Region Archives: Canada

Business & Politics

‘There’s a reason why Americans want Canadian wood’: Derek Nighbor on the forestry sector’s comeback

By Sean Speer
The Hub
October 7, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada

Derek Nighbor, president and CEO of the Forest Products Association of Canada, discusses how the forestry sector is shifting from a story of decline to one of innovation and growth—helping to address the country’s housing crisis, advance practical climate solutions, and support economic and social well-being in rural and Indigenous communities across Canada.

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Carney set to return to Ottawa without a deal to end the U.S. tariffs

The Canadian Press in CTV News
October 7, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, United States

WASHINGTON — Prime Minister Carney is set to return to Ottawa today with no deals to remove US tariffs from Canadian goods, but he’s leaving his key minister on Canada-US trade behind to keep pressing the Canadian case. US President Trump lavished praise on Carney during a meeting in the Oval Office on Tuesday and said the prime minister would walk away “very happy.” The president showed no signs of relenting on tariffs, however, and no deal was announced. Carney was scheduled to have a working breakfast this morning with Joshua Bolten, CEO of the Business Roundtable, while Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand was set to meet with Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Canada-US Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc will be staying behind in Washington. LeBlanc told reporters Tuesday that substantial progress was made in the White House talks this week.

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Canada Piles on New Multibillion Dollar Lumber Subsidies In Attempt to Scuttle President Trump’s Trade Law Enforcement

The US Lumber Coalition
October 6, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, United States

“President Trump rightly chose to support U.S. forestry workers with a fair and measured Section 232 tariff to help address Canada’s ongoing and egregious unfair trade practices, which put U.S. jobs at risk and demonstrate Canada’s contempt for our country’s trade rules,” stated Andrew Miller, Chair and Owner of Stimson Lumber Company. “After repeated findings that Canada’s industry is heavily subsidized… what does Canada do? It doubles down on its unfair trade practices by announcing billions of dollars in subsidies in one program after another for its softwood lumber industry,” added Miller. …“For some reason, Canada feels entitled to access the US market while simultaneously engaging in egregious and harmful unfair trade practices proven to be detrimental to U.S. lumber producers,” said Zoltan van Heyningen. …“The US lumber industry applauds the President for his continued efforts to stop these harmful trade practices,” added van Heyningen.

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Steelworkers union urges Carney to defend Canadian jobs and industries in Trump talks

United Steelworkers
October 7, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, United States

TORONTO – United Steelworkers union National Director Marty Warren issued the following statement as Prime Minister Mark Carney travels to Washington, D.C., to meet with US President Trump. …“Canada’s softwood lumber industry is on the brink of collapse. Thousands of workers and entire communities are hanging by a thread while Trump’s tariffs deindustrialize our economy and threaten good jobs across the country. We need urgent action – not more concessions. If free and fair trade in strategic sectors cannot be restored, the federal government must be ready to retaliate and take all necessary measures to protect the integrity of Canadian industrial production and employment. …We cannot allow foreign producers to use Canada as a back door for cheap, dirty, or diverted imports. …If Washington wants access to our market, it must come with respect for fair trade and for the workers who keep our economy running.”

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Pushed by Trump, Canada enters a new era of economic nationalism

By Mark Rendell
The Globe and Mail
October 4, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, United States

Mark Carney

As trade negotiations with the United States sputtered over the summer, Prime Minister Mark Carney started talking about a new, domestically oriented solution for Canada’s tariff-battered industries. …On the surface, this looks like a suite of emergency measures to help companies bridge a temporary loss of demand similar to those announced as the COVID-19 pandemic spread. Taken together, however, it represents a more fundamental shift in Canada’s political economy. If key Canadian industries can’t sell into the US market, the argument goes, perhaps the government can cultivate domestic markets to pick up the slack. …In effect, US President Trump’s America First economic vision is pushing Canada to follow suit. …And it unveiled a new “Buy Canadian” procurement policy for steel and lumber. …Derek Nighbor, of the Forest Products Association of Canada, said there’s an incremental opportunity to sell more lumber in Canada. [to access the full story a Globe & Mail subscription is required]

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Statement by the Canadian Lumber Trade Alliance on the U.S. Section 232 Tariffs on Canadian Softwood Lumber

By Canadian Lumber Trade Alliance
BC Lumber Trade Council
October 3, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, United States

The Canadian Lumber Trade Alliance (CLTA) issued the following statement. …Luc Theriault, President, Wood Products at Domtar and Co-Chair of the Canadian Lumber Trade Alliance, said “The U.S. government’s decision to impose a further 10% tariff – on top of existing duties of 35% – is disappointing. These measures unjustly punish Canadian producers, while also driving up costs for our neighbors in the US.” …“Canadian lumber does not pose a national security risk to the United States. Our industry directly supports 200,000 jobs and sustains over 300 forest-dependent communities across Canada. We will continue to work closely with the Government of Canada to defend against these unfortunate trade actions and to safeguard Canadian forestry jobs.” …In its recent Section 232 proclamation, the US signaled a willingness to pursue negotiations. The Canadian industry is ready to engage. It is essential that the Government of Canada match this commitment and play an active role in defending our industry.

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Carney to meet Trump next week, potential movement on steel and aluminum tariffs expected

By Stephanie Ha and Judy Trinh
CTV News
October 3, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, United States

Prime Minister Mark Carney is set to head to Washington early next week to meet with US. President Trump. …Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand, Industry Minister Melanie Joly and Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc will accompany Carney. This latest visit comes as Canadian and U.S. officials try to reach a deal on punishing American tariffs, and as a review of the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement gets underway. …Over the summer, the U.S. hiked its tariffs on steel and aluminum imports to 50%, with Canada imposing a 25% counter-tariff on U.S. steel and aluminum. …The source says next week’s meeting follows weeks of groundwork by LeBlanc, Canadian Ambassador to the US Kirsten Hillman and Clerk of the Privy Council Michael Sabia, with the team being aware the discussions could go sideways.

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Policy-driven growth is possible: Improving competitiveness through smarter regulation

By Derek Nighbor, Forest Products Association of Canada
National Post
October 2, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada


Canada must do everything it can to strengthen itself. To control the controllable. That starts with committing to an outcomes-based regulatory framework that upholds Canada’s trusted reputation with international customers. In Canada, over 90 per cent of forestry takes place on lands managed by the provinces. Forest management planning at the provincial level involves rigorous consideration of ecosystem values, Indigenous and non-Indigenous community-based consultations and balancing local needs with economic, social and environmental benefits. In recent years, the federal government has overlapped multiple regulations and frequently intervened in provincially approved forest management plans. This has chilled strategic investments and has been a productivity and competitiveness killer, driving more investment south of the border. The adverse impacts of increased costs and regulatory duplication and delays on top of market challenges, have been immense. …Prime Minister Mark Carney’s cabinet mandate calls for innovative governance to boost productivity, reduce trade barriers and attract private investment. 

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New U.S. tariffs on lumber are ‘bizarre,’ says B.C. forestry CEO

CBC News
October 7, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

Members of the B.C. forest industry are keeping a close eye on meetings between Prime Minister Mark Carney and President Donald Trump ahead of new U.S. lumber tariffs coming on Oct. 14. Brink Forest Products CEO John Brink called the new tariffs “bizarre” and said he’s disappointed they weren’t discussed during Tuesday’s Carney-Trump news conference.

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Endless Opportunities for Forestry with Premier Danielle Smith

By Aspen Dudzic, Forest Talks
Alberta Forest Products Association in Youtube
October 2, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada West

In this special episode of Forestry Talks, host Aspen Dudzic is joined by Alberta’s Premier, the Honourable Danielle Smith — the first sitting Premier to attend the Alberta Forest Products Association AGM in over a decade. The two dive into the big-picture view of Alberta’s forestry industry, including its growing importance to Indigenous and rural communities, the economic impact across the province, and the case for managing wildfire risk through active forest management. Premier Smith also shares her candid thoughts on U.S. trade tensions, new international markets, and how Alberta is positioning itself as a global leader in forest product manufacturing. From softwood lumber disputes to innovation in biofuels and international trade missions — this is a must-listen for anyone who cares about Alberta’s forest future.

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Houston lobbies for new mill at old Canfor site

By Jake Wray
Houston Today
October 4, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

The District of Houston had one major priority when seeking meetings with provincial ministers this year—keeping Houston-area logs milled locally. That was the objective on the minds of a contingent from the District who attended the 2025 Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) convention in Victoria from Sept. 22 to Sept. 26. …Mayor Shane Brienen said that the District is working on ideas for what to do with the old Canfor mill site, which was, at one point, the top employer in the area before the company shut it down on May 9, 2024. The Houston contingent to UBCM met with the Ministry of Forests to discuss potential funding and other details, as they had in July when Minister Ravi Parmar was touring the North. “We’re figuring something out there,” Brienen said. “We want to keep our logs milled locally.”

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Cascades announces the sale of its Flexible Packaging plant in Mississauga to Five Star Holding

Cascades Inc.
October 8, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada East

KINGSEY FALLS,  Quebec — Cascades announced that it has reached an agreement to sell its Flexible Packaging plant activities to Five Star Holding based in Houston, Texas. The $31 million transaction is effective immediately. Cascades’ will retain ownership of the site real estate. Located in Mississauga, Ontario, Flexible Packaging is Cascades’ only plant that manufactures printed flexible plastic packaging and films. …The Flexible Packaging operations employs 45 people, all of which will be retained by Five Star at closing. …The transaction includes a supply agreement between the two parties to ensure the continued production and supply of the flexible film that is used by Cascades’ Tissue and Packaging sectors. “Today’s decision will allow us to reduce our debt and support the optimization of our operational platform,” said Hugues Simon, CEO of Cascades.

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Deal reached to save northern Ontario paper mill from closure

By Dan Bertrand
CTV News
October 4, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada East

ONTARIO — Upper levels of government have reached funding agreements to support the Town of Kapuskasing’s Paper Mill, averting a planned closure and providing what local leaders are calling “a critical step” toward securing the region’s economic future. Kap Paper announced the newfound support in a social media post on Friday evening. “Next week, we’ll be working out the details for a restart plan,” the post said, adding that updates would be shared “as soon as everything is confirmed.” Kapuskasing Mayor Dave Plourde, called the deal a “critical step forward for Kapuskasing and the entire region,” in a statement posted to the town’s social media page. …“We now have a second chance – a window of opportunity to come together, calmly and deliberately, to build a plan for modernization and long-term competitiveness,” said Plourde …“Today, I am pleased to confirm that both the federal and provincial governments have agreed to provide support.”

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New Brunswick softwood lumber industry braces for hit from Donald Trump’s latest tariffs

By Jordan Gill
CBC News
October 5, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada East

Companies reliant on New Brunswick’s softwood lumber industry are bracing for hard times after US President Trump announced new tariffs on Sept. 30. …In a letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney, New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt pleaded for the federal government to make softwood lumber tariffs a top priority. “In some communities in New Brunswick, one in every 11 workers depends directly on forest products,” Holt wrote. …Ron Marcolin, the New Brunswick vice-president with Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters, said the latest tariffs and duties are a big deal in a long-running drama over softwood lumber.  …While New Brunswick may largely rely on the American market, Marcolin said Americans also rely on New Brunswick’s products. …”The thing is, too, they realize their product is inferior. Their softwood lumber is not as good as a Canadian stick of lumber.”

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Kapuskasing strong’: Hundreds rally to save papermill

By Maija Hoggett
Timmins Today
October 2, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada East

KAPUSKASING – In the shadow of the Kap Paper mill and with empty rail cards in the background, hundreds of people rallied today to save the Kapuskasing facility that the company announced on Monday would be idled. The ask is for a three-month loan from the province to give the company time to apply for a federal government longer-term fund. “The money will ensure Kap Paper can transition to a long-term stable market. We need Ontario and the federal government to work with us on a solution and not point fingers at each other. The fate of our town’s mills, workers and families are too important for these games,” Kapuskasing, Mayor Dave Plourde said. GreenFirst announced today that its sawmill operations in Kapuskasing, Hearst, Cochrane will be reduced for one week starting on Oct. 6. While Politis said it was heartwarming to see the crowd standing together, he’s disappointed in politicians.

Related coverage in CBC News: Union says Kapuskasing mill workers were told it was ‘business as usual’ 2 weeks before shutdown

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Finance & Economics

Tariffs widen trade gap, pressure mounts on Bank of Canada

By Liezel Once
Canadian Mortgage Professional Magazine
October 7, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: Canada

Canada’s international trade deficit swelled to $6.3 billion in August, its second-largest shortfall on record, as new United States tariffs took a heavy toll on key exports and injected fresh volatility into cross-border flows. The latest figures, released by Statistics Canada, show how US trade policy continues to affect Canadian exporters and make the Bank of Canada’s next interest rate decision more complicated. Exports in August fell 3% by value and 3.2% in volume, led by sharp declines in copper ore and lumber shipments, both of which were hit by new US tariffs. …Imports, meanwhile, rose 0.9%, buoyed by higher consumer goods, a sign of resilient household demand, even as business investment remained soft. …Exports to the US, Canada’s largest trading partner, fell 3.4% in August after three consecutive monthly gains, and were down 8% year-over-year. Exports to non-US destinations edged up 1.8% from a year ago but slipped 2% from July.

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Canada’s August trade deficit widens more than forecast as exports drop

By Promit Mukherjee
Reuters in Trading View
October 7, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: Canada

Canada’s merchandise trade deficit widened in August to C$6.32 billion ($4.53 billion) as exports fell faster in both value and volume than the rise in imports on a monthly basis, official government statistics showed on Tuesday. The trade deficit in August was led by drop in exports not only to its top trading partner the U.S. but also because its shipments to the rest of the world shrank in the month. Canada’s international trade numbers took a beating early this year as US President Trump imposed sectoral tariffs on the country, forcing businesses to reorient supply chain from its biggest trading partner. But the shift has been volatile and erratic. Analysts polled by Reuters had forecast the August trade deficit at C$5.55 billion, up from an upwardly revised C$3.82 billion in the prior month. Total exports dropped by 3% while imports increased 0.9%, StatsCan said.

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Trump has his eye on Canadian forestry stocks. You should, too

By David Berman
The Globe and Mail
October 3, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: Canada, United States

It’s hard to find anything good to say about Canadian forestry stocks right now. Some of the biggest names in the sector have been on a downward slide for the past three years. … But the onslaught of grim news has highlighted some bargains. …Okay, the definition of attractive rests on an assumption that risk-averse investors might not want to embrace just yet: Despite Mr. Trump’s bluster, the US still needs Canadian lumber in a big way to feed its lumber-intensive home construction industry. Says who? The National Association of Home Builders, for one. …Some analysts believe that US forestry companies will struggle to replace Canadian softwood. Ben Isaacson, at Bank of Nova Scotia, estimates that US producers would have to build 50 new mills to become fully independent of Canadian lumber. Just two companies build the specialized equipment required in mills. They would struggle to supply even two mills a year. [to access the full story a Globe & Mail subscription is required]

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Wood, Paper & Green Building

Could offsite construction methods be homebuilding’s saviour?

By Grant Cameron
The Daily Commercial News
October 8, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada

Prime Minister Carney has set a goal of building half a million homes a year nationwide for the next decade, while Premier Ford in Ontario has promised to erect 1.5 million homes between 2023 and 2031. However, both targets appear to be nothing but remote pipe dreams. Starts are trending in the wrong direction, with further declines expected. …The question is: Could innovative offsite construction methods be the saviour of the industry? A new report from C.D. Howe Institute… found while the approaches are not a silver bullet, they may offer valuable tools for increasing housing supply and dealing with construction workforce constraints. …The report, Building Smarter, Faster: Technology and Policy Solutions for Canada’s Housing Crisis… indicates factory-based approaches can shift up to 60% of the building process off-site… and that modular and panelized systems and mass timber could allow workers to produce more in the same amount of work hours.

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Ontario Investing $10 Million in Forest Sector Innovation at Daiken North America

By Ministry of Natural Resources
Government of Ontario
October 6, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada, Canada East

HUNTSVILLE — The Ontario government is investing $10 million through the Forest Sector Investment and Innovation Program to help Daiken North America upgrade its laminated board production line at its manufacturing facility in Huntsville. This investment will help the company bring a first-of-its-kind wood panel product to market, create jobs and boost productivity. As part of its plan to protect Ontario, the government is making strategic investments to help forest sector businesses adapt, compete and grow to stay resilient in the face of U.S. tariffs. …Daiken’s $70 million project will equip them to manufacture a new type of wood panel used in flooring, recreational vehicles and modular housing, while supporting 128 existing jobs and creating 10 new jobs. This made-in-Ontario forest product is the first of its kind in the world, offering a higher-performance, lower-cost alternative to imported material. 

 

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Canada’s last hockey stick factory survives in face of tariff threats, globalization

By Kelvin Chan
The Chronicle Journal
October 6, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada, Canada East

BRANTFORD, Ontario — In the Roustan Hockey production line, workers are busy shaping, trimming, sanding, painting and screen printing as they turn lumber into a Canadian national symbol. The 15 workers at Canada’s last major hockey stick factory, are located 100 kilometres southwest of Toronto. The operation has origins that date back to the 1800s and has survived decades of trade globalization to hang on as the last North American commercial manufacturer of traditional wooden hockey sticks. Now it’s facing fresh headwinds from the trade war launched by U.S. President Donald Trump …Bo Crawford, the factory’s general manager, said shipments to the U.S. have been held up for manual inspections at the border, where they’ve been hit with surprise tariffs, which the company’s customs broker has managed to get waived. …CEO Graeme Roustan acknowledges that the wooden hockey stick market is not a growth industry and, at best, production will hold steady.

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Forestry

Experts at Thunder Bay conference say Canada’s forests are drying out

By Rajpreet Sahota
CBC News
October 8, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada

Patrick James

As Canada faces longer, more intense wildfire seasons, forestry scientists meeting the Canadian Institute of Forestry’s 117th annual conference this week say the country’s forests are drying out faster than ever, and that could transform how we manage them in the decades to come. …Among the most urgent topics is how heat and drought are changing forest moisture and fuel levels, the materials that feed wildfires. “Modest increases in temperature result in very significant reductions in fuel moisture, which makes those fuels, these trees, these shrubs, these downed trees, this dead wood, all of it that much more flammable,” said Patrick James, associate professor at the University of Toronto researching forest disturbances and wildfires. …He took part in a panel which examined how shifting weather patterns could both challenge and, in some rare cases, benefit certain ecosystems.

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UBC’s Faculty of Forestry receives two awards from the Canadian Institute of Forestry

UBC Faculty of Forestry
October 7, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada

Stephanie Ewan, Hélène Marcoux & Ionut Aron

Jeff Sayer

UBC’s Faculty of Forestry is proud to announce its received two prestigious awards from the Canadian Institute of Forestry (CIF-IFC). Each year, CIF-IFC recognizes individuals and groups who have made “unique and outstanding achievements in the field of forestry” and this year the Faculty is well-represented. UBC Research Forests has received the Canadian Forest Management Group Achievement Award and Professor Jeff Sayer has received the International Forestry Achievement Award. The Canadian Forest Management Group Achievement Award recognizes the outstanding achievements by teams or groups of managers in the field of natural resource management in Canada. The 2025 CIF-IFC National Award Committee has recognized the Malcolm Knapp Research Forest (MKRF), near Maple Ridge, and the Alex Fraser Research Forest (AFRF), near Williams Lake, for their pivotal role in advancing forest education, research, and management across British Columbia and beyond.

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Domtar Releases First Post-Integration Sustainability Report, Marking a Milestone Toward 2030 Goals

Domtar
October 7, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, United States

FORT MILL, South Carolina — In a major stride towards its ambitious 2030 sustainability strategy, Domtar released its sustainability report. The report, entitled Building on Strong Legacies, is the first comprehensive release since the successful operational unification of Domtar’s three legacy companies last October under the Domtar brand. “This report delivers an initial view of our unified company’s performance across a comprehensive set of sustainability indicators,” said John D. Williams, Non-Executive Chairman. “It marks a pivotal milestone following the May 2025 release of our 2030 sustainability strategy.” …Qualitative content within the report is structured with reference to the three strategic pillars of Environmental Stewardship, Our People and Communities, and Responsible Business. …”We are consolidating our sustainability report and unifying our CDP submissions, ensuring everyone can evaluate our environmental performance holistically as an integrated company,” said Sabrina de Branco, global chief sustainability officer.

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Nation’s forestry leaders in the city to tackle complex challenges

By Nicky Shaw
The Thunder Bay News Watch
October 7, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada

THUNDER BAY — In a time where the forestry sector is under threat, industry stakeholders from across the country are gathering in the city to connect, talk about issues and learn from each other. The Canadian Institute of Forestry’s national conference and 117th annual general meeting is taking place at the Thunder Bay Delta Hotels from Oct. 5-8. The theme of the conference, Finding Opportunity in Complexity, is extremely appropriate at this point in time in Canada in general, but also in the forestry industry, said Curtis Cook, the Canadian Institute of Forestry’s executive director. …With all of these great minds in one place for the week, he said, they’re going to come up with some solutions, some innovations and have some really good conversations going forward.

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BC Council of Forest Industries announces the 2025 Forestry Scholarship recipients

BC Council of Forest Industries
October 7, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

Vancouver, B.C. – The BC Council of Forest Industries (COFI) is proud to announce the recipients of its 2025 Forestry Scholarships. Since 2007, COFI has supported students pursuing professional, technical, and trades careers in the forest sector through its annual scholarship program. Each recipient will receive $2,000 to support their post-secondary studies at institutions across British Columbia. “These students represent the next generation of forestry professionals. They are helping shape an industry that’s more innovative, sustainable, and diverse than ever before,” said Kim Haakstad, President & CEO of COFI. …“COFI’s Forestry Scholarships reflect the commitment of our members to inspiring and empowering the next generation of leaders across the province,” said Jim Costley, Manager of Forest Education at COFI. “Whether these students become forest professionals, engineers, or data analysts, their skills and passion will help shape BC’s forest sector and the communities it supports.” 

Related coverage in My Bulkley Lakes Now: Burns Lake student receives a $2,000 forestry scholarship

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Coastal Currents – Forestry Fibre Flow Forum

By Value-Added Accelerators
BC First Nations Forestry Council
October 8, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

October 17, 2025 | River Rock Casino Resort, Richmond | Join us at the Coastal Currents – Forestry Fibre Flow Forum to connect with local primary sawmillers and value-added manufacturers, dive into fibre flow realities, explore regional challenges, and discover new pathways to collaboration and partnership. Together, we will:

  • Get to know local sawmillers and manufacturers for future partnerships.
  • Understand fibre flow, constraints, and access opportunities.
  • Investigate regional challenges and strategies to support value-added manufacturers.
  • Promote First Nations involvement in the value-added space.
  • Explore fibre flow opportunities for Nations entering manufacturing or supply agreements.

An outcome of the Value-added Accelerators, this Forum focuses on advancing value-added manufacturing on British Columbia’s Coast. The Accelerators, launched in 2023, bring together the BC First Nations Forestry Council, BC Value-added Wood Coalition, BC Council of Forest Industries (COFI), and the Ministry of Forests, including BC Timber Sales.

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B.C. must spend more to prevent rising wildfire costs, watershed damage, find reports

By Stefan Labbé
Business in Vancouver
October 7, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

Decades of industrial logging and fire suppression are pushing British Columbia’s forests past a tipping point, increasing the risk of catastrophic wildfires and undermining the recovery of wild salmon, a new report has found. Released Tuesday by the Raincoast Conservation Foundation, the research assessed almost 90 individual studies, reports and government documents, concluding that the current crisis of more frequent and severe wildfires is due to the cumulative effects of a century of fire suppression, changes in forest structure from clear-cut logging, and a warming, drying climate. …The Raincoast report comes less than a week after Robert Gray and Robin Gregory published a paper in the journal Science that argued spending billions of dollars to fight catastrophic wildfires in British Columbia is an ineffective strategy, with long-term spending likely to balloon out of control unless measures to prevent them aren’t put in place. 

Press Release by the Raincoast Conservation Foundation: Increases in high-severity wildfire have implications for water and fish: report

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Wildfire experts converge at Thompson Rivers University for national conference

Castanet
October 6, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

Thompson Rivers University (TRU) will soon host the Wildfire Resilience Consortium of Canada’s (WRCC) first Building Foundational Knowledge gathering. Running Oct. 7 to 9, the program is packed with lightning talks, workshops and networking designed to deepen knowledge and build connections. Recipients of Natural Resources Canada’s Build and Mobilize Foundational Wildland Fire Knowledge program will headline the sessions. The federal initiative recently provided $45.7 million to 30 projects across Canada, supporting research to strengthen risk assessments and mitigation and helping Indigenous communities lead on fire stewardship. “The Building Foundational Knowledge gathering is intentionally designed to prioritize interaction and co‑creation,” says Garnet Mierau, executive director of the WRCC. “We’ve structured the program around speed sessions that spark discussion and facilitated workshops where everyone has a voice. Our goal is for people to leave not only informed but connected and energized to continue collaborating on wildfire resilience.”

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Logging, fire mitigation underway on private forest above Nelson’s Rail Trail

By Bill Metcalfe
The Nelson Star
October 7, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

Anderson Creek Timber is currently hauling logs from its property located just south of Nelson above the Rail Trail at Mountain Station. The work will continue for another three-to-four weeks, said Doug Thorburn, a forester with Monticola Forest Ltd. that manages Anderson Creek’s forest properties. … The 600-hectare Anderson Creek Timber property is private land and is therefore governed by B.C.’s Private Managed Forest Land Act, which provides much less regulation than the Forest Act in areas such as biodiversity, watershed protection, wildlife protection and harvest guidelines. …Anderson Creek Timber and Kalesnikoff, which has a public Crown land tenure over much of the Anderson Creek watershed, are working on a watershed assessment for the area… The reason the company has not done public information sessions about its logging plans … is that on privately owned land, compared with public land, there is less obligation to do so.

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Canadian Wildfire Conference continues growth in Kelowna

Wings Magazine
October 6, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

More than 300 people attended the 6th annual Canadian Wildfire Conference which, for the first time, ran for two days from October 1 to 2 at the KF Centre for Excellence in Kelowna, B.C. The conference is designed to bring together the primary stakeholders of wildfire suppression, including air operators, fire departments, technology and service suppliers, and government agencies. …The two-day conference featured 57 exhibitors, a dozen educational sessions, and a static display of firefighting equipment, including wildfire trucks, helicopters from Yellowhead Helicopters and Coldstream Helicopters, and a Hercules C130 converted for aerial firefighting needs by Coulson Aviation. …Award-winning author John Vaillant kicked off the Canadian Wildfire Conference with a morning keynote called The New World Order of Weather. Vaillant’s 2023 book Fire Weather details the 2016 Fort McMurray wildfires from the front lines and tackles the impact of climate change.

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Forest Enhancement Society of BC is accepting expressions of interest for projects

Forest Enhancement Society of BC
October 6, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

The Forest Enhancement Society of BC (FESBC) is accepting expressions of interest (EOI) for projects to assist the Province of British Columbia in advancing the environmental and resource stewardship of British Columbia’s forests. These projects must occur on provincial crown land and support one or more of the core purposes of the Society, which include:

  • Preventing and mitigating the impact of wildfires;
  • Improving damaged or low value forests;
  • Improving habitat for wildlife;
  • Supporting the use of fibre from damaged and low value forests; and
  • Treating forests to improve the management of greenhouse gases.

“We are asking for Expressions of Interest from proponents with ideas for innovative investments in B.C.s’ forests. We want to work with proponents to help strengthen these proposals, secure approvals from government, identify opportunities to collaborate with like minded organizations and ensure longer-term impact.” -Jason Fisher, Registered Professional Forester and Executive Director of FESBC.

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Province, ʼNa̱mǥis First Nation reach milestone in forest stewardship agreement

By Ministry of Forests
Government of British Columbia
October 3, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

ʼNa̱mǥis First Nation and the Province are one step closer to a joint decision-making agreement that will support predictable harvesting, job creation and sustainable forestry operations on the north Island. “The best way to move fibre is by working together and that is what we are accomplishing with the ʼNa̱mǥis First Nation,” said Ravi Parmar, Minister of Forests. “I am optimistic that this draft agreement will create good-paying jobs and help us in our efforts to provide stability and certainty for our coastal forestry sector, as we deal with Donald Trump’s attack on our forestry sector.” ʼNa̱mǥis First Nation and the Province have developed a first-of-its-kind draft Section 7 joint decision-making agreement for the forestry sector under the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (Declaration Act) and Forest Range and Practices Act. 

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Down a Forgotten River

By Larry Lynn
The Tyee
October 3, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

The Chemainus River reveals its secrets in strange and unexpected ways. For years, I have wandered the forests near my North Cowichan home in search of the last few ancient trees, finding a few nice specimens here and there. In the heavily logged, 5,000-hectare Municipal Forest Reserve — popularly known as the Six Mountains, an hour north of Victoria — they are as elusive as the last rhinos of Sumatra. With a bit of luck, I hope my persistence may yet pay off. I don’t know it at the time, but my quest will launch me on a journey from the river’s headwaters to its mouth in pursuit of questions fundamental to the Chemainus and its future. How have human activities like industrial logging shaped the river, its watershed, and its salmon? …In my search for answers, I will discover modern challenges that bedevil other B.C. coastal rivers.

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Hikers can be citizen scientists in photo project documenting forest regrowth in Jasper

By Maggie Kirk
CBC News
October 5, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

©GeoReach

As visitors at Old Fort Point look out at the mosaic of burnt patches of forest from the Jasper wildfire, they see a vastly different landscape than they would have before July 2024. But that same barren view looks strikingly similar to photos taken in the early 1900s. Now, as the Jasper landscape begins to regenerate in the wake of last year’s massive wildfire, hikers can participate in a citizen science project to help document the area’s rebirth. …Parks Canada and the University of Waterloo have teamed up to crowdsource photos from three locations on the hike …they installed three cellphone stands, each with a cradle for the camera, along the popular 3.8-kilometre hike, which starts just east of the Jasper townsite. Visitors will take a photo, then scan the QR code to directly upload a photo, or visit the GeoReach website to share their photo with researchers

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Lakehead University celebrating 77 years in forestry, with one more tree

By Nicky Shaw
The Thunder Bay News Watch
October 6, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada East

THUNDER BAY — A decades-long legacy in forestry was celebrated over the weekend with the planting of a commemorative tree. The ceremony was part of Lakehead University’s 60th anniversary celebrations, but the forestry and mining program actually predates the founding of the university by 17 years. The event kicked-off the Canadian Institute of Forestry’s annual conference, which is being held in Thunder Bay this week. The newly planted red pine now grows in the university’s Agora Circle, where a number of dignitaries spoke about the importance of forestry to the region at Saturday’s event. …Brigitte Leblon, dean of Natural Resources Management, explained that the forestry program was one of the founding programs in the university. The first forestry diplomas in Forest and Mining Technology were offered in 1948, two years after the founding of the Lakehead Technical Institute, and the program evolved into a Bachelor of Science in Forestry program in 1965

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Forestry at University of New Brunswick: A century on, deep roots and new growth come together so that innovation, opportunity and sustainability can blossom

By Kayla Cormier
University of New Brunswick
October 2, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada East

The University of New Brunswick’s faculty of forestry and environmental management (ForEM) is an “old growth” tree, with over a hundred rings to show its age. Since its first graduating class in 1910, it continues growing out in new directions in an ever-changing landscape. As the climate crisis intensifies and industries evolve, the faculty is at the forefront of a sector undergoing rapid transformation. With cutting-edge technology, a growing demand for skilled professionals and a commitment to sustainability, ForEM grads are shaping the future of forestry. Over the next decade, New Brunswick’s forestry sector is anticipating a significant wave of job openings—as many as 3,200—as seasoned professionals retire and transition out of the workforce. “Our graduates are entering a workforce that’s hungry for their skills,” said Dr. Michelle Gray, ForEM dean and associate professor. “We’re seeing unprecedented demand for professionals who understand both the science and the technology driving modern forestry…”

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Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy

Northwestern Ontario forestry, energy interests advance regional priorities

By Matt Prokopchuk
The Welland Tribune
October 6, 2025
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: Canada, Canada East

THUNDER BAY — A number of stakeholders, largely from the forestry and energy sectors, got to provide regional input into a series of ongoing cross-province talks about energy policy. The Vaughn and Thunder Bay Chambers of Commerce held a roundtable discussion in the city on Oct. 2. The goal was for regional interests to provide requested input into an issues paper on energy being developed by the Toronto-based business lobby. …In Northwestern Ontario, she said, that includes longstanding sources like hydroelectricity and natural gas, but also continually-emerging opportunities connected to forestry and biomass. “We also talked a lot about the opportunities through the forest sector and biomass and the many things that can be created by harnessing forest products into energy,” Robinson said. “I think the most important thing was talking about how, from a forestry perspective, it really does check all the boxes.”

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Forest Fires

Nova Scotia wildfire burning out of control amid hot fall weather

By Keith Doucette
The Canadian Press in the National Observer
October 6, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada, Canada East

NOVA SCOTIA — Unseasonably warm temperatures proved challenging Monday as the fight against an out-of-control wildfire in Nova Scotia’s Annapolis Valley entered its second week. The Department of Natural Resources estimated that the fire at Lake George had grown slightly in 24 hours to just over 2.8 square kilometres, mainly because of dry and windy conditions. Monday’s forecast for the area near Aylesford, N.S., called for a high of 28 C — the average daily high in the region for October is normally below 15 C. “I can’t believe it — in October we normally get frost and cold,” Dave Corkum, mayor of the Municipality of the County of Kings, said in an interview. “There is some rain in the forecast in a few days and hopefully we will get it.” Despite the conditions, Corkum said there are no reports of damage to structures in the area.

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Forest History & Archives

Old Hillcrest Chinese Cemetery eyed for designation as Cowichan historic site

By Robert Barron
Nanaimo News Bulletin
October 7, 2025
Category: Forest History & Archives
Region: Canada, Canada West

North Cowichan council wants to see the Old Hillcrest Chinese Cemetery, located at 6119 Payne Rd., designated as a Cowichan Valley Regional District Historical Site. Council voted unanimously at its meeting on Sept. 17 to write a letter of support to the CVRD for the 80-year-old cemetery, which is already a Provincial Historic Site, to become a historical site in the district. There are 127 Chinese Canadians buried in the cemetery who were instrumental to the forestry industry in the Cowichan Valley and throughout B.C. It was formally established in 1945, when Carlton Stone, the founder and owner of Hillcrest Lumber Co., transferred 9.38 acres of land at the Old Hillcrest Sawmill in Sahtlam for the purpose of burying Chinese labourers, who were a marginalized group in the province at the time and most had no family nearby to care for them in life or death.

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