $262.5 million in the first quarter of 2025); Adjusted EBITDA of $0.5 million in the second quarter of 2025 (versus $9.4 million in the second quarter of 2024, and $3.5 million in the first quarter of 2025; Net loss was $17.4 million in the second quarter of 2025, as compared to a net loss of $5.7 million in the second quarter of 2024, and net income of $13.8 million in the first quarter of 2025. …Markets in North America are expected to be volatile through the third quarter of 2025 as softwood lumber duties have increased significantly. Persistently high interest rates, low consumer confidence and general economic uncertainty are leading to a slower pace in repairs and renovations, and housing activity. Expectations are for this trend to continue throughout the third quarter of 2025.

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Our leaders keep talking about the housing crisis. So why on earth are we building way fewer homes?

By Mike Moffatt
The Hub
August 6, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: Canada

The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) has just issued a sobering warning to policymakers regarding the state of Canadian housing. Yet, governments do not appear to be getting the message, nor do they seem willing to take the necessary steps to address the crisis. In their Summer 2025 outlook, the CMHC forecasts that housing starts will fall to 220,000 units by 2027, a nearly 20 percent reduction from 2021’s levels, which exceeded 270,000 units. This forecast is 13,000 homes lower than in their February 2025 release and comes under the backdrop of a Liberal government that promised to “double Canada’s current rate of residential construction over the next decade to reach 500,000 homes per year.” The forecasted decline is almost entirely isolated to British Columbia and Ontario. …Demand from homebuyers has declined substantially, as a combination of a weak economy and the post-2021 rise in interest rates has made purchasing new homes unattractive.

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Taiga Building Products reports Q2, 2025 net earnings of $15.1 million

Taiga Building Products Ltd.
Cision Newswire
August 8, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: Canada, Canada West

BURNABY, BC — Taiga Building Products reported its financial results for the three and six months ended June 30, 2025. The Company’s sales for the quarter ended June 30, 2025 were $441.0 million compared to $427.8 million over the same period last year. The increase in sales by $13.1 million or 3% was largely due to a higher average pricing as well as product mix over the quarter.  Net earnings for the quarter increased to $15.1 million from $13.9 million over the same period last year primarily due to increased gross margin dollars. …The Company’s consolidated net sales for the six months ended June 30, 2025 were $840.9 million compared to $821.5 million over the same period last year.  Net earnings for the six months decreased to $24.9 million from $26.7 million.

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Acadian Timber reports Q2, 2025 net income of $2.7 million

Acadian Timber Corp.
August 6, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: Canada, Canada East

EDMUNDSTON, New Brunswick – Acadian Timber reported financial and operating results for the three months ended June 28, 2025. “During the second quarter, Acadian delivered mixed results,” said Adam Sheparski, CEO. …Acadian generated sales of $17.1 million, compared to $41.2 million in the prior year period. The second quarter of 2024 included $19.7 million in carbon credit sales, while no carbon credit sales occurred in the second quarter of 2025. Acadian generated $0.8 million of Free Cash Flow during the second quarter and declared dividends of $5.2 million or $0.29 per share to our shareholders. …While the second quarter of the year is traditionally our weakest due to seasonal operating conditions, operating activity in Maine was impacted by prolonged wet conditions which significantly delayed the commencement of deliveries in the spring.

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Cascades reports Q2, 2025 net loss of $3 million

Cascades Inc.
August 7, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: Canada, Canada East

KINGSEY FALLS, Quebec — Cascades reported its unaudited financial results for the three-month period ended June 30, 2025. Q2 2025 Highlights include: Sales of $1,187 million (compared with $1,154 million in Q1 2025 and $1,180 million in Q2 2024); Operating income of $36 million (compared with $50 million in Q1 2025 and $34 million in Q2 2024); Net loss per common share of ($0.03) (compared with net earnings per common share of $0.07 in Q1 2025 and net earnings per common share of $0.01 in Q2 2024); and Adjusted earnings (EBITDA of $137 million (compared with $125 million in Q1 2025 and $112 million in Q2 2024). Cascades CEO Hugues commented, “We are anticipating third quarter performance to be slightly higher sequentially. 

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Wood, Paper & Green Building

Investigating structural interactions in one-story segmented CLT shear walls: The role of floors, parapets, and lintels

By University of BC and FPInnovations
Science Direct
August 8, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada, Canada West

Many numerical and experimental investigations have explored the behavior of CLT shear walls under lateral loads; however, there remains a gap in understanding the effect of structural interactions between wall panels and other structural elements, such as floors, parapets, and lintels in case of segmented CLT shear walls subjected to lateral loads. This study investigates the influence of these interactions on the lateral response of single-story multi-panel segmented CLT shear walls. For this purpose, various detailed numerical models that include floors, lintels and parapets are employed. The nonlinear behavior of connections is calibrated against existing test data to validate the accuracy of the finite element models in reproducing the hysteretic behavior of previously tested segmented CLT shear walls. 

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George Brown College project helps drive Ontario’s mass timber construction strategy

By Robin MacLennan
Ontario Construction News
August 8, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada, Canada East

TORONTO — George Brown College’s (GBC) Limberlost Place has helped trigger major changes to Ontario’s building codes and is playing a key role in the province’s strategy to grow its mass timber construction sector, college officials say. The 10-storey academic building—Canada’s first institutional structure made from mass timber and designed to achieve net-zero carbon emissions—has served as a catalyst for the Ontario government’s Advanced Wood Construction Action Plan, unveiled on June 26. The action plan outlines four goals: Promote awareness and use of advanced wood construction; Remove regulatory barriers in codes and standards; Stimulate innovation and investment in advanced manufacturing; and Showcase successful projects to build industry confidence. Limberlost Place embodies all four goals. …By demonstrating the viability and benefits of mass timber at scale, George Brown College has positioned itself—and Ontario—as a leader in sustainable construction and advanced wood manufacturing.

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Mayor’s mass timber motion receives unanimous support from Halifax council

By Glenn MacDonald
The Chronicle Herald
August 6, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada, Canada East

There may have been dissension surrounding the Morris Street bikeway, but the Halifax mayor and regional council found common ground with mass timber. Mayor Andy Fillmore tabled a motion at Tuesday’s council meeting to direct the chief administrative officer to prepare a staff report that, with changes to land-use bylaws and amendments to a municipal planning strategy, would knock down barriers to mass timber construction to help expedite housing builds. That would include the potential to increase the height of built-form requirements from 10 to 12 storeys for mass timber construction. The motion passed unanimously. “The principal reason (for supporting the mayor’s motion) is that this unlocks some newfound potential in local supply,” Coun. Jean St-Amand (Bedford-Wentworth) said. “I think that’s something that can have a very positive impact to the acceleration of our ability and our capacity to build.

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Ontario’s prefab wood industry poised to deliver 24,000 homes annually — without new infrastructure

By Mike Phillips, Ontario Structural Wood Association
Ontario Construction News
August 7, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada East

In recent years, a growing number of reports and policy papers have proposed solutions to address Ontario’s short- and medium-term housing needs — pointing to off-site prefabrication as a key part of the solution. The Ontario Structural Wood Association (OSWA) believes there is already a cost-effective, immediate solution: using the existing capacity of the light wood framing (LWF) industry. What the industry needs is not more infrastructure, but a clear signal in the form of orders — and a commitment that those orders will continue, to support investments in manufacturing platforms. With that assurance, we can build what is needed. To demonstrate that Ontario already has this production capacity, OSWA conducted a survey of the LWF industry in spring 2025, with a particular focus on panel manufacturing. 

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Forestry

Over 6.8B seedlings needed to restore just 15% of forests destroyed in 2025, 2024 & 2023 wildfires

Canadian Tree Nursery Association
August 11, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada

New data revealing the escalating scale of Canada’s forest restoration challenge following three consecutive record-breaking wildfire seasons was unveiled at the Canadian Tree Nursery Association-Association Canadienne des Pépinières Forestières (CTNA-ACPF) second Annual General Meeting. “The scale of destruction in 2023, 2024, and now 2025, is taking a tragic toll on Canadian communities and our forests” stated Rob Keen, Executive Director of the CTNA-ACPF. “We now require over 6.8 billion seedlings to restore just 15% of the forests lost to these catastrophic wildfires. This is not just an environmental crisis, the economic and social costs require immediate action from our Prime Minister, Premiers, and Forest Ministers.”

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Canada’s 2025 wildfire season now second-worst on record, fuelled by Prairies blazes

By Jordan Omstead
Canadian Press in CityNews Everywhere
August 8, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada

TORONTO — Canada’s 2025 wildfire season is now the second-worst on record. The latest figures posted by the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre suggest the fires have torn through 72,000 square kilometres, an area roughly the size of New Brunswick.That surpasses the next worst season in 1989 and is about half the area burned during the record-setting 2023 season, according to a federal database of wildfire seasons dating back to 1972. Climate change, driven by the burning of fossil fuels, has made Canada’s fire season longer and more intense, scientists say. The last three fire seasons are all in the 10 worst on record. “We really need to do a lot more to manage our forest, to reduce the impact of climate change and better prepare the communities that are at risk,” said Anabela Bonada, managing director of climate science at the Intact Centre on Climate Adaptation at the University of Waterloo.

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As Miles of Forests Burn and Wildfires Spread, Canada Brings In the Military

By Ian Austen and Amy Graff
The New York Times
August 7, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada

With wildfires forcing evacuations from Vancouver Island on the Pacific Coast to Newfoundland in the North Atlantic, Canadian officials were mustering additional resources on Thursday to help provinces cope with the blazes and the disruption. Eleanor Olszewski, Canada’s emergency management minister, announced on social media Thursday morning that the armed forces and the Coast Guard would assist the island province of Newfoundland in fighting blazes. Three out-of-control fires forced the evacuation of 900 people in the province on Thursday. Some provinces have moved this week to limit activities like hiking that could spark additional blazes, with forecasts indicating it is unlikely that sufficient rain would fall in regions plagued by out-of-control fires. Canada’s national fire threat level has been at 5, the highest danger rating, since late May. About 7.1 million hectares, or 27,000 square miles, of forest have burned so far this season in the country. [to access the full story a NY Times subscription is required]

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It’s time for the feds to intervene on wildfire fighting efforts

By Allison Smith
Toronto Today
August 6, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada

Growing up in the Greater Toronto Area, smog days were par for the course. …We’ve traded our smog days for smoke days. …Improving wildfire response should be an imperative of Prime Minister Mark Carney and his newly formed government. …Wildfires will burn no matter how many waterbombers Canada has, but there is no question there would be fewer homes destroyed, less First Nations forced to evacuate and fewer air quality alerts issued if Saskatchewan had 600 aircraft in action right now, rather than six. …Let’s turn this whole country into a waterbomber assembly line. The demand isn’t going anywhere — domestically or internationally. …In the meantime, the federal government needs to ramp up funding transfers to the provinces for wildfire fighter and pilot training programs and equipment purchases. …Getting forest fires under control is also an act of sovereignty. 

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MLA’s Corner: Forestry concerns persist province-wide

By Lorne Doerkson, B.C. Conservative MLA for the Cariboo-Chilcotin
Williams Lake Tribune
August 10, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

Lorne Doerkson

I have deep and serious concerns regarding the state of the forest industry in British Columbia… Recently, the mayor of Campbell River wrote an open letter to Premier David Eby regarding the distressing decline of the coastal forestry sector. …But it’s not only coastal forestry – it’s the whole sector. …The forest industry doesn’t just create direct employment – it supports a wide range of spin-off jobs and provides critical economic benefits. …But in the past three years, we have seen the lowest sector revenue since the 2008-2010 Depression. It was only back in 2020 that our forestry revenue was $1.2 billion, but the 2025-26 budget projects $639 million. Harvest approvals that once took six months now take two years or more. …At a time when the cost of delivering healthcare, education, and public safety continues to rise, this shortfall places an unsustainable burden on British Columbians.

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Canoe Forest Products planning salvage harvest of Douglas fir killed by beetles

By Luc Rempel
Castanet
August 9, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

Canoe Forest Products in Salmon Arm wants to salvage beetle-kill Douglas fir from the East Canoe Creek Community Watershed. “Those red crowns are dead Douglas fir trees, the result of Douglas fir beetle infestations,” Canoe’s Ray Mills said. …He told council Canoe previously undertook a similar salvage operation to harvest beetle-killed Douglas fir in 2020. …Mills said the harvested trees would provide a local economic boost as well as since Canoe Forest Products would mostly use the Douglas fir harvested. “So some cedar will go to Downey in Revelstoke,” he said. “Solid components that we don’t utilize could go to Adams Lake, could go to Tolko in Armstrong, some will go down to Gorman brothers, which is our parent company in West Bank.” …“I really appreciate the approach that Canoe is taking on this,” said Coun. Sylvia Lindgren.

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Alberta Forest Products Association Community Newsletter

Alberta Forest Products Association
August 8, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

Summer 2025 is as busy as ever! Many of our members are completing their tree planting season, community engagement has been in full swing, and the Alberta Forest Products Association is gearing up for our next annual general meeting. 

  • Wildfire Resources including Wildfire! From the Ground Up, a multi-part documentary series.
  • Trade Barriers: Call to Action: 6 opportunities for the Government of Alberta to support our sector
  • Love Alberta Forests
  • Wildfire Educational Series: a video series focused on sustainable forest management in wildfire mitigation
  • Work Wild
  • Caribou Research Renewal
  • Water Management
  • Forestry Talks Podcast
  • Annual General Meeting: 83rd AGM, Jasper Park Lodge, September 24-26th!

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BC Wildfire Service warns of sharing AI-generated images of fires

By Amy Judd
Global News
August 5, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

The BC Wildfire Service is warning people about sharing unverified images online of what are AI-generated images of wildfires. In a post on Facebook, the service said that while social media can be a great resource for information and updates, wildfire seasons can also be a “time of fear and anxiety and during times of concern misinformation can spread quickly and add to the uncertainty.” The post included two images, which the BC Wildfire Service said have been circulating on social media over the past few weeks. “In the photos… you can see images generated with artificial intelligence that were shared by other accounts and seemingly show recent wildfires,” the organization said. “However, they do not accurately represent the terrain, fire size or fire behaviour in the area. Someone scrolling past could believe this image is real or accurate when it is not.”

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How industrial forestry and climate change created the Nova Scotia wildfire problem

By Marc Fawcett-Atkinson and Joan Baxter
National Observer
August 8, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada East

Nina Newington was at her Save Our Old Forests logging protest camp in Nova Scotia’s Annapolis County when the woods were being closed. She would need to [leave] or risk a $25,000 fine. Nova Scotia premier Tim Huston, had banned anyone from entering the province’s woodlands until Oct. 15 or until substantial rain reduces wildfire risk. …The ban cut Newington’s efforts short, leaving her stranded at home, wondering if all their work to protect the forests was about to be undone. The same is not true for forestry operators, who have been granted special exemptions from the wildfire restrictions. …Todd Burgess, executive director of Forest Nova Scotia, said his group is “very supportive” of the ban, because the risk is so high. …But some… say industrial forestry — and the landscape changes that go along with it — are a big part of what got Nova Scotia into this situation… [A National Post subscription may be required for full access to this story]

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Restrictions placed on forestry operations in New Brunswick as Miramichi wildfire grows

By Sawyer Bogdan
Global News
August 8, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada East

MIRAMICHI, New Brunswick — In response to the increased wildfire risk, some forestry operations in New Brunswick will be restricted over the next couple of days. A release from the province’s Department of Natural Resources says the move is to protect both the forests and people living in the province. On Friday, the natural resources minister said in the release the restrictions will be on both Crown and private lands. “These measures will help protect our forests, animals, natural habitats and our communities, as well as our wildland fire crews,” John Herron said. As of midnight Friday, harvesting, forwarding, skidding, scarification, chipping and all pre-commercial thinning and cleaning are restricted until Tuesday. However, trucking, road construction and maintenance, vegetation management and tree planting are still getting the green light. These restrictions apply to all forested lands in the province, both private and Crown.

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Mining, Forestry, Reconciliation: Parliamentary Secretary Guay Brings the Conversation to Northern Quebec

Natural Resources Canada
August 6, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada East

Fostering inclusive economic development and ensuring that local communities, including Indigenous partners, benefit from these opportunities are key priorities for the Government of Canada. Today, Claude Guay, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, concluded a two-day tour of Northern Quebec, where he highlighted the importance of Quebec’s mining and forest sectors in building Canada’s supply chains and export opportunities, creating good jobs, and strengthening reconciliation… Parliamentary Secretary Guay concluded the trip with a visit to Les Chantiers Chibougamau’s Kraft Pulp Mill in Lebel-sur-Quevillon and their head manufacturing plant in Chibougamau. These sites are key examples of Quebec’s forest sector excellence and innovation in modernizing the industry, accelerating affordable housing and promoting green construction using value-added Canadian wood-based products.

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Forest Fires

Wildfires push thousands from homes in Manitoba, Newfoundland, while areas of Nova Scotia on high alert

By Temur Durrani and Mike Hager
The Globe and Mail
August 5, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada

Rapidly growing wildfires in several provinces forced thousands of people from their homes and prompted air-quality warnings in cities thousands of kilometres away, while hot and dry conditions had other areas on high alert, including Nova Scotia, where the government banned most summertime activities in wooded areas. The deteriorating conditions have added up to a wildfire season that is on track to be one of Canada’s worst on record in terms of area burned, second only to 2023. As of Tuesday, at least 15,000 people were under evacuation orders in Manitoba, largely in the province’s north, while fires on Newfoundland and Labrador’s Avalon Peninsula had forced around 600 people from their homes. Across the country, more than 760 wildfires are burning, at least 205 of them deemed out of control. About 6.8 million hectares of land have burned so far this year.

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Smoke from Wesley Ridge fire on Vancouver Island could last for months

By Wolf Depner
The Canadian Press in the Times-Colonist
August 10, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada, Canada West

VICTORIA — BC Wildfire Service said an out-of-control wildfire burning on Vancouver Island near Cameron Lake could generate smoke for the “coming weeks, and potentially the coming months.” The warning appears in a video that BCWS posted Sunday as part of a larger update on the Wesley Ridge wildfire. “The public will be seeing smoke at the height of land here on Wesley Ridge for the coming weeks, and potentially, the coming months,” said operations sections chief Beau Michaud while seen standing on a temporary helicopter landing pad fashioned out of logs. But Michaud added that he does not expect the fire to impact Highway 4 connecting communities along the western shore of Vancouver Island with communities on the eastern shore.

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B.C.’s wildfire situation remains manageable after 70,000 lightning strikes

By Mark Page
Parksville Qualicum Beach News
August 6, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada West

Forest Minister Ravi Parmar told reporters on Wednesday (Aug. 6) that in the past week, roughly 70,000 lightning strikes have hit B.C., leading to a “sudden increase” in fire activity.  He also said that the B.C. Wildfire Service has largely been able to keep the fires from spreading. So far this season, more than 850 wildfires have sparked in B.C, but the province has kept 85 per cent of them smaller than four hectares, and only 120 were active on Aug. 6. As of Aug. 11 last year, there had been more than 1,300 fires, with almost 400 still active on that date. The only current “wildfire of note” is the Wesley Ridge fire on Vancouver Island. The fire is at Cameron Lake, between Parksville and Port Alberni, and is 530 hectares in size. Evacuation orders are in place for 400 homes, and 700 more are on evacuation alert.

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Irishtown Inferno: What’s Happening with the Wildfire Near Moncton?

By Rhythm Rathi
CBC News
August 10, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada East

Firefighters from Moncton, Dieppe and Riverview battled a wildfire north of Moncton on Sunday. The rural New Brunswick community of Maple Hills, about 20 kilometres northwest of Moncton, posted on its Facebook page that it is asking some residents to “take immediate steps to prepare for a possible evacuation.” As of 10 p.m. local time, no evacuation order had been given, but the community was urging people to have personal belongings and pets ready to go. The areas most at risk, according to a map posted by the community, are those between Cape Breton Road to the north, Weisner Road to the east, Elmwood Drive to the west and Roma Way to the south. Mayor Erica Warren said in a Facebook post at about 10 p.m. that the fire remains out of control “but not travelling in the immediate direction of residences” at that time.

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Emergency crews responding to new wildfire on Burin Peninsula

By Jenna Head
CBC News
August 7, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada, Canada East

@Rushoon

Another wildfire has ignited in Newfoundland — this one on the Burin Peninsula. Provincial fire duty officer Mark Lawlor said the fire is burning in Red Harbour, about 20 kilometres north of Marystown. The Marystown Volunteer Fire Department said they’re responding to the fire alongside the Baine Harbour Fire Department, forestry workers and multiple other agencies. An evacuation order is not in place, but RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Jesse O’Donaghey said police officers are going to door-to-door in the community to alert residents, and make sure they are safe. Marystown Mayor Brian Keating told CBC News a water bomber is also on site and it looks like the fire is starting to be contained.

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Calm wildfire season in Quebec can’t keep the smoke away

By Charlotte Lepage
CBC News
August 6, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada East

The air quality has finally improved after several days of wildfire smoke hanging over much of southern Quebec. Montreal, along with several other cities in the province, were dealt an air quality advisory starting Saturday and clearing up Monday evening. But this year, the smoke causing the poor air quality isn’t coming from within the province but rather from the fires raging in the Prairies. While Quebec is seeing a rather tame wildfire season, this year is still gearing up to be another intense season for other parts of Canada. So far, 2025 has seen wildfires consume 6.5 million hectares. Last year the number totalled 5.3 million, and in 2023 — Canada’s worst wildfire season on record — a little over 16 million hectares burned.  “The thing that is quite exceptional right now is that we had three years in a row with very, very high fire activity in Canada,” said Boulanger. The three most active fire seasons since 1995 have been recorded between 2023 and 2025, he said.

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