Region Archives: Canada

Special Feature

Nathanson, Schachter & Thompson LLP’s Mark Oulton, K.C., appointed King’s Counsel

Nathanson, Schachter & Thompson LLP
May 9, 2025
Category: Special Feature
Region: Canada, Canada West

Nathanson, Schachter & Thompson LLP is proud to announce that Mark Oulton has been appointed King’s Counsel by the Lieutenant-Governor in Council, on the recommendation of the Attorney General of British Columbia. Mark was called to the bar in 2000 and is a leader in forestry and natural resource law, appearing regularly as counsel before the Forest Appeals Commission, all levels of the British Columbia Courts and the Supreme Court of Canada. Mark Oulton has long been recognized as one of B.C.’s leading public law, natural resource and commercial law barristers. His unique background has allowed him to develop a multi-disciplinary litigation practice that sits at the intersection of forestry, commercial and Indigenous law, and engages challenging and important issues at the centre of reconciliation and its intersection with the provincial economy. Only 7% of practicing B.C. lawyers can be awarded the designation of KC. 

Government of British Columbia: Outstanding B.C. lawyers receive King’s Counsel designation

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Business & Politics

Alabama Republicans are asking Commerce to set tariff rates on lumber to 60%

By Ari Hawkins
PoliticoPro
May 12, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, United States, International

Alabama Republicans are asking the Trump administration to set the duty rate on timber and lumber products to at least 60 percent, as it pursues a Section 232 investigation, according to a letter first obtained by Morning Trade. “In recent years, our $12 billion domestic cabinet industry has been devastated by unfairly traded imports of kitchen cabinets and cabinet components,” wrote Sens. Katie Britt and Tommy Tuberville, as well as Reps. Barry Moore, Gary Palmer, Mike Rogers, Dale Strong and Robert Aderholt in a note sent Thursday to Lutnick and Undersecretary of Commerce for Industry and Security Jeffrey Kessler. The Alabama Republicans note that the U.S. kitchen cabinet industry supports 250,000 jobs around the country and 5,000 in Alabama, and warn some U.S. manufacturers are operating at as low as 30 percent capacity. [to access the full story a PoliticoPro subscription is required]

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Trump’s tariffs on Canada may stay, but stronger ties possible: US envoy

By Sean Boynton
Global News
May 11, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, United States

President Trump’s tariffs on Canada may not be “totally removed” under a future trade agreement, the US ambassador says, but the two countries are on the path toward a stronger relationship. Pete Hoekstra, who serves as Trump’s envoy to Canada, says there are opportunities to secure new economic and security partnerships on the foundation set by Prime Minister Mark Carney’s visit to the White House last week. …“We had a few rough months and those types of things. But we have strong economic ties, we have strong national security ties, we have personal ties. … There is so much to this foundation. …However, Hoekstra said Canada should expect some level of tariffs on its exports under a new trade deal, even a rate lower than the ones it currently faces. He pointed to the new framework with the United Kingdom announced last week.

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Can Carney’s $26bn prefab housing solution solve Canada’s housing crisis?

By Candyd Mendoza
Canadian Mortgage Professional
May 9, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada

Now that the Liberals have secured another term in office, the big question is whether they can deliver on their ambitious promises, particularly a $26 billion push into prefabricated homes through a new agency called Build Canada Homes (BCH). The plan includes $25 billion in debt financing and $1 billion in equity for Canada’s prefab and modular homebuilders. The goal is to cut construction times by as much as 50%, reduce costs by 20%, and lower emissions by 22% compared to traditional building, while using Canadian technologies like mass timber and softwood lumber. BCH also plans to issue bulk orders to manufacturers, aiming to create steady demand and boost apprenticeships to strengthen the skilled trades workforce. …A problem, Kevin Lee, CEO of the Canadian Home Builders’ Association explained, is that Canada’s housing market is prone to dramatic ups and downs. Prefab requires large upfront investments in facilities and overhead, and that’s risky when market demand fluctuates. 

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BC premier says softwood lumber accord could build ‘momentum’ for US trade deals

By Wolfgang Depner
The Canadian Press the Times Colonist
May 7, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, United States

VICTORIA — Resolving the softwood lumber dispute could create “momentum” for a larger trade agreement between Canada and the US, Premier David Eby says. Eby said that he and several other premiers pressed that point during a virtual meeting with Prime Minister Carney after his visit with President Trump. He said softwood lumber could present an opportunity to “lead the way in terms of opening the door to meaningful discussions that benefit both Americans with cheaper building materials … as well as growth in our economy.” The premier said it doesn’t matter if Canada and the United States resolves the softwood lumber dispute before dealing with the overall trade and tariff issue….Council of Forest Industries chief economist Kurt Niquidet said he agrees. “I think Premier Eby has been doing a good job to raise the profile of softwood lumber,” Niquidet said. “It’s not just a BC  issue, it’s a national issue.”

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It’s Not Just Trump’s Tariff War Hurting BC’s Forest Sector

By Ben Parfitt
The Tyee
May 13, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada West

Ben Parfitt

In August 2022, shortly after Canfor Corp. announced plans to … build a new high-tech sawmill in southern Alabama, local media reported that a suite of subsidies had sealed the deal to keep the company in the state. …Canfor’s investment is just one of dozens of U.S. acquisitions made in recent years by B.C.-headquartered lumber companies. …An investigation by The Tyee shows that just three of those companies — Canfor, Interfor and West Fraser — have plowed a combined nearly US$8.4 billion to buy, expand or build 59 mills in about a dozen U.S. states over the past 20 years… To unravel this story, The Tyee looked at B.C. company investments in the United States and at B.C.’s and Canada’s lumber export data over the course of nearly four decades — data that helps illuminate what brought the province’s forest industry to this critical juncture. …With duties mounting and a rapidly declining number of economically viable trees to cut down in B.C., it seems certain that growth for B.C. lumber companies lies south of the border, not here at home.

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Kitselas First Nation Expands Forestry Operations with Major Tenure Purchase

By Sabrina Spencer
Canada’s First Nations Radio (CFNR) Network
May 12, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada West

Kitselas First Nation is expanding its role in the forestry sector with the purchase of a new forest tenure from A&A Trading Ltd. The deal includes Forest License A16836 and Road Permit RP16688, giving Kitselas an annual allowable cut of just over 10,000 cubic metres. The total purchase price was just under $1.58 million and was approved by Chief and Council in July 2024. The acquisition is supported by Kitselas Development Corporation and Kitselas Forestry LP. An initial $800,000 was transferred to Kitselas in 2024, with the potential for a second distribution to fully cover the purchase. This move strengthens Kitselas’ economic position and gives the Nation more control over its lands and resources. Kitselas Forestry LP will manage the new tenure alongside existing operations, maintaining partnerships with trusted industry players.

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Port Alberni sees fresh investment amid forest sector turmoil

By Ish Sharma
The Western Investor
May 9, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

PORT ALBERNI, BC — An ambitious project to redevelop Western Forest Products former Somass mill site on the Port Alberni waterfront is moving forward, infusing fresh hope in a city hit hard by the challenges dogging the coastal forest industry. …“Exciting times for the City of Port Alberni moving forward and getting to revision an old mill site,” said Mike Fox, chief administrative officer with Port Alberni. …The amenities are needed. …The need for new housing is likely to grow as new businesses bring jobs to replace those lost by troubles in the forest sector. San Group, once Port Alberni’s key employer, filed for creditor protection last November, but the Amix Group and Canadian Maritime Engineering Ltd. are looking to expand. …Amix Marine Services recently bought 45 acres from Western Forest Products Ltd. for $7.3 million for a new marine terminal and will make Port Alberni its home port.

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We’re Hiring at Phoenix Connect!

DRS Phoenix Connect
May 12, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

Are you passionate about technology and forestry? Join our team at Phoenix Connect (a division of DR Systems) and help shape the future of forest operations. We’re looking for a Client Experience Lead to support the growth of our SaaS platform and work closely with clients to optimize their forest management practices. This dynamic role blends innovation, client service, and environmental stewardship—working alongside a collaborative and motivated team. As the Client Experience Lead, you’ll contribute directly to the evolution of Phoenix Connect—bringing fresh ideas, solving real-world challenges, and making a tangible impact. This position can be based remotely, though our head office is located in Nanaimo, BC. Phoenix Connect is a cloud-based platform designed specifically for the forestry sector. It brings together all aspects of forest management—planning, operations, reporting, and compliance—into one seamless system. Phoenix helps forestry professionals make informed decisions, stay compliant with regulations, and manage their operations more efficiently. Phoenix Connect is shaping the future of sustainable forest management.

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North Okanagan Tolko divisions taking down time

By Roger Knox
The Interior News
May 8, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada West

A lack of economical fibre will result in downtime at a pair of North Okanagan Tolko operations. Plants in Armstrong and at White Valley, near Lumby, will take approximately one week of downtime beginning as early as May 12 at Armstrong Lumber, and May 15 at White Valley. Employees have been notified. “BC regulatory and policy burden continues to impact the availability and accessibility of economic fibre,” said the Vernon-based company in an email. “We’re actively managing our log inventory, and the logs we have available are being deliberately directed to mills to make products where we can deliver the most value — accelerating our production of specialty, value-added (plywood, veneer and lamstock) and engineered wood products. “We recognize the impact this has on our employees and their families, and we will continue to provide as much notice as possible to help them manage through this uncertainty.”

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B.C. ‘engine’ driving newly sovereign Canada: Eby after First Ministers’ meeting

By Lauren Collins
Victoria News
May 8, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

David Eby

Premier David Eby says he thinks B.C. will be the “engine of a newly revitalized sovereign-growing Canada.” Eby’s comments came May 8 after the virtual First Ministers’ meeting with Prime Minister Mark Carney and provincial and territorial leaders. … Eby said he and the other premiers emphasized to Carney that softwood lumber is a “momentum builder.” …Eby said there was a growing consensus among major timber-producing provinces that there’s an opportunity for an agreement with the U.S. as one of the early opportunities to reset the trading relationship with the country. He said he sees a strong future for B.C. and a united Canada “that’s standing on our own two feet.” …”It’s very hard to predict what [Trump is] going to do, very unpredictable in terms of things he tweets, and then what happens and the tariffs are imposed and they’re taken off.”

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Biochar could put Espanola on the comeback trail

By Ian Ross
Northern Ontario Business
May 9, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada East

A leading clean-technology company looks to be the first tenant of a proposed bio-hub complex at the former Espanola pulp and paper mill. CHAR Technologies is focusing on setting up shop at the idled Espanola site to produce renewable natural gas and a bio-coal product from residual wood waste. The innovative Toronto company has teamed up with the BMI Group, the property’s pending new owners, to be co-developers in creating a renewable energy production facility at the mill site, now being dubbed Bioveld North. BMI is in the process of buying the property from Domtar, which closed the mill in 2023. The deal is expected to close this month. Last week, the two companies inked a “strategic partnership” agreement that involves BMI making a $2-million investment in CHAR to become a major shareholder and help fast-track CHAR’s flagship Thorold facility into commercial production later this year.

Related coverage: New products, new name, new life for the Domtar Mill in Espanola

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Ontario plans to impose new planning rules on municipalities to boost housing

By Colin D’Mello & Isaac Callan
Global News
May 8, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada East

The Ford government is planning to impose new rules on how local governments greenlight development projects, pushing the changes on municipalities as the province struggles to meet its self-imposed goal of building 1.5 million homes by 2031. The government is relying on a series of changes to Ontario’s planning rules, like reducing studies developers have to undertake and standardizing development charges, in a bid to speed up homebuilding. Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Rob Flack is set to table the legislation next week, with changes including reducing requirements for builders to conduct some municipally-focused studies, allowing builders to bypass some city committees and a raft of changes to the fees developers pay to local governments. …The legislation would give the Ford government the ability to pare down the list of requirements for a development application, establish which studies would be required and force municipalities to accept certified studies presented by the developer.

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Finance & Economics

How major global and economic sectors are reacting to US tariff policy

Window + Door – National Glass Association
May 12, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: Canada, United States, International

The effects have been felt by building industries in terms of increased costs, disrupted supply chains and economic uncertainty. Last week’s webinar, “Trump’s Tariffs: Transition or Turmoil?… focused on the near-term effects of tariffs, how trade environments have shifted in response, and what the next steps of the Trump Administration might be. …Ari Hawkins, a Politico trade reporter, agreed that the administration is likely looking to the USMCA renegotiations to “really get into the weeds of a lot of these tariff disputes” with Canada. …Hawkins says that further Section 232 investigations could lead to new tariffs in the coming months on a range of products, including semiconductors, lumber and critical minerals. While the administration might make exemptions on materials like lumber before those investigations are completed, Hawkins says, they are still likely to face the Section 232 tariffs as part of the administration’s focus on incentivizing manufacturing and development within the US.

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Lumber prices continue to drop with wood market cautious amid tariff uncertainty

By Joe Pruski
RISI Fastmarkets
May 12, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: Canada, United States

The downward price slide of recent weeks was unabated across most framing lumber species. Uncertainty surrounding the economy and potential new developments in US trade policy contributed to a cautious market tone. Many traders lamented that they anticipated at least a modest decline in mortgage interest rates by now that has not materialized. With discounts cutting deeper across most species, the Random Lengths Framing Lumber Composite Price tumbled $14. That’s the composite’s first double-digit drop since April 2024. Downward price pressure intensified across the South. …Competitively priced Western S-P-F crept deeper into traditional Southern Pine markets, especially lower grades, which contributed to the downward price pressure on SYP. …Lumber futures settled sharply higher on Thursday after a prolonged downward trend.

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Sawmill Execs: Wild Wood Prices Ahead

By Ryan Dezember
The Wall Street Journal
May 10, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: Canada, United States

Executives at two of North America’s lumber producers said they are bracing for volatile wood prices this building season before sharply higher US duties on Canadian lumber kick in. Despite President Trump’s threats, his April 2 tariff barrage didn’t hit Canadian lumber. Nonetheless, duties related to a long-running trade dispute are set to more than double later this year. Canfor and Interfor are not sure there won’t also be additional levies tied to Trump’s March 1 order for an investigation into the national security threat of imported wood. …Canfor’s Susan Yurkovich said “Either people won’t be able to access their products and there’ll be a slowdown… or there will be a price response, which also, of course, will have an impact on affordability.” …Interfor’s Bart Bender said he expects volatile pricing this spring and summer while sawmills figure out what sort of increases buyers will bear. [to access the full story a WSJ subscription is required]

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Interfor Corporation reports Q1, 2025 net loss of $35 million

Interfor Corporation
May 8, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: Canada, United States

Interfor recorded a Net loss in Q1’25 of $35.1 million compared to a Net loss of $49.9 million and a Net loss of $72.9 million. Adjusted EBITDA was $48.6 million on sales of $735.5 million in Q1’25. …Notable items include: Lumber prices increased during Q1’25 as reflected in Interfor’s average selling price of $712 per mfbm, up $53 per mfbm versus Q4’24; lumber shipments totalled 863 million board feet, representing a 77 million board foot decrease over the prior quarter. The decrease primarily relates to the sale of the Quebec operations, weather-related curtailments and shipment delays resulting from tariff uncertainty. …The Company is well positioned with a diversified product mix…only about 24% of the Company’s total lumber production is exported from Canada to the US and exposed to a potential tariff. …Interfor expects that over the mid-term, lumber markets will continue to benefit from favourable underlying supply and demand fundamentals.

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Canfor Corporation reports Q1, 2025 operating loss of $29 million

Canfor Corporation
May 8, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: Canada, International

VANCOUVER — Canfor Corporation reported its Q1, 2025 results. The Company reported an operating loss of $28.5 million for the first quarter of 2025, compared to an operating loss of $45.9 million in the fourth quarter of 2024. …These results largely reflected improved lumber segment results and, to a lesser extent, the pulp and paper segment. Canfor’s CEO, Susan Yurkovich said, “While improved lumber benchmark prices provided some relief, rising global economic and trade uncertainty, and US lumber duties, create a challenging backdrop. Through our diversified operating platform in Canada, the US South and Europe, we are positioned to mitigate these challenges, while remaining focused on what we can control. …“For our pulp business” Yurkovich added, “this was another solid quarter with improved results and a strong operational performance. However, global economic uncertainty is also putting pressure on global softwood pulp markets in the near term.”

Related coverage: Canfor Pulp reported Q1, 2025 operating income of $11 million

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Taiga Building Products reports Q1, 2025 net earnings of $9.8 million

By Taiga Building Products Ltd.
Cision Newswire
May 9, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: Canada, Canada West

BURNABY, BC – Taiga Building Products reported its financial results for the three months ended March 31, 2025 and 2024. …The Company’s consolidated net sales for the quarter ended March 31, 2025 were $400.0 million compared to $393.6 million over the same period last year. The slight increase in sales by $6.3 million or 2% was largely due to a higher average pricing as well as product mix.  Net earnings for the quarter ended March 31, 2025 decreased to $9.8 million from $12.8 million over the same period last year primarily due to decreased gross margin. EBITDA for the quarter ended March 31, 2025 was $16.7 million compared to $19.8 million for the same period last year.

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Conifex Timber reports Q1, 2025 net income of $0.6 million

By Conifex Timber Inc.
GlobeNewswire
May 12, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: Canada, Canada West

VANCOUVER, BC — Conifex Timber reported results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2025. EBITDA was $4.9 million for the quarter compared to EBITDA of negative $2.1 million in the fourth quarter of 2024 and negative $0.5 million in the first quarter of 2024. Net income was $0.6 million for the quarter versus net loss of $7.8 million in the previous quarter and negative $4.5 million in the first quarter of 2024. …lumber production in the first quarter of 2025 totalled approximately 46.3 million board feet, representing operating rates of approximately 77% of annualized capacity. …Power Plant sold 47.6 GWh of electricity under our EPA with BC Hydro in the first quarter of 2025 representing approximately 88% of targeted operating rates. 

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Wood, Paper & Green Building

Advancing mass timber: Risk mitigation and insurance strategies for a thriving sector

By Peter Caulfield
The Daily Commercial News
May 9, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada

The Canadian mass timber industry has been making great strides forward, but it has been kept from growing even faster by challenges it faces in procuring reasonably priced insurance and financing. Simon Fraser University (SFU) Renewable Cities recently released a guide that describes these challenges. Titled, Advancing Mass Timber/Risk mitigation and insurance strategies for a thriving sector, the guide presents three what it calls pathways “to help address risks, improve insurability and support a thriving mass timber industry.” Mass timber’s benefits notwithstanding, projects built with it often face higher insurance rates than traditional materials. According to the guide, “This can discourage developers from using mass timber elements…Understanding this could influence a phased approach to a building that could make it easier and cheaper to insure. “It is crucial that the insurance broker negotiating the project understands these specific issues and concerns.”

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Advance Your Career in Wood Processing with BCIT’s Industry-Driven Associate Certificate Programs

BCIT School of Construction and the Environment
May 6, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada, Canada West

Professionals working in the lumber and sawmill sector and looking to advance their careers can gain specialized training through BCIT’s Associate Certificate in Industrial Wood Processing, starting June 2025. The IWP program was developed with industry subject matter experts and informed by industry leaders to support upskilling and professional development within the sector. The program is 1-year, delivered online and part-time to allow students to balance work and studies. What sets the program apart is the expertise behind the scenes—seasoned instructors who bring decades of hands-on experience from across North America.

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Mass timber takes root in two Sudbury industrial builds

By Don Procter
Daily Commercial News
May 12, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada, Canada East

SUDBURY, Ontario — Structural steel has long been the material of choice for industrial buildings in Sudbury, but Bloomington Developments has stepped out of that comfort zone to build two industrial buildings in mass timber. The larger project is a 48,000-square-foot two-storey industrial/commercial building comprised of cross-laminated timber (CLT) that will be completed by the end of the year. …While the building will be clad in a Canadian-sourced insulated steel panel system, the interior will largely consist of exposed CLT. Danielson, says initially the Sudbury warehouse on Cambrian Heights Drive and a smaller CLT building in Herold Industrial Park were specified in steel but the pandemic struck causing steel prices to soar and supply to dwindle. “That prompted our search for alternatives,” Danielson says, noting “a cold call” to Montreal-based Nordic Structures led to collaboration with the architectural firm.

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$42M Toronto Metropolitan University Student Wellbeing Centre breaks ground

The Daily Commercial News
May 9, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada East

TORONTO — Set to rise on a tight site at the intersection of Bond and Gould streets, construction of Toronto Metropolitan University’s new Student Wellbeing Centre is officially underway. Designed by Siamak Hariri, founding partner of Hariri Pontarini Architects, the project involves preserving and restoring the heritage O’Keefe House of 1855. An eight-storey, hybrid mass-timber tower will then emerge from the former student residence and features a transparent esthetic to create an inviting appeal. Students can access medical, health, wellness and academic support services currently scattered across the university. …Exposed timber decking will be used and the project is targeting Fitwel 2-star certification, an evidenced-based measure of the built environment’s impact on human health and wellbeing. …The $42-million project is largely funded by a student health and well-being fee and will open in 2027.

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Forestry

Canada’s fire forecast looks bad. The impacts could spill across the border into the US

By Mary Gilbert, Meteorologist
CNN
May 14, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, United States

It could be another dangerously smoky summer for some in the United States as Canada prepares for a busy wildfire season with forecasts also signaling extreme heat is in store for both countries in the coming months. But when it comes to wildfire threats this season, the call is also coming from inside the house for the US: Violent wildfires have already raged in multiple states this year, millions were under red flag warnings this week and an active summer is on the horizon. In Canada, wildfires have scorched tens of millions of acres, displaced hundreds of thousands of people and killed multiple firefighters since the country’s record-breaking 2023 fire season. Some fires from the past two years also poured smoke into large population centers in Canada and the US, cratering air quality and ushering in orange-tinted, apocalyptic-looking skies. …Large wildfires produce dangerous smoke that can reach communities hundreds of miles away.

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The myth of sustainable logging: lessons from a life in the woods

By Bruce Ellingsen, director, Cortes Island Community Forest
National Observer
May 13, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

Bruce Ellingsen

I grew up in logging camps on the BC coast. …Back then, we didn’t talk about “sustainability.” …Today, that word is everywhere — but the way we’re managing BC’s forests tells a different story. We call current forestry “sustainable,” but it isn’t — not in any real or lasting way. …So how do we fix it? We start by grounding forest policy in ecology, not economics alone. If we applied this ecological rule [predator-prey systems] to forestry, it would mean taking no more than 15 to 20 per cent of the forest’s mean annual increment, its yearly growth. Not 50 per cent. Not clearcuts. A modest share allows the system to keep functioning over generations. …I know this kind of shift would have real economic impacts. I also know we’re already feeling them. Timber supply is dropping. Mills are closing. Companies are moving south. The current model isn’t just ecologically unsound, it’s economically unsustainable. [A subscription to the National Observer may be required for full story access]

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North American boreal forest holds 31 per cent more trees than thought

By Bev Betkowski
University of Alberta
May 13, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

A new University of Alberta study calculates that there are 277 billion trees in the North American boreal forest, including 30 billion in Alberta, and it could benefit climate mitigation. Estimated using a sophisticated machine learning algorithm, the numbers are 31 per cent higher than a count made through an earlier attempt in a major 2015 global study. “Our research provides by far the most accurate and credible answer to the question of how many trees are in our boreal forests,” says study lead Fangliang He, a forest ecologist and Canada Research Chair in Biodiversity and Landscape Modelling in the Faculty of Agricultural, Life & Environmental Sciences. The work fills a crucial knowledge gap that “reduces the uncertainty in estimating and managing tree density to promote forest productivity that enhances forest carbon sink potential,” he adds. “Knowing that there are 31 per cent more trees than previously estimated suggests our boreal forests have greater capacity to mitigate climate change.”

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Telkwa Caribou Road Restoration project gets funding

By Marisca Bakker
Houston Today
May 8, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

The Telkwa Caribou Road Restoration project has received a commitment of $278,257 over three years from the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation. This project will benefit the Telkwa caribou herd through the reclamation of approximately 100 kilometres of road that will according to the project, reduce interactions of caribou with predators, increase habitat availability and access for predators to alternative prey, and increase intact caribou habitat (mature, old-growth forest) into the future. Senior conservation planning biologist Laura Greene said the Telkwa caribou herd has been a conservation concern since the late 1960s. Increasing landscape change, such as logging, road-building, human settlement, etc., is what has driven the decline of the Telkwa caribou, Greene explained. Habitat alteration can result in the direct loss of habitat for caribou, a decrease in habitat quality, and/or a shift in the predator-prey dynamics, resulting in more caribou being killed by predators.

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Alberta Newsprint, West Fraser share 2025 forestry plans with Whitecourt region residents

By Brad Quarin
The Whitecourt Star
May 8, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

James Norman

Representatives of the Alberta Newsprint Company (ANC) and West Fraser and Blue Ridge Lumber met locals during joint open houses in early May. The open houses were held in Whitecourt, Edson, Fox Creek and Swan Hills so region residents could learn about forestry operations plans for this year. “Plans are pretty much business as usual,” said James Norman, ANC fibre supply superintendent on Tuesday evening. “We’re cutting about the same amount we’ve cut in the last few years, about 400,000 cubic metres a year.” The purpose of the open houses from May 5 to 8 was for locals to see plans for harvesting, road development, reforestation and herbicide treatment, according to ANC. …Meanwhile, West Fraser stated that “Blue Ridge Lumber plans to layout roughly 1.1 million cubic m of timber.” West Fraser handouts stated the company plans to plant approximately eight million lodgepole pine, white spruce and black spruceseedlings in 2025, from mid-May to late July.

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Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy

Driving Decarbonization and Cost Savings with Bio-heat

The Wood Pellet Association of Canada
May 9, 2025
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: Canada

May 14 @ 10 a.m. Pacific — Explore how bio-heat can tackle Canada’s heating challenges while reducing emissions and costs. With rising energy prices and reliance on imported fossil fuels, bioheat presents a renewable, low-emission, and economically viable alternative. Jonathan Levesque from Biomass Solution Biomasse will discuss real-life success stories, such as a Maritime church that cut heating costs by over 50 percent, showcasing the economic and environmental benefits of bio-heat. Bio-heat alleviates grid pressure, supports remote and rural energy needs, and addresses industrial heating demands. Globally, countries like Sweden and Austria demonstrate bio-heat’s potential through strong policies and incentives. Let’s “heat local” and build a cleaner, resilient energy future. (Busy schedule? You can also register and watch the webinar later.)

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Fueling Change: Bioenergy training ignites energy independence in remote communities

By the Alex Fraser Research Forest
The University of British Columbia
May 9, 2025
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: Canada West

The University of British Columbia’s Alex Fraser Research Forest in collaboration with FPInnovations, has launched the Community Bioenergy Systems Training Program. This new initiative could significantly impact energy independence in remote and Indigenous communities. This program is designed to transition communities from diesel power to sustainable, wood-based biomass energy. Registration is open for the upcoming workshops happening June 16–20, September 8–12, October 6–10, December 1–5, and January 26–30, 2026 at the AFRF in Williams Lake, BC. Key highlights include: Participants will gain practical experience operating a Combined Heat and Power (CHP) biomass plant and managing wood supply chains, equipping them to transform local energy infrastructure; the program enables communities to utilize forestry by-products like treetops and limbs for clean energy, fostering economic development and local job creation; and Tuition is waived for Indigenous participants, with travel subsidies, accommodations, and meals provided to ensure accessibility for all.

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Nova Scotia to speed up environmental reviews for clean energy projects

By Keith Doucette
Canadian Press in CBC News
May 8, 2025
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: Canada East

The Nova Scotia government is accelerating the environmental review process for a number of clean energy projects to meet its climate goals and get off coal by 2030. Under changes announced Thursday, large biomass, biogas and clean fuel projects have been changed to Class 1 from Class 2, meaning they can be approved within 50 days. The more rigorous Class 2 assessment, which can take more than two years, is now reserved for projects such as pulp mills, cement plants, incinerators and large energy plants. …Under the changes, small wood biomass projects will now be exempt from the environmental review process and will be managed through the Environment Department’s industrial approval process. …The changes come after Premier Tim Houston signalled his intent earlier this year to increase the potential of the province’s natural resources. In March, his government passed legislation to lift a moratorium on fracking and a ban on uranium mining and exploration.

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Health & Safety

New funding announced for worker safety in mining and forestry

Sudbury.com
May 13, 2025
Category: Health & Safety
Region: Canada East

Ontario’s Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) has announced $6.78 million in funding to protect people in Ontario’s natural resources sector. The funding plan was revealed during the recent Workplace Safety North annual Mining Health and Safety Conference at Science North. In what was described as a strategic, provincewide collaboration, the WSIB has partnered with Workplace Safety North (WSN) and the Institute for Work and Health (IWH) to lead a proactive campaign aimed at enhancing hygiene monitoring practices and reducing exposure to harmful workplace hazards, said the news release from WSN. …The initiative, which is spearheaded by WSN, is to focus on high-risk sectors such as mining and forestry, where workers continue to face some of the highest rates of occupational illness fatalities in Ontario. 

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Forest Fires

B.C. firefighters arrive in Manitoba to battle out-of-control wildfire

By Katherine Dow
CTV News
May 12, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada West

Dozens of firefighters from British Columbia arrived in Manitoba over the weekend to help local first responders battle an out-of-control wildfire in northern Manitoba. Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew said Friday he put out a call to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre (CIFFC) for help from other jurisdictions to fight the flames. British Columbia responded, sending 42 firefighters. “I’m just happy to say that B.C. has answered the call. We’re there for other provinces. I know they’ll be there for us,” Kinew said at a news conference Friday. According to Manitoba’s fire map, a 20,000-hectare fire west of The Pas was still burning out of control as of Monday morning. It broke out over a week ago, engulfing 100 hectares, with heavy winds and little moisture causing it to more than quadruple in size in 24 hours.

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‘We are all in this fight’: B.C. wildfire crews expected to join The Pas fire line on Monday

CBC News
May 11, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada, Canada West

Wildfire crews from British Columbia are expected to join first responders in Manitoba on Monday to help them battle the largest out-of-control blaze in the province at the moment. “We are at the place right now and, and in this season with current conditions and activity on the landscape that we can provide these couple of unit crews,” B.C. Wildfire Service spokesperson Erika Berg told CBC News on Sunday. The fire — one of two blazes north of The Pas, a town more than 500 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg … grew from 100 hectares to 6,600 within four days. Premier Wab Kinew first announced the deployment of B.C. crews in Manitoba on Friday at an unrelated news conference where he thanked the province for its support. 

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Favourable winds, suppression efforts keep large forest fire away from northwestern Ontario First Nation

CBC News
May 12, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada East

Favourable winds and provincial firefighting efforts have led to the cancellation of a stage one evacuation for Wabaseemoong Independent Nations as a large forest fire burns nearby. The fire, known as Kenora 14, was discovered on Thursday 12 kilometres from Wabaseemoong. It has since grown to more than 1,000 hectares in size, and is not under control. “We had another update meeting (Sunday) morning, and it looked promising that we won’t have to do any evacuation,” said Waylon Scott, chief of Wabaseemoong. “We were at the midst of doing a stage one evacuation, which is basically the vulnerable population.” Scott said the evacuation has now been put on hold. Chris Marchand, fire information officer with Ontario’s Aviation, Forest Fire and Emergency Services (AFFES), said southerly winds have kept the fire from advancing any closer to Wabaseemoong, and helped keep smoke out of the community.

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Ministry of Natural Resources makes progress on a 1,300-hectare forest fire

By Gary Rinne
North West Ontario News Watch
May 13, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada East

KENORA — The largest wildfire of the season in Northwestern Ontario has consumed 1,300 hectares of forest, but Ministry of Natural Resources crews have been aided by more favourable weather conditions. Heading into the weekend, there were concerns about the fire’s proximity to Wabaseemoong Independent Nations, as it was only 12 kilometres to the south and the fire was exhibiting some extreme behaviour. However, there was minimal growth on the fire’s perimeter on Saturday, and the wind changed direction, blowing from the south to direct fire activity and smoke away from the community. The MNR expects southerly winds will persist for a few days.

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Highway 11 in Northwestern Ontario closed due to forest fire

By Gary Rinne
Northwest Ontario News Watch
May 12, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada East

ATIKOKAN — A forest fire forced the closure of a section of Highway 11 in Northwestern Ontario. Ontario 511 reported the closure of both lanes of the highway at 5:27 pm EDT Monday. The road was blocked between Highway 623 at Sapawe and Highway 633 near Kawene. According to witnesses at the scene, Ministry of Natural Resources waterbombers were working steadily on the fire. The MNR estimated the fire had burned 180 hectares by 8:30 pm, and listed the outbreak as “not under control.”

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Quebec lends forest fire teams to battle blazes in Saskatchewan and Ontario

The Canadian Press in SaskNow.com
May 11, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada, Canada East

Quebec’s forest fire prevention agency says it is sending reinforcements to Ontario and Saskatchewan to help teams fight several forest and brush fires. Two CL-415 firefighting aircraft and their crews will head to Dryden, Ont., while two other of the same aircraft will head to Meadow Lake, Sask. Quebec’s forest fire prevention agency, known as SOPFEU, says the teams departed Sunday from Quebec City. The agency says the current situation in Quebec allows for resources to head to other provinces. In Ontario, there were six active fires burning across the province shortly before noon Sunday, including one in Haliburton, located about 170 km north of Oshawa, according to the Ministry of Natural Resources’ interactive map. The Saskatchewan Ministry of Public Safety map showed there were 18 active wildfires burning Sunday, for a total of 142 fires since the season began on April 1. There were 19 active fires burning in Saskatchewan on Saturday.

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Ministry of Natural Resources fire crews battling two large forest fires

By Tim Davidson
CKDR 92.7 FM Dryden
May 11, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada East

The Ministry of Natural Resources is dealing with a couple of large forest fires. Kenora Fire #14 near Whitedog has been remapped to almost one thousand hectares. Right now, the First Nation of Wabaseemoong is not being threatened, and air quality has improved with shifting winds. An Emergency Area Order has been issued for that part of the province. …In the meantime, 11 fire ranger crews have been assigned to the forest fire and four helicopters are being used. Three more aircraft have also been dispatched. The other significant fire is Dryden fire #5, which is located on Sturgeon Lake, about 62 kilometers north of Ignace. It’s currently about 70 hectares in size and not under control, but the MNR says it’s responding well to the use of water bombers.

Additional coverage in CBC News: Favourable winds, suppression efforts keep large forest fire away from northwestern Ontario First Nation

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