Region Archives: Canada

Special Feature

The 22nd Global Buyers Mission kicks off in Whistler tomorrow—uniting wood manufacturers and buyers

BC Wood Specialties Group
September 3, 2025
Category: Special Feature
Region: Canada

BC Wood is set to welcome delegates and buyers from British Columbia and around the world to the 22nd Annual Global Buyers Mission (GBM), kicking off tomorrow in Whistler, BC. This signature event brings Canadian wood manufacturers together with pre-qualified international buyers in an exclusive, business-focused environment. The GBM opens with a welcome breakfast, where Premier David Eby will address participants and officially launch the trade show. His presence underscores the critical role of BC’s wood and forestry sector in driving innovation, sustainability, and economic growth. Nearly 800 attendees are expected, a testament to the GBM’s significance in connecting Canadian producers with global markets.

New this year, a high-profile panel will analyze the impact of escalating U.S. softwood lumber duties, now raised to over 35%. Introduced by Forest Minister Parmar, the panel features Mo Amir, Nick Arkle, Liz Kovach, and Kurt Niquidet, who will provide insights on how these tariffs could disrupt supply chains, inflate costs, and reshape the industry.

On the tradeshow floor, buyers will discover Canada’s diverse range of value-added wood products, from mass timber to specialty lumber. Networking continues into the evening, with a reception at Whistler’s Roundhouse Lodge, set against the stunning mountain backdrop.

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Business & Politics

Carney says there’s hope for trade deals with U.S. but ‘don’t expect white smoke’

By Kyle Duggan
The Canadian Press in Business in Vancouver
September 4, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, United States

Marc Carney

Canada is making progress on “small” tariff deals with the US for key sectors, Prime Minister Mark Carney said after revealing he’d had a recent phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump. Carney said he spoke with Trump “at length” Monday on a wide range of issues, including trade, geopolitics and employment. He described it as a “good conversation” but also warned there is no guarantee Ottawa will secure any of the deals under discussion as the Trump administration works to squeeze the Canadian economy to obtain trade concessions. …While Carney did not specify which key sectors are the subjects of trade talks, the sectors targeted by US tariffs include steel, aluminum, forestry products and automobiles. …Carney’s cabinet met behind closed doors Wednesday at a Toronto hotel — part of its preparations for the upcoming fall sitting of Parliament and for continuing negotiations with the Americans on tariffs. 

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Mark Carney lifted some tariffs against the U.S. Was that a wise tactical move, or a bad blunder?

By Nargess Kayhani, Mount Saint Vincent University, Halifax
The Conversation
September 4, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada

Trade disputes between the United States and Canada are nothing new.  What began as two neighbouring countries seeking to expand their markets and assert economic sovereignty has evolved into a broad range of conflicts. These historical trade disputes have included accusations of unfair subsidies, protectionist tariffs, and, more recently, concerns over national security, fentanyl and border security. Softwood lumber, one of the most important items on the list of Canadian exports to the U.S., has been consistently under attack by different American administrations. …Though some might call it weakness, Prime Minister Mark Carney’s recent move to lift the retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods covered under CUSMA, while retaining tariffs on auto, steel and aluminum, is arguably a wise strategy. The end goal is to minimize economic damage to Canada. According to Carney, this tariff removal on about 85 per cent of Canada-U.S. trade is consistent with the commitment under CUSMA.

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Lumber Prices Buoyed by Big Sawmill Curtailment

By Ryan Dezember
The Wall Street Journal
September 4, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, United States

Lumber prices that have dropped more than 20% over the past month are prompting one of North America’s largest producers to throttle back output by 12%. Interfor said Thursday that it would reduce hours and reconfigure shifts as well as lengthen holiday breaks and maintenance shutdowns at its mills in Canada and the US to reduce output by about 145 million board feet through year-end. Lumber futures, which had fallen 18 of the past 22 trading sessions rose in response. …Interfor, which has headquarters in BC, is among the big Canadian sawyers that have shifted operations into the US as duties and diminished log availability have put sawmills out of the money back home. About 50% of Interfor’s capacity these days is in the US South. Another 12% is Washington and Oregon, where mills compete fiercely with Canadian rivals to sell the same species of wood. [to access the full story a WSJ subscription is required]

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Canada seeks review of softwood lumber product decision under USMCA, filing shows

By Susan Heavey and Maiya Keidan
Reuters
September 3, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada

WASHINGTON – Canada’s government joined the Canadian lumber industry in seeking a trade panel review over certain softwood lumber products from Canada under the USMCA, according to a U.S. government notice posted online on Monday. The two requests were filed with the U.S. Department of Commerce’s International Trade Association following the departments July 29 decision following its investigation into the matter, the notices posted to the Federal Register said.

[END]

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Interfor Announces Lumber Production Curtailments Across All Regions of North America

Interfor Corporation
September 4, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, United States

BURNABY, BC — Interfor Corporation announced plans to reduce its lumber production by approximately 145 million board feet between September and December of 2025, representing approximately 12% of its normal operating stance. The temporary curtailments will be through a combination of reduced operating hours, prolonged holiday breaks, reconfigured shifting schedules and extended maintenance shut-downs. The curtailments are expected to impact all of Interfor’s operating regions, with both the Canadian and US operations expected to reduce their production levels by approximately 12% each. The curtailments are in response to persistently weak market conditions and ongoing economic uncertainty. The Company will continue to monitor market conditions across all of its operations and adjust its production plans accordingly. [END]

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Canadian Institute of Forestry Announces Curtis Cook as Executive Director

Canadian Institute of Forestry
September 2, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada

Curtis Cook

Mattawa, ON – Tuesday, September 2, 2025 – The Canadian Institute of Forestry/Institut forestier du Canada (CIF-IFC) is pleased to announce the appointment of Curtis Cook as Executive Director, effective September 2, 2025. “After thoughtful consideration, the CIF-IFC is delighted to welcome Curtis Cook to the team,” says Margaret Symon, CIF-IFC President. With over twenty years of senior management and executive experience, including with non-profit organizations, First Nations, and community services, Cook brings to the Institute a wealth of experience as a motivated and innovative leader. “Curtis Cook brings to the CIF-IFC a suite of team leadership skills, as well as expertise at building beneficial relationships with partners, funders, and stakeholders,” noted Symon.

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Trump says he’s looking for swift Supreme Court ruling on most tariffs

By Kelly Malone, The Canadian Press
The Associated Press in Bloomberg
September 2, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, United States

WASHINGTON — US President Trump is indicating that he’ll ask the Supreme Court tomorrow to overturn a federal appeals court ruling that found many of his tariffs are illegal. Trump says he’ll ask the court for an expedited ruling and claims that if the duties are removed, it could be devastating for the United States. Last Friday, the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit found that Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs and his fentanyl-related duties exceeded his powers under the national security statute he used to impose them. Trump used the International Economic Emergency Powers Act of 1977 to hit much of the world with duties, even though the statute does not include the word “tariff” or its synonyms. The appeals court said that the tariffs could stay in place while the Trump administration takes the case to the Supreme Court.

In related coverage:

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Tourism operators’ bottom line burned by another summer of wildfires

By Lauren Krugel
The Canadian Press in BNN Bloomberg
September 1, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada

CALGARY — Fewer tourists are coming to Jasper, Alberta than usual this year, but it’s not for a lack of people eager to visit the picturesque Rocky Mountain town. Numbers are about as good as they can be, considering about one-fifth of the town’s overnight accommodations burned when a ferocious wildfire swept through last summer, said Tourism Jasper CEO Tyler Riopel. …As the Jasper recovery continues, tourism operators affected by wildfires elsewhere this year are struggling. Northern Saskatchewan and Manitoba have been particularly hard hit, which has taken a toll on outfitting businesses that cater to hunters and fishers. Roy Anderson, acting CEO of the Saskatchewan Commission of Professional Outfitters, said his group is surveying members to quantify the financial impact. “We’re talking millions of dollars in terms of lost revenue at a minimum,” he said.

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U.S. Court of Appeals rules many of Trump’s tariffs are illegal

By Joe Walsh
CBS News
August 30, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, United States

A federal appeals court said Friday that many of the sweeping tariffs imposed by President Trump on dozens of countries earlier this year are not legally permissible. The ruling will not immediately block the tariffs, but it marks a significant blow to Mr. Trump’s trade strategy. The US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit upheld a lower court decision that found many of Mr. Trump’s tariffs on foreign goods exceeded his power under federal economic emergency laws. However, the appellate judges vacated the lower court’s injunction blocking the tariffs altogether, directing the court to reevaluate whether universal relief is appropriate. The ruling applies to a series of April executive orders that imposed 10% baseline tariffs on virtually every country and higher “reciprocal” tariffs on dozens of trading partners. It also applies to a separate set of tariffs on goods from Canada, Mexico and China.

In related coverage:

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Conversations That Matter: British Columbia Forestry on its Knees

By Stuart McNish, Conversations That Matter
Vancouver Sun in You Tube
September 5, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

Independent of Trump’s tariffs, the US Department of Commerce increased its duty on Canadian softwood lumber from 14 to 35 percent. Kim Haakstad, the President of the BC Council of Forest Industries, says, “It’s a blow to an industry in trouble.” The war in the woods in the early 1990s led to the Forest Practices Code, which led to ongoing changes in legislation that hampered the industry and has seen more than 40,000 jobs disappear. The reasons the forestry sector is on its knees have more to do with regulations and approval processes that undermine the economics of forestry.

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A fresh look, rooted in the same commitment

Western Forest Products
September 3, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

Western is proud to launch a refreshed brand that better reflects who we are, where we’re going and what our customers, communities, and partners expect from us. Our refreshed brand is rooted in our belief that wood plays a vital role in building a more sustainable future. Wood has always been part of everyday life – in the homes we live in, the furniture we use and the warmth and comfort we seek in natural materials. At Western, we are proud to carry that legacy forward by helping meet today’s demand for beautiful, low-carbon building materials. This brand refresh is grounded in our long-term strategy and shaped by the people who make Western what it is. It reflects our continued commitment to quality, sustainability and stewardship. Explore the rest of our site to see how our refreshed brand reflects the care we put into everything we do, from forest to finished product.

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Provincial Forest Advisory Council launches website, engagement process

Provincial Forest Advisory Council
September 2, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

Shannon Janzen

VICTORIA – The Provincial Forest Advisory Council (PFAC or the council) has launched a new website where people in British Columbia can learn about the council’s work and share their input about the future of forestry in B.C. Announced in May 2025 by the Ministry of Forests, the council is an independent group of forestry experts tasked with developing recommendations for how to build a stronger, more stable forestry system that works for communities, the economy and the environment. The council’s work will focus on understanding and articulating the underlying issues facing the forestry sector and the systematic changes required to facilitate an effective transition to a new forestry model in B.C. “Through engagement with ministries across government, First Nations and targeted inquiries, were closely examining the changing conditions of B.C.’s forests and the foundation on which our forestry sector has been built,” said Shannon Janzen, Registered Professional Forester and co-chair of PFAC.

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B.C.’s unionized public service workers authorize strike to start Tuesday

By Mark Page
Oak Bay News
August 29, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada West

The union representing 34,000 B.C. public service workers (including conservation officers, B.C. Liquor Store employees and social workers) is planning to begin striking at the conclusion of Labour Day weekend if the provincial government doesn’t come forward with a better wage offer for the next two-year collective bargaining agreement. B.C. General Employees’ Union (BCGEU) President Paul Finch announced on Friday, Aug 29, that 92.7 per cent of workers voted in favour of authorizing a strike, with 86.4 per cent of eligible members voting. …The union plans to issue a 72-hour strike notice on Friday afternoon for action taking effect as early as 12:01 a.m. on Tuesday. Professional Employees’ Association (PEA) members (representing 1,800 provincial government workers such as geoscientists, foresters, engineers and psychologists) have also voted to authorize a strike and will be issuing a 72-hour strike notice alongside the BCGEU. 

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Monitor responsible for selling forestry company assets applies for more time

By Andrew Duffy
Victoria Times Colonist
September 2, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada West

The monitor overseeing the credit-protection process for San Group, a Langley-based forestry company with debts in excess of $150 million, has applied to the courts for an extension of the process in order to complete the sale of the company’s assets. Deloitte Restructuring has asked the courts to extend the process to Oct. 31. It currently expires Sept. 5. …According to the monitor’s ninth report to the courts, filed this week, the sale of three San Group properties has now closed, and only a Langley farm remains of the major assets. The sale of the Coulson Mill in Port Alberni closed June 20 with proceeds of $12.06 million, the Langley mill site closed July 15, netting $12.37 million, and the Port Alberni value-added facility sale closed July 29, netting $8.25 million. On top of that, Tradewest Asset Solutions has now completed the sale of all of San Group’s remaining inventory, which resulted in $1.178 million being added to the pile.

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Domtar to suspend operations at Maniwaki, Quebec sawmill in October

CBC News
September 3, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada East

MANIWAKI, Quebec — The Domtar sawmill in Maniwaki, Quebec, will temporarily close again next month. The company, which acquired the mill when it bought Resolute Forest Products in 2023, confirmed Wednesday to Radio-Canada that the indefinite closure will begin Oct. 10. It cited difficult market conditions and US softwood lumber duties, which rose to more than 35 per cent last month. About 120 workers at the mill lost their jobs in a previous closure that started in December 2024. The mill reopened for about 50 hours a week at the start of June. About 3,800 people lived in the western Quebec community as of the 2021 census. [END]

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Finance & Economics

Most of Canada is experiencing a new homes boom

By Joel Schlesinger
The Calgary Herald
September 4, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: Canada

Canada’s new homes market is booming with near record housing starts — with one exception, Ontario. RBC Economics recently published a study on new home starts in Canada, leveraging new data from Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. from late August. The report found that while activity across Canada has increased to 200,000 annualized starts (seasonally adjusted) this year, up from a five-year low of about 140,000 starts in May 2023, construction in Ontario has gone in the opposite direction. Despite being Canada’s largest market, including for new homes construction, Ontario has seen housing starts decline this year to about 63,000 annualized as of July. What’s more, activity has now declined about 40 per cent from record levels at the end of 2022, when the province had an annualized rate of nearly 106,000 starts. RBC noted the decline is troubling for the nation’s overall housing market, which lacks affordable housing for buyers and renters.

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Lumber Prices Are in Free Fall

By Ryan Dezember
The Wall Street Journal
September 3, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: Canada, United States

Lumber futures fell again Wednesday, dropping to their lowest prices since last autumn. …Futures for September delivery shed $6 or about 1.1%, to end at $524 per thousand board feet. Futures have now declined 18 of the past 22 trading sessions. The selloff—about 25% over the past month—is reminiscent of the wild trading in lumber during the Covid-19 pandemic [but this time] …the continuing gyrations have been driven by trade policy. Lumber buyers stocked up ahead of a big increase in the duties levied on Canadian imports. …President Trump’s threats for additional tariffs on imported wood added incentive to hoard lumber. …The $54 difference in price between lumber futures for delivery this month and those for November in midday trading was well above the cost of warehousing wood for two months and a sign that traders’ demand outlook is bleak, Stinson Dean said. [to access the full story a WSJ subscription is required]

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Weyerhaeuser Completes Sale of Princeton, BC Lumber Mill to Gorman Group

By Weyerhaeuser Company
PR Newswire
September 2, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: Canada, United States

SEATTLE — Weyerhaeuser announced the completion of the sale of its lumber mill in Princeton, British Columbia, to the Gorman Group. The transaction, which was announced in May, also includes Weyerhaeuser’s associated British Columbia timber licenses, which will transfer separately. That transfer is expected to be completed over the coming months and is subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory review. Weyerhaeuser received approximately $60 million USD upon the sale of the lumber facility, with the remainder of the transaction proceeds to be received in conjunction with the transfer of the timber licenses. 

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Lumber futures continue to fall, shed more that 20% in August

By Ryan Dezember
Wall Street Journal
September 2, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: Canada, United States

Lumber prices, which shed more than 20% in August, have continued to fall to start September, hitting their lowest price this year thanks to a glut of wood that was piled up ahead of a big increase in duties on Canadian imports. “There has clearly been a speculative inventory accumulation at every level from mills to single location lumber dealers,” said Matt Layman, who publishes Layman’s Lumber Guide “For the first time in my 40-plus year career there is indeed a wall of wood that must be liquidated.” As with many raw materials, the lumber market has been whipsawed by President Trump’s tariff threats. The White House is studying tariffs on imported lumber in the name of national security. …Any lumber tariff will come on top of duties on Canadian softwood lumber that rose to about 35% for most producers, from 15% last year.  [to access the full story a WSJ subscription is required]

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Wood, Paper & Green Building

Canada Wood Market News & Insights

Canada Wood Group
September 3, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada

The Canada Wood Group Newsletter includes these headlines and more:

  • Breakthrough Fire Approvals Achieved to Advance Midrise Wood Construction in Japan 
  • Midrise Rising in Japan – A tour of the Mocxion project, a 5-storey midrise condo in Tokyo built with Canadian SPF, Douglas Fir, and OSB.
  • Onwards and Upwards: Largest Ever Midrise 2×4 Project Completed in Kyushu  – A new 5-storey employee dormitory in Kitakyushu—Japan’s largest-ever 2×4 project—has been completed – making extensive use of Canadian SPF, plywood, and engineered wood.
  • South Korea’s Public Housing Giant Looks to Wood – South Korea’s Land and Housing Corporation (LH) is rethinking how it builds the tens of thousands of homes it delivers each year. Its new study urges timber construction as a key strategy for meeting the nation’s 2050 carbon neutrality target.
  • From Demonstration to Mainstream: How Canadian Douglas Fir is Powering China’s Heavy Timber Boom 

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BPWood brings first ignition-resistant Saferwood ThermoWood to North American market

By BPWood
The LBM Journal
September 4, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada West

BPWood, in partnership with SaferWood Thermex-FR, has announced its ThermoWood Ayous and ThermoWood Nordic Pine successfully passed independent third-party testing to achieve Class A ignition-resistant status per ASTM E2768 (E84 30-minutes) after ASTM D2898 accelerated weathering; the first available in North America. BPWood supplies ThermoWood to North America in partnership with LDCwood, a member of the International ThermoWood Association. SaferWood with Thermex-FR by Chemco, Inc., is a one-time permanent fire-retardant pressure treatment to all surfaces as required by IBC 2303.2, which renders natural and thermally modified wood ignition-resistant. Approved for exterior use, per IWUIC 503.2, in residential and commercial design and construction, in all WUI designated and FHSV zones.

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Forestry

Canada’s out-of-control wildfire crisis in six charts

By Barry Saxifrage, Climate Analyst
National Observer
September 3, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada

Fossil fuel pollution is overheating Canadian forests, spawning an out-of-control wildfire crisis. Wildfire is now incinerating four times more forest carbon than during the 1990s. …This accelerating new source of CO2 is adding to the already massive and growing emissions of CO2 caused by humans burning fossil oil, gas and coal. Canada’s continent-spanning forest is especially vulnerable to this rising heat. Its billions of trees, spread across hundreds of millions of hectares, are overheating at two to three times the global pace. …Let’s start with the 1990s. During that decade, wildfire emissions totalled 800 MtCO2. …Compare that to the most recent decade (2016-2025). Over these 10 years, wildfires released four times more carbon than they did during the nineties – a total of 3,200 MtCO2. …But wildfires also impact the climate system. And that climate impact unfolds over decades.

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Many reasons to feel cautiously optimistic about the application of AI in the Canadian forest industry

By Tony Kryzanowski
The Logging and Sawmill Journal
September 2, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada

Artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, remote piloting, and robotics are beginning to have a profound impact on the forest industry as we have known it, from forest management to log harvesting and delivery and right through to lumber production. This is only the beginning. In a recent interview, Bill Gates said that AI will have a more profound impact on humanity than the personal computer (PC) did. …From a forest management perspective, AI offers incredible potential for planning forest cutblocks and reforestation. In the face of climate change, forest companies will have no choice but to design forests that are more resilient to forest fires, pest and pathogens. The ability of AI to provide a variety of solutions in minutes, based on collating and analyzing past research, will make a forest technician’s job easier, while providing better solutions. This is a clear example of using AI for good—and we should make the most of it.

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Canada has pledged to plant 2 billion trees. Here’s how close we are

By Robin Della Corte
The Canadian Press in CP24 News
August 31, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada

The Government of Canada says it is just over a 10th of the way to its goal of planting two billion trees across the country. Launched in 2021, Canada’s 2 Billion Trees program has reached the milestone of 228 million trees planted, with agreements already in place to plant a total of nearly one billion within the coming years. As of June, 11 provinces and territories, 58 Indigenous partners, 30 municipalities and 88 non-governmental organizations has signed or are negotiating tree-planting agreements. The program aims to protect crucial wildlife habitat, restore areas impacted by wildfires and sequester carbon. …Some of these initiatives include creating at least 10 new national parks and marine conservation areas and 15 new urban parks, as well as designating 30 per cent Canada’s land and water as conservation areas by 2030. The federal government has also committed to reach an emissions reduction target of 40 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030 and net-zero emissions by 2050.

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B.C.’s late-season wildfires a serious issue, minister says, as smoke descends

By Brenna Owen
The Canadian Press in Victoria Times Colonist
September 4, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

©BCWildfireService

Drought, heat and lightning have spurred late-season wildfire activity in British Columbia, with the forests minister saying the risk of new starts and growth remains a “serious issue” and there is no relief in the short-term forecast. Ravi Parmar said the heat is expected to persist through the weekend, with temperatures reaching 10 C above seasonal in some areas. There is no significant rain in the forecast for the coming days, and another bout of lightning strikes is expected along B.C.’s coast later this week, he said. …There are about 150 active wildfires across B.C., with close to 60 classified as burning out of control. There were eight fires burning on Vancouver Island as of Wednesday night, including one discovered earlier in the day west of Parksville and just east of the Wesley Ridge fire. Four of the fires were considered under control and the others were being held.

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Regional District of Nanaimo plans $30M purchase of Hamilton Marsh south of Qualicum Beach

Parksville Qualicum Beach News
September 2, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

The Regional District of Nanaimo and Mosaic Forest Management have signed a conditional contract of purchase and sale for approximately 360 hectares of land known as Hamilton Marsh. An offer of $30 million was accepted. The sale is anticipated to be completed by March 31, 2026 if all conditions of the purchase and sale contract are met. To acquire the lands as regional parkland and conservation area, the RDN needs to secure a minimum of $7.5 million in funding through other partners. Owned by Island Timberlands and managed under Mosaic Forest Management, the Hamilton Marsh site is located south of the Town of Qualicum Beach… “We recognize the importance of Hamilton Marsh to the community, which is why we’ve entered into a conditional purchase agreement — a key step that enables the Regional District to begin working with potential funding partners toward permanent conservation of the area,” said D’Arcy Henderson, Senior Vice President, Timberlands and Chief Operating Officer, Mosaic Forest Management 

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A walk through the Cai Creek watershed, about to be logged

By Neighbours United
Nelson Star
August 29, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

Local forests like Cai Creek, rich in biodiversity, cultural heritage, and tourism value, are disappearing across the province. …The at-risk cutblock is situated in the Cai Creek drainage area, just east of Crowsnest Highway 3, above Ootischenia.The hike was led by Matt Casselman, a local biologist and founder of the Save Cai Creek campaign. …“Cai Creek is a mostly intact watershed with no resource roads or recent logging, something that is increasingly rare in the West Kootenays. Intact forests should be protected because they offer areas of refuge for wildlife, and are more resilient to climate change,” says Casselman. …“The BCTS logging and road plans for Cai Creek extend across the whole drainage and will irreversibly disrupt the forest and its ecosystems,” says Casselman. …However, Cai Creek is not considered old growth by the Ministry of Forests and has no protections from logging.

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New forestry group ‘branching’ out

The Columbia Valley Pioneer
September 2, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

A new forestry organization is branching out in its goal to become an ‘impartial’ provider of information pertaining to the role forestry plays in all walks of life. Steve Kozuki from Forestry Works for BC Society gave a presentation to the Regional District of East Kootenay (RDEK) to let directors know what the group hopes to accomplish. Kozuki said the forest sector has been the recipient of a lot of criticism over the years, with people getting the idea that forests are disappearing or being logged out of existence, which is “not true.” But he noted the sector shares common concerns about climate change, housing and health care. Kozuki said the Society wants to get non-forest sector people involved in the industry which has promoted the financial and economic benefits of forestry and the jobs it provides. …He … reminded regional directors that “we all depend on a strong forest sector.”

Similar coverage in the Penticton Herald: ForestryWorksForBC makes another case for forestry

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A wildfire in southern Ontario burns differently. Here’s why

By Rebecca Gao
The Narwhal
September 3, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada East

Air quality warnings are becoming a feature of Ontario summers, but for most, the source has felt far away. As southern Ontarians stayed indoors … under air quality warnings this summer, fires closer to home ignited. In July and August, the province experienced a number of wildfires in places including the Kawarthas, a couple hours northeast of Toronto, and near the town of Huntsville, in the cottage country region of Muskoka. Farther north, First Nations communities like the Pikangikum First Nation and North Spirit Lake First Nation were evacuated due to wildfires and smoke… How do wildfires in southern Ontario stack up to the massive fires farther north, and what can be done? Here’s what you need to know. …fires in southern Ontario are different for two main reasons: the forest type and the many, many people here.

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Activists question why Nova Scotia no longer disclosing glyphosate spray locations

By Luke Ettinger
CBC News
September 4, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada East

Activists are pushing for more information about where aerial spraying of glyphosate is happening after the Nova Scotia government has stopped releasing the locations for spraying of the herbicide by forestry companies. However the forestry sector says the use of the herbicide gets unfair attention, and identifying the locations draws protesters who block access to woodlots.  Glyphosate is used by some woodlot owners to …reduce competition for more profitable softwood species… Previously, the provincial government provided premises identification (PID) numbers for where aerial sprays were approved. That didn’t happen when four approvals for spraying were issued in August. “We don’t have to tell everyone where these PIDs are, because it attracts people who don’t know the full story about forest management to show up roadblock your private woodlot, and prevent you from managing it as you see fit,” said Todd Burgess, executive director of Forest Nova Scotia. 

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Charter challenge on Nova Scotia’s woods ban set for next year

By Blair Rhodes
CBC News
September 2, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada East

It will be early next year before the province’s decision to impose a sweeping travel ban in Nova Scotia woodlands gets tested in court. Lawyers for the Canadian Constitution Foundation were in Nova Scotia Supreme Court on Tuesday to set dates for its challenge to the ban. The first available dates are Feb. 2-3, 2026. The foundation will be joined in their challenge by Jeff Evely, a Nova Scotian who deliberately violated the ban and was fined $28,000 as a result. …Last week, the government removed the ban in Cape Breton and the eastern part of the Nova Scotia mainland because recent rainfall had reduced the fire risk. …On its website, the Canadian Constitution Foundation describes itself as “a national and non-partisan charity” whose objective is ensuring “government power does not infringe on the rights and freedoms of Canadians.”

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Health & Safety

Construction safety improving in BC despite high-profile incidents

By Jami Makan
Business in Vancouver
September 3, 2025
Category: Health & Safety
Region: Canada, Canada West

There are fewer injuries and deaths occurring on B.C. construction sites compared to previous years and decades, although much work remains to ensure worker safety. “Struck by’s,” “falls from” and “trips and slips” are among the most common incidents on job sites, and major events like Kelowna’s deadly crane collapse in 2021 highlight the risks that accompany modern construction. Work-related death claims in the construction sector totalled 31 in 2020, 29 in 2021, 54 in 2022, 39 in 2023 and 25 in 2024, according to data provided by WorkSafeBC. …Dave Baspaly, president of the Council of Construction Associations (COCA), which represents all major construction associations in BC said… the industry’s improved safety record is a result of more training, stricter enforcement of WorkSafeBC rules, and a culture of compliance where non-adherence is not tolerated. He emphasizes that proactive measures, like rigorous inspections and coordinated site management, are making construction sites safer.

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Forest Fires

Mine Creek wildfire grows to 1,900 hectares, crosses Coquihalla Highway

By Aaron Schulze
CFJC Today Kamloops
September 4, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada, Canada West

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KAMLOOPS — The BC Wildfire Service is warning of a dynamic situation on the Mine Creek wildfire burning along the Coquihalla Highway north of Hope. As of Thursday (Sept. 4) morning, the Mine Creek wildfire is measured at around 1,900 hectares in size, and its nearly quadrupled from the last update of 483 hectares. Taylor Stewart-Shantz, a fire information officer in the Kamloops Fire Centre, said most of the fire’s growth was to the east. Due to “flowing burning pieces,” the Mine Creek wildfire crossed the stretch of Highway 5. The wildfire service currently has one initial attack crew and four helicopters on site although additional resources will flown in throughout the day. “The flanks of the fire are in very steep, rocky terrain and are difficult to address,” Stewart-Shantz told CFJC Today. 

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Large wildfire in B.C.’s Cariboo region sparks evacuation order

By Akshay Kulkarni
CBC News
September 2, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada, Canada West

An evacuation order has been issued due to a large wildfire in B.C.’s Cariboo region, covering 150 parcels of land and multiple First Nations reserves. The Ulkatcho First Nation and the Cariboo Regional District issued the evacuation order for a swath of properties east of Tweedsmuir Park and just north of Anahim Lake on Tuesday afternoon. Evacuees have been told to head east via Highway 20 and head to Williams Lake, about 320 kilometres northeast of Vancouver as the crow flies. The Beef Trail Creek wildfire covers an area of about 60 square kilometres as of Tuesday night, nearly 15 times the size of Stanley Park in Vancouver. Mikhail Elsay, a fire information officer with the B.C. Wildfire Service, said the fire’s size is expected to increase in the days ahead amid hot conditions in the Cariboo area.

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Whistler’s fire danger hits extreme as massive fires rage north of the resort

By Braden Dupuis
Pique News Magazine
September 3, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada West

@BCWildfire Service

The Bastion Peak fire at Lillooet Lake is still listed at 20 hectares, according to an update from the BC Wildfire Service. “The fire was active Sept. 2, with moderate downslope growth and some upslope growth. Moving forward, crews will be working to prevent further growth downslope, and to contain the fire on the flanks where it is safe to do so,” the update reads. “Higher, inaccessible portions of this fire will continue to be active until weather conditions change. Heavy helicopters will continue to bucket on active flanks as required. Heavy equipment has been brought in to open the Green River Forest Service Road – crews will work to keep the fire from crossing this road. To the east there is a burn scar from 2020, which may slow down potential growth in that direction.” The two fires in the Elaho Valley, northwest of Whistler, are being left for now due to terrain.

Related coverage in the Vancouver Sun, by the Canadian Press: Helicopter with B.C. wildfire crew makes forced landing near Pemberton 

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After summer of clear skies, smoke blankets Lower Mainland — with more to come

By Simon Little
Global News
September 3, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada West

It’s been a summer of blue skies for British Columbia’s Lower Mainland, but that’s changed with a wave of wildfire smoke rolling into the region. The Metro Vancouver Regional District has issued an air quality advisory for Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley due to elevated levels of fine particulate matter causing hazy conditions across the region. At a Wednesday briefing, B.C. Forests Minister Ravi Parmar said conditions were expected to worsen, with much of Southern B.C. to be affected in the days to come. “We should expect to see wildfire smoke come south in the days ahead. Weather forecasters are saying that the smoke is going to be a major factor in the next 24 to 72 hours,” Parmar said. “There are already reports of smoke hitting communities. We do expect more smoke to arrive in the central and southern interior tonight or tomorrow, and reach Abbotsford and the coast by Friday.”

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B.C. wildfire closes Coquihalla Highway between Hope and Merritt

By Simon Little
Global News
September 3, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada West

@BC Wildfire Service

The Coquihalla Highway was closed in both directions between Hope, B.C., and Merritt on Wednesday due to wildfire activity. The BC Wildfire Service said the Mine Creek fire is threatening the highway and that the Ministry of Transportation had closed the route at its recommendation. The fire, which is burning about 44 km northeast of Hope, was last measured at 483 hectares in size, and is classified as out of control. It was first spotted on Monday, and officials believe it was sparked by lightning. The wildfire service has deployed structure protection units to protect critical infrastructure in the area, and is attacking the fire with bombers and helicopters.

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Crews battling Fort Providence wildfire gearing up for challenging conditions, officials say

CBC News
September 2, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada, Canada West

N.W.T. fire crews plan to take advantage of the favourable weather conditions expected on Tuesday to do everything they can to protect Fort Providence from a wildfire burning less than a kilometre from the community, according to one of the territory’s fire information officers. Crews successfully held back the fire on Monday, Mike Westwick said. …”Sustained gusting between 25 and 40 kilometres per hour is in the forecast right now. And you know, the levels of moisture in the air, the relative humidity at a point that would sustain decent fire activity. And with the fire right on the community’s doorstep … that’s obviously a significant concern.” Hamlet leaders ordered an evacuation Sunday morning because a line of fire approximately 10 kilometres wide was dangerously close to the community. Most of the hamlet’s 700 residents went to Hay River.

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Long Lake wildfire remains out of control at 8,465 hectares

By Jennifer Heudes
CTV News Saskatoon
September 1, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada, Canada East

©Govt of Nova Scotia

The Long Lake wildfire that started August 13 has destroyed 20 homes in Nova Scotia is still out of control, but its size has not changed in the last day. On Monday, the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) said the Long Lake fire is estimated to be 8,465 hectares in size. “The southern end of the fire is the most active area and fire intensity increased with wind today. Helicopters are dropping water on this area so ground crews can safely enter to continue tying up the perimeter and advance inward on the fire,” said DNR in an update on social media. The department said Manitoba’s CL415 planes are being released and will be replaced by two black hawk helicopters which they say are more effective for current needs. …As of Monday, DNR said there have been no new reports of damage.

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