Region Archives: Canada

Special Feature

How to save Canada’s troubled forestry industry

BY Tom Browne, Warren Mabee and Peter Milley
The Globe and Mail
February 18, 2026
Category: Special Feature
Region: Canada

The past few years have been tough for Canada’s forest industry. …In response to US tariffs and as a partial solution to our continuing housing crisis, Prime Minister Carney has made a commendable move, providing support for the lumber industry and setting a target of doubling housing starts. He’s also announced the Canadian Forest Sector Transformation Task Force. Achieving Mr. Carney’s targets for the forestry sector will require transformation of our wood products and construction industries. …When a log is cut up for lumber, about 40% of the tree is converted to residual chips, and without demand for wood chips to make paper, production of lumber will not be viable. New, alternative uses for those residuals become essential. One option would be to replace a number of idled pulp mills with a couple of large, modern mills.

…New pulp mill designs act as biorefineries, making a range of products. Heat can be exported to district heating plants and power to the grid. Methanol, also known as wood alcohol, can be used in various industrial processes. Currently, methanol is made largely from natural gas, so replacing this product with wood-based spirits offers a carbon advantage. Lignin extracted from pulp mills can be used to displace petroleum-based incumbents in a range of products such as plywood glues and polyurethanes. Currently, because of the steep decline in demand for our pulp and paper products, we are only cutting half the wood that provincial forest ministries deem sustainable. This leaves large amounts of biomass in the forests, which can amplify the threat of wildfires. Reinvesting in our forest sector can help us to lower the risk of catastrophic fires going forward. [to access the full story a Globe and Mail subscription is required]

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A call to all forestry students and young professionals of BC: Are you interested in being a part of the future of forestry?

BC Forestry Youth Conference
February 13, 2026
Category: Special Feature
Region: Canada West

We are gauging interest in a conference for students and young professionals across B.C. in the forestry industry. The goal of this conference is to create a more unified forestry sector throughout the province by bringing together students and young professionals to discuss current and future challenges in forestry, explore innovative solutions, and build relationships that can support us throughout our careers. This is a youth-led initiative and so having your opinions and participation is crucial to determine the topics and speakers for the conference. We have created a short survey (see link) to help determine the topics and timing of this conference.  This is a chance for young professionals and students like yourself to build a more connected, informed, and forward-thinking forestry community and empower them to help shape the future of forestry in B.C. 

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Forest Professionals BC Honours Seven Outstanding Forest Professionals

Forest Professionals British Columbia
February 11, 2026
Category: Special Feature
Region: Canada, Canada West

Vancouver — Forest Professionals British Columbia (FPBC) honoured seven individuals as part of its recognition program in Vancouver on February 5. Forest Professionals BC recognized three Distinguished Forest Professionals, one Forest Professional of the Year, one Jim Rodney Memorial Volunteer of the Year, and two authors for BC Forest Professional Magazine Best Article at the 78th Forest Professionals BC forestry conference recognition banquet. Jeff Fisher (North Vancouver), BSF, RPF, Christopher Vukovic (Qualicum Beach), HBScF, RPF(Ret), and John Walker (Williams Lake), RPF, were honoured as Distinguished Forest Professionals for 2025. This category recognizes significant accomplishments over a career, for providing outstanding service to the profession of forestry and for furthering the principles of Forest Professionals BC. It is the profession’s highest honour for a registrant. Peter Flett, MSFM, RPF, of Penticton is the 2025 Forest Professional of the Year. Margaret Symon, RPF, PCP, of Duncan is the 2025 Jim Rodney Memorial Volunteer of the Year. Lastly, Vanessa Fetterly, BSc, RPBio, and Carl Pollard, BSc, RPF, collaborated on the 2025 BC Forest Professional Magazine Best Article.

Additional coverage:

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Business & Politics

Forest Products Association of Canada Releases 2025 Annual Report Highlighting Sector Resilience and Urgent Need for Policy Action

By Rebecca Rogers, Director, Communications
Forest Products Association of Canada
February 18, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada

Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC) released its 2025 Annual Report, outlining a year marked by significant economic headwinds, escalating trade pressures, and growing uncertainty for hundreds of rural and northern communities that rely on a strong forest sector. Despite these challenges, FPAC members, partners, and employees across the country continued to advance critical work to support families, protect jobs, and strengthen Canada’s forest-based economy. FPAC Board Chair, David M. Graham, noted that while 2025 was one of the most difficult years in recent memory, the sector enters 2026 well positioned to contribute to a more resilient, future ready Canadian economy. Key federal actions including improved procurement guidelines to support greater use of Canadian wood in government projects, the launch of Build Canada Homes to accelerate affordable housing construction, and new Investment Tax Credits to encourage biomass use for heat and power represent important steps forward for the industry and its workforce positioned to contribute to a more resilient, future ready Canadian economy.

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PM Carney taps former head of public service to spearhead CUSMA negotiations

By Darren Major
CBC News
February 16, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada

Prime Minister Mark Carney has chosen former Privy Council clerk Janice Charette to head Canada’s trade negotiations as it prepares for a review of the North American trade pact. Charette’s title is chief trade negotiator to the United States, according to a Monday news release from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO). She’ll be a senior adviser to Carney and Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc. “Charette brings extraordinary leadership, expertise and a deep commitment to advancing Canada’s interests,” Carney said in the release. “She will advance Canadian interests and a strengthened trade and investment relationship that benefits workers and industries in both Canada and the United States.” The announcement comes as the federal government prepares for a scheduled review of the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) this year. It also comes a day after Mark Wiseman, a global investment banker and pension fund manager, took the reins as Canada’s next ambassador to Washington.

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Penticton’s Structurlam bankruptcy fight over $80M US Walmart claim returns to court

By Brennan Phillips
The Summerland Review
February 12, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, United States

Almost three years after declaring bankruptcy, and more than two years under new owners, legal proceedings for Penticton’s Structurlam are continuing through the courts as it fights with the company that sent it into bankruptcy in the first place. In January, the case returned to the BC Supreme Court in Vancouver to order two Canadian engineering firms to produce documents and reports for the proceedings as Structurlam faces $80 million US in claims from Walmart, according to a decision published on Feb. 11. In 2023, Structurlam began bankruptcy proceedings after Walmart ended its contract to build the company’s new home office campus in Arkansas. …In July, Walmart filed a claim for over $80 million US for allegedly defective, nonconforming, rejected, nondelivered, or returned goods that it had paid for and alleged costs to replace said goods. The January 2026 B.C. Supreme Court decision orders two engineering firms to provide their documentation.

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Reopening of trade negotiations a sign of hope for Canadian businesses

By Adrian Ghobrial
CTV News
February 11, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, United States

WINDSOR, Ontario — For months, trade negotiations between Canada and the United States have been stalled. This week that all changed when US President Trump announced negotiations were back on. During his social media tirade about Windsor, Ontario’s Gordie Howe Bridge, and a list of other perceived transgressions, Trump wrote… we will start negotiations, IMMEDIATELY.” While Trump’s political speed bump threatens to derail the planned opening of the commercial corridor, some industry leaders see an opening to accelerate negotiations. “Trade conversations have now restarted, a few weeks ago conversations weren’t happening. I see this as a positive,” says Canadian Association of Moldmakers Nicole Vlanich. …With Trump restarting trade negotiations that he once brought to a screeching halt, business leaders in Windsor hope this will be an important first step towards paving a clearer picture for economic growth for both the Canadian and US economies.

In related coverage:

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Six House Republicans defy Trump to block his Canada tariffs

By Sarah Ferris and Veronica Stracqualursi
CNN Politics
February 11, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, United States

WASHINGTON, DC — In a vote that GOP leaders fought hard to avoid, a half dozen Republicans sent a blunt message to President Trump that they do not support the tariff regime that he has made the centerpiece of his second term. Six Republicans joined with Democrats in the vote to effectively repeal the president’s tariffs on Canada, the culmination of months of consternation in the GOP over the president’s trade war that has quietly rattled even some of his staunchest loyalists in Congress. …The Senate has already passed a similar measure to cancel Trump’s tariffs on Canada, which — unlike most measures — can be passed with a simple majority rather than 60 votes. But even if the Senate does agree to this same House measure, Trump would still have the power to veto it. The House did not secure enough votes to protect a veto override.

In related coverage: 

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Workers must come first: Unions issue urgent warning to Ottawa ahead of CUSMA review

By Robin MacLennan, Editor
Ontario Construction News
February 11, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, United States

Some of Canada’s major labour organizations are urging Ottawa to put workers at the centre of any renegotiation of the Canada-US-Mexico Agreement as preparations begin for the pact’s mandatory 2026 review. Leaders met with Dominic LeBlanc, the federal minister responsible for Canada–US trade, for what they described as a high-level roundtable on the future of CUSMA amid rising trade tensions and renewed threats of U.S. tariffs. Canadian Labour Congress president Bea Bruske said unions delivered a “clear and urgent message” that Canada should not accept a revised trade deal that weakens domestic industry or costs Canadian jobs. …Bruske was joined by leaders from several large manufacturing and building trades unions representing sectors heavily exposed to trade policy decisions, including auto manufacturing, construction and resource-based industries. Bruske said the upcoming CUSMA review should strengthen Canadian industries and working-class communities, not “hollow them out” in the rush to renew the agreement.

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BC logging association’s joint statement on BC’s 2026 Budget

BC Truck Loggers Association
February 18, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada West

The Truck Loggers Association, Interior Logging Association and North West Loggers Association are pleased BC’s Budget 2026 acknowledges the importance of forestry and includes funding intended to address the province’s ongoing forestry crisis. However, we note the budget forecasted annual harvest levels of only 29 million cubic metres, which fall far short of Premier Eby’s mandate to Forests Minister Ravi Parmar to achieve an annual harvest level of 45 million cubic metres. This is unsustainable for forestry-dependent communities, damaging to the provincial economy at a time of an unprecedented deficit, and deeply discouraging for the forest workers and contractors who have endured too many years of uncertainty. Our associations and the forest industry are collectively committed and prepared to support Minister Parmar and government in achieving positive outcomes for our sector, communities and the broader economy. We remain ready to work collaboratively on practical solutions. However, meaningful progress requires a clear vision and accountable plan to restore markets for British Columbia’s forest sector to move harvest levels toward the 45 million cubic metre objective. 

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B.C. Budget: LNG a bright spot, but red ink dismays business groups

By Derrick Penner
The Vancouver Sun
February 17, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

Brenda Bailey

For all the measures touted as keys to unlocking BC’s resource sector, such as speeding up permits for mining activity, Finance Minister Brenda Bailey’s budget includes additional tax hits. …The ministry of forests will see its budget go from $1.3 billion in 2025-26 to $910 million in fiscal 2026-27 to $860 million in 2027-28. …The budget includes some new measures for BC’s beleaguered forestry sector, such as $50 million in new and reallocated federal funds to support for Indigenous scholarships, the purchase of equipment to aid in wildfire fighting and refunding the province’s Fire Smart program. However, Bailey’s document doesn’t make specific mention of measures Forests Minister Ravi Parmar alluded to at the BC Truck Loggers Association. …BC had set a target to harvest 45 million cubic metres of timber, but the document shows the 2025-26 harvest at 29 million cubic metres, with the number expected to stay at that level through the three-year financial plan.

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Council of Forest Industries Statement on BC Budget 2026

The BC Council of Forest Industries
February 17, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada West

VANCOUVER, BC – Kim Haakstad, President & CEO of the BC Council of Forest Industries (COFI), issued the following statement today in response to the Government of British Columbia’s 2026 Provincial Budget: “As the province navigates significant fiscal and economic challenges, the forest sector continues to face intense pressure. We welcome Budget 2026’s recognition of the urgent crisis facing the forest sector and the government’s plan to make targeted investments that support the sector today while building a more resilient future. We are concerned about the budget’s plan for a harvest level of 29 million cubic metres over the next three years—a figure that sits well below the province’s own Allowable Annual Cut (AAC) of approximately 60 million cubic metres. …Working together we can reverse the trend of mill closures and rising costs of doing business so forestry can continue to contribute to the well-being of families and communities across the province. 

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B.C. budget includes tax increases, job cuts and $13B deficit

By Justin McElroy
CBC News
February 17, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

Brenda Bailey

The BC government’s 2026 budget announced a series of tax increases, capital project delays, and a reduction of 15,000 public sector jobs over three years. Despite this, major deficits are still forecasted for the indefinite future. “This budget is different from our past budgets, because this moment is different,” said Finance Minister Brenda Bailey in her speech to the legislature on Tuesday. The speech blamed the province’s economic condition on challenges such as US tariffs and a cooling housing market. “It’s time to take a pause on some of the things we want to do to focus on the things we need to do.” A $13.3 billion deficit is forecast for the 2026-27 fiscal year, up from $9.6 billion for this year. …The government announced a diverse range of tax increases that it said would primarily impact higher-income earners, causing an average increase of $76 a year. 

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B.C. forecasts upswing for natural gas and tough times in forestry as deficit soars

By Brent Jang
The Globe and Mail
February 17, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

The BC government is forecasting that the natural gas industry will play a larger role as the top driver of provincial resource revenue, while warning about tough times in the former economic powerhouse of forestry. Natural gas royalties are expected to ring in at nearly $1.3-billion for the 12 months ending March 31, 2027, up 38%. …The government is anticipating $521-million in forestry revenue for the 2026-27 fiscal year, up 3%, but still down sharply when compared with several years ago. …In the 2020-21 fiscal year, forestry revenue surpassed $1.3-billion and natural gas royalties reached $196-million. …Tuesday’s budget introduces a temporary Stumpage Payment Deferral Program in an effort to ease the cash crunch for companies. The voluntary program covers the first 11 months of 2026. …The government anticipates that the trend of depressed annual volumes of tree harvesting will continue over the next several years, restricting the production of softwood lumber. [to access the full story a Globe & Mail subscription is required]

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B.C. budget supports growth but falls short for many workers, says United Steelworkers

United Steelworkers
February 17, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

The United Steelworkers union found positives in a difficult BC budget. …Recognizing the uncertainty created by US trade policy… USW Western Canada Director Scott Lunny said… “Today’s budget advances the government’s work towards long-term economic stability, including BC’s goal of securing $200 billion in private-sector investment over the next decade in sectors including mining, forestry and manufacturing”. …USW noted positives, including: a continued commitment in funding to strengthen permitting capacity in resource industries; a $400- million Strategic Investments Special Account to leverage federal government dollars for investment and job creation in key sectors like value-added forestry, responsible mining, manufacturing and clean energy; and unprecedented investment in skilled trades funding as well as a training grant to encourage apprenticeships. …”While we welcome the $20 million to help workers and employers in tariff-impacted sectors like steel and forestry, there is still a missing commitment to stabilizing and sustaining the primary forestry sector,” said Lunny.

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Why This Mill Survives When Others Don’t

By Forestnet
You Tube
February 10, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada West

‘Making forestry sexy again’ That’s the bold mission Bhavjit Thandi is on as the new face of Richmond Plywood. Most CFOs stay in the boardroom, but 38-year old Bhavjit Thandi hit the mill floor on day one to understand the 70-year-old employee-owned co-op where workers take out mortgages just to get in. We dive into how this “shareholders on the floor” co-op model powers a zero-waste juggernaut that invests millions in automation and hiring more workers while other mills go dark. Expect hot takes on the dangerous “gray market” imports threatening Canadian construction and the brutal reality of battling the world’s most expensive fiber costs. Bhavjit pulls no punches on government red tape, the Trump factor, and why Richply refuses to shut down even when demand tanks.

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Truck loggers feeling the effects of a lagging B.C. forest industry, critic says

By Brendan Shykora
Nanaimo Bulletin
February 13, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

Ward Stamer

As BC’s forestry industry licks its wounds following a series of recent mill closures, BC’s forest critic says truck loggers are hurting, too. Kamloops-North Thompson MLA Ward Stamer attended the TLA’s convention last month, and came away with a dire picture of how these BC workers are feeling in terms of their job security. …Stamer lamented the closing of the Atli Chip mill near Port McNeill, announced last month. He said the closure was unexpected, but not altogether unsurprising given the domino effect set in motion by a previous Crofton pulp mill closure on Vancouver Island. He said “we never heard a peep” about the Atli Chip mill closure in the week before it happened, “but that’s what happens when you get something like a pulp mill that goes down, it can drag anywhere between four to six solid mills with it.” 

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Collapse of NDP-Green pact gives Eby one more excuse to call early election

By Rob Shaw
Business in Vancouver
February 10, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

The only thing more surprising than the collapse of the co-operation agreement between the BC Greens and NDP would have been if the two sides had agreed on a new deal. …The Co-Operation and Responsible Government Accord (CARGA)… didn’t seem to be meeting anyone’s needs. For the NDP, the deal was supposed to act as a safety net for a slim one-seat majority. …It worked for last year’s budget. But outside of that, the Greens refused to back the NDP on three other confidence matters. And for that, the government agreed to advance the Green causes… [including] an early review of CleanBC and another review of the forestry system. For the Greens …it was a mixed bag, at best. The NDP did launch reviews of CleanBC and forestry, but then didn’t accept the resulting recommendations. The documents seem destined for that dusty shelf in the legislature library where unwanted reports go to die.

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The Silvacom Group Celebrates a Decade as One of Alberta’s Top Employers

By Mandy Bilous
Silvacom Ltd.
January 27, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada West

EDMONTON, AB –The Silvacom Group is proud to announce it has once again been named one of Alberta’s Top Employers, marking a significant milestone: ten consecutive years of recognition. This achievement reflects a decade-long commitment to building an exceptional workplace where people feel supported, engaged, and empowered to succeed. The Alberta’s Top Employers designation is part of the Canada’s Top 100 Employers project, organized by Mediacorp Canada Inc. Each year, the competition recognizes organizations across the province that demonstrate leadership in creating outstanding workplaces and progressive human resources practices. Being recognized for ten straight years highlights the consistency of Silvacom’s values and its sustained focus on people-first practices. Employers are evaluated based on eight key criteria, including physical workplace; work atmosphere & social; health, financial & family benefits; vacation & time off; employee communications; performance management; training & skills development; and community involvement.

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Pender Harbour and Area Residents Association Files Updated Legal Action to Strike Down DRIPA

Pender Harbour Residents Association
February 9, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada West

The Pender Harbour and Area Residents Association (PHARA) has filed a Notice of Civil Claim in BC Supreme Court, seeking to have the DRIPA struck down and declared of no force and effect. The constitutional challenge argues, among other things, that the DRIPA: is beyond the province’s constitutional authority; breaches the democratic rights of citizens by leaving them governed by an entity they had no say in electing; and illegally tries to tie the hands of future governments by dictating what types of laws they must pass… In 2024 PHARA filed a petition seeking to challenge the DRIPA and a related Order in Council that proposed to give the shíshálh Nation statutory decision-making powers under what is known as a DRIPA “section 7 agreement”. Government has since rescinded that specific Order in Council and signed an agreement with the shíshálh Nation to pursue other section 7 decision-making in the Sunshine Coast. 

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Local Government Panel announced for COFI event: Resilient Forestry, Resilient Communities

BC Council of Forest Industries
February 11, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada West

Municipal leaders are on the front lines of BC’s economy, where the health of the forest sector directly impacts jobs, services, and long-term community stability. This timely panel brings together mayors from across the province for a practical, solutions-focused discussion on what a competitive and resilient forestry future means for families and local economies — and what’s needed to ensure forestry remains a cornerstone industry for generations to come. Featuring mayors Maria McFaddin (Castlegar), Brad West (Port Coquitlam), Leonard Krog (Nanaimo) and Gary Sulz (Revelstoke), the conversation will offer grounded municipal perspectives from communities both large and small. The session will be moderated by Karen Brandt, Senior Vice President, Public Affairs and Partnerships with Mosaic Forest Management. Expect candid insights, local realities, and a forward-looking discussion on strengthening forestry and the communities it supports.

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Northern Ontario town joins call to bolster steel, lumber sectors

By Eric Taschner
CTV News
February 17, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada East

A northern Ontario municipality is adding its voice to growing demands for the provincial government to fortify the region’s cornerstone industries as they brace for the impact of ongoing trade hostilities with the United States. Town council in Mattawa has unanimously passed a motion urging the province to introduce stronger protections for the steel and softwood lumber sectors. The move follows a similar resolution passed by the Township of Nairn & Hyman in early December, reflecting escalating anxiety among northern communities heavily reliant on these industries. Mattawa Mayor Raymond Belanger said the local economy remains deeply tied to forestry, making the threat of U.S. tariffs particularly acute. …Dave Plourde, president of the Federation of Northern Ontario Municipalities (FONOM) and mayor of Kapuskasing, acknowledged the deep-seated frustration among northern communities that were built on the back of these resources. …The forestry and lumber industry provides approximately 128,000 jobs…

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Irving Paper to get up to $45 million in Holt tariff relief funds

By Adam Huras
The Telegraph Journal
February 18, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada East

NEW BRUNSWICK — The Holt government is dipping into one of its tariff relief funds to provide Irving Paper with up to $45 million it says will maintain jobs at New Brunswick’s only remaining paper mill. It comes after the Saint John manufacturer of paper used for magazines, catalogues and newsprint announced roughly a year ago it was cutting 140 jobs, while criticizing the impact of “soaring electricity costs” and blaming “management issues” at NB Power. That’s while it suggested a subsidy wasn’t the answer as all New Brunswickers and the province’s industry were grappling with the challenge of climbing electricity bills. The money is part of a $54.3-million package for a total of seven New Brunswick companies announced by Opportunities NB. Last spring, Premier Susan Holt announced a $40-million “competitive growth program” that she said would be aimed at stabilizing larger New Brunswick companies that are export-intensive.

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Only one paper machine operating at Corner Brook mill after major shutdown

By Colleen Connors
CBC News
February 18, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada East

The last pulp and paper mill in Newfoundland and Labrador is partially operating again as of Tuesday after a significant shut down that started last fall due to extremely low water levels at Grand Lake. It was one of the longest shut downs in the Corner Brook mill’s history. Kruger Inc, the mill’s owner, indicated it would take weeks to ramp up operations, given the plant was shut during winter’s coldest months. But local politicians believe this partial re-start is an indication of big changes in operations and jobs. …”We will have some periods where we will run. Some work is then needed. That will stop operations, but that will continue to ramp as we go over the next couple of days,” explained Darren Pelley, vice-president of special projects with Kruger Inc. Pelley said Kruger will monitor water levels and continue to make paper when possible. 

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Several Local Leaders in Forestry recognized by Forest Nova Scotia

989 XFM
February 13, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada East

At the recent Forest Nova Scotia AGM, Antigonish County’s Ralph Stewart of RES Sustainable Forestry received a Forest Stewardship Certificate. A post on Forest Nova Scotia’s Facebook Page states the event help recognize the year’s leaders in safety and stewardship across the forestry industry. When asked why he made a career of forestry, Stewart said it stems for his childhood, working on the family farm and out in the woods with his parents and siblings. When working on the wood lot, he said they were always taught to think about what’s next for the lot and how to sustain it. Stewart said he feels the forestry industry is going in the right direction and working towards implementing the Lahey Forestry Report, which includes a number of forestry objectives.

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Finance & Economics

Canfor announces asset write-down and impairment charge

Canfor Corporation
February 17, 2026
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: Canada, United States

VANCOUVER, BC – Canfor Corporation announced today that it will record a non-cash asset write down and impairment charge totaling approximately $321 million in its fourth quarter of 2025 results. Of this amount, $215 million relates to the Company’s lumber segment and $106 million relates to its pulp and paper segment. In the lumber segment, the impairment is associated with the Company’s European operations and reflects ongoing log supply pressures in the region, which have resulted in significant increases in log costs and reduced asset carrying values. In the pulp segment, the impairment reflects sustained declines in global US-dollar pulp list prices as well as continued challenges in securing economically viable fibre necessary to support operations. This impairment charge is non-cash in nature and does not affect Canfor’s liquidity position, cash flows or day-to-day operations.

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CIBC warns overstated housing starts mask economic weakness in Canada

Canadian Mortgage Trends
February 18, 2026
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: Canada

The bank said in a new report Wednesday that the housing market is too soft to encourage builders to break ground on new homes at the pace needed to lift the economy and deliver a long overdue supply injection. “I think that we are in the early stages of this correction when it comes to the impact on the economy,” said CIBC deputy chief economist Benjamin Tal in an interview. Housing makes up a significant portion of Canada’s economy, and Tal said the run-up in prices and heightened real estate investment over the past two decades have only increased its weight on gross domestic product. The Canada Real Estate Association expects home sales to climb 5.1% this year after trade uncertainty drove a market slowdown in 2025. “The way to describe the housing market at this point is that houses are still too expensive to buy, not expensive enough to build,” Tal said.

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In defence of hewers of wood and drawers of water

By The Editorial Board
The Globe and Mail
February 15, 2026
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: Canada

It’s been nearly a century since political economist Harold Innis popularized the phrase “hewers of wood and drawers of water” in decrying Canada’s dependence on natural resources. …Underpinning that cry is the (wrongheaded) assumption that natural resources such as mining, agriculture and energy are second-grade economic activity, less desirable than manufacturing. …That mistake is the foundation for many public policy blunders over many decades. The numbers demolish that myth, and tell a very different story, one in which energy, mining and other natural resources sectors create enormous economic value and are globally competitive. …The federal government needs to get itself out of the way of some of the strongest parts of the Canadian economy. Stop subsidizing inefficient sectors. Stop raising protective tariffs that harm other parts of the economy. Focus on rolling back unjustified regulatory barriers that harm the ability of the entire economy, particularly globally exposed natural resources sectors, to compete. And, most of all, stop the undervaluing Canada’s great natural advantage in natural resources. [to access the full story a Globe & Mail subscription is required]

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CMHC reports further slowing of housing starts with no turnaround in sight

The Canadian Press in CP24 News
February 16, 2026
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: Canada

The pace of homebuilding in Canada continues to slow with no near-term signs of a turnaround, said Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. on Monday. The national housing agency said the seasonally-adjusted annual pace of housing starts declined 15% in January. Housing starts can vary considerably month-to-month as big projects get started, but the agency’s six-month moving average for annual starts also showed a 3.5% decline. “The six-month trend has decreased for the fourth consecutive month,” said CMHC deputy chief economist Tania Bourassa-Ochoa in a news release. “We expect new construction to continue trending lower going forward as trade and geopolitical uncertainty, high construction costs, weaker demand, and rising inventories continue to constrain developer activity.” She said a near-term turnaround is looking unlikely, and reflects what the agency has been hearing from developers over recent months. The pullback comes amid a variety of pressures, including lower immigration numbers and US trade policy.

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Canada’s annual inflation rate edged down to 2.3% in January with decline in gas prices

By Jenna Benchetrit
CBC News
February 17, 2026
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: Canada

Canada’s annual inflation rate edged down to 2.3% in January, Statistics Canada said on Tuesday, driven downward by a decline in the cost of gasoline. Economists were largely expecting the rate to remain unchanged from December’s 2.4%. Pump prices put pressure on the headline rate, having fallen 16.7% in January compared to the same period last year. With gas excluded, January’s inflation rate came in at 3%. The Bank of Canada’s preferred measures of core inflation, which strip away volatility from one-time tax changes and gas prices, all ticked down in January — bringing those rates closer to the central bank’s two per cent inflation target. “Overall, this is an encouraging result for the Bank of Canada, with inflation finally nearing the [2%] target on a broader basis,” wrote Douglas Porter, chief economist at Bank of Montreal. ›

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Interfor reports Q4, 2025 net loss of $104.6 million

Interfor Corporation
February 12, 2026
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: Canada, United States

BURNABY, BC — Interfor recorded a net loss in Q4, 2025 of $104.6 million, compared to a net loss of $215.8 million in Q3’25 and a net loss of $49.9 million in Q4’24. Adjusted EBITDA was a loss of $29.2 million on sales of $600.6 million in Q4’25 versus an Adjusted EBITDA loss of $183.8 million on sales of $689.3 million in Q3’25 and Adjusted EBITDA of $80.4 million on sales of $746.5 million in Q4’24. …During and subsequent to Q4’25, Interfor completed a series of financing transactions. Taken together, these transactions significantly enhance Interfor’s financial flexibility, bolster liquidity and provide meaningful additional runway as the Company continues to navigate volatile lumber market conditions. …Lumber production of 753 million board feet was down 159 million board feet versus the preceding quarter. …Interfor’s strategy of maintaining a diversified portfolio of operations in multiple regions allows the Company to both reduce risk and maximize returns on capital over the business cycle.

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Mercer reports Q4, 2025 net loss of 308.7 million

Mercer International Inc.
February 12, 2026
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: Canada, United States, International

NEW YORK, New York — Mercer International reported fourth quarter 2025 Operating EBITDA of negative $20.1 million compared to positive $99.2 million in the same quarter of 2024 and negative $28.1 million in the third quarter of 2025. In the fourth quarter of 2025, net loss was $308.7 million compared to net income of $16.7 million in the fourth quarter of 2024 and a net loss of $80.8 million in the third quarter of 2025. The net loss in the fourth quarter of 2025 included total non-cash impairments of $238.7 million. This included non-cash impairments of $203.5 million recognized against long-lived assets at our Peace River mill due to the continued down-cycle environment of hardwood pulp markets, $12.2 million against certain obsolete equipment and $23.0 million against pulp inventory due to low prices and high fiber costs. …Mr. Juan Carlos Bueno, CEO: “We continue to prioritize improving liquidity and working capital, committing to rebalancing our asset portfolio and maintaining operating discipline.”

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West Fraser reports Q4, 2025 loss of $751 million

West Fraser Timber Co. Ltd.
February 11, 2026
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: Canada, United States

VANCOUVER, BC — West Fraser Timber reported their fourth quarter results of 2025. Fourth quarter sales were $1.165 billion, compared to $1.307 billion in Q3, 2025. Fourth quarter earnings were $(751) million, compared to earnings of $(204) million in Q3, 2025. Fourth quarter Adjusted EBITDA was $(79) million compared to $(144) million in Q3, 2025. Full year sales were $5.462 billion, compared to $6.174 billion in 2024. Full year earnings were $(937) million, compared to earnings of $(5) million. Full year Adjusted EBITDA was $56 million compared to $673 million in 2024. …”The fourth quarter of 2025 was another challenging period for West Fraser, marked by elevated softwood lumber duties and tariffs, southern yellow pine lumber and OSB oversupply, and tempered demand for many of our wood-based building products, much of which can be attributed to housing affordability constraints that have continued into early 2026. Notwithstanding this environment, we made great advances with some of our major capital investments,” said Sean McLaren, President and CEO. 

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Value of Canadian building permits increased 6.8% in December

Statistics Canada
February 11, 2026
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: Canada

In December, the total value of building permits issued in Canada increased $821.3 million (+6.8%) to $12.8 billion. The increase was led by the residential sector (+$533.5 million) and supported by the non-residential sector (+$287.8 million). On a constant dollar basis (2023=100), the total value of building permits issued in December grew 6.6% from the previous month and was down 6.3% on a year-over-year basis. …On an annual basis — weak single family and industrial construction intentions drive declines in residential and non-residential permit values. …The residential sector decreased $1.0 billion to $86.6 billion in 2025. This decline was driven by single-family construction intentions, falling 7.0% to $29.6 billion, the lowest annual level in the series. Conversely, the multi-family component increased $1.2 billion to $57.0 billion in 2025, the second-highest level in the series.

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Trade fears linger even as the Bank of Canada survey brightens outlook

By Liezel Once
The Canadian Mortgage Professional
February 10, 2026
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: Canada, United States

The Bank of Canada’s latest survey of financial-market participants pointed to a modestly brighter growth outlook than the central bank’s own projections, even as trade tensions with the US remain the dominant threat hanging over Canada’s economy and housing market. In the fourth‑quarter Market Participants Survey, 93% of respondents cited an “increase in trade tensions” as the top downside risk to Canadian growth, well ahead of tighter global financial conditions and weaker consumer spending. Participants still assign a 20% probability to a recession over the next six months, but their median forecast calls for real GDP growth of 1.6% by the end of 2026 and 1.9% by late 2027, slightly stronger than the Bank’s own projections of 1.1% and 1.5%. While the survey suggests some stabilization in expectations, it underscores that tariff policy remains the key macroeconomic swing factor. …PwC Canada’s latest survey among 133 CEOs showed that only 27% expect the domestic economy to improve over the next 12 months.

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B.C. outperforms Canada on exports despite tariffs and weak hiring

By Bryan Yu, chief economist of Central 1
Business in Vancouver
February 11, 2026
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: Canada, Canada West

B.C.’s export performance moved against the national pattern in November. Domestic exports to international markets rose 7.6 per cent year over year to $4.59 billion, whereas exports nationally declined by about four per cent on a customs basis. This contrast partly reflects differences in the types of goods each region exports. Nevertheless, provincial export trends remain soft, reflecting U.S. tariffs on key products like lumber, and end of de minimis treatment of low value exports. Year-to-date, B.C. exports slipped a mild 0.1 per cent from same-period 2024, which was slightly stronger than the national reading. …That said, a declining trend continued in the battered forestry sector (-13.7 per cent year over year), where tariffs have compounded weakness from timber supply constraints and other duties already imposed by the U.S.

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Western Forest Products reports Q4, 2025 net loss of $17.5 million

Western Forest Products Inc.
February 10, 2026
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: Canada, Canada West

VANCOUVER – Western Forest Products reported adjusted EBITDA of negative $6.2 million in the fourth quarter of 2025. In comparison, the Company reported Adjusted EBITDA of $14.4 million in the fourth quarter of 2024 and Adjusted EBITDA of negative $65.9 million in the third quarter of 2025, which included a non-cash export tax expense of $59.5 million related to the determination of final duty rates from the sixth Administrative Review. Net loss was $17.5 million in the fourth quarter of 2025, as compared to a net loss of $1.2 million in the fourth quarter of 2024, and net loss of $61.3 million in the third quarter of 2025. …For the full year 2025, the net loss was $82.4 million compared to to a net loss of $34.5 million in 2024. …“Despite more challenging markets and higher softwood lumber duties and tariffs in 2025, we enter 2026 with a significantly improved balance sheet to navigate the expected near-term market uncertainty,” said Steven Hofer, President and CEO of Western Forest Products.

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Acadian Timber reports Q4, 2026 adjusted net income of $5.2 million

Acadian Timber Corp.
February 11, 2026
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: Canada, Canada East

EDMUNDSTON, New Brunswick – Acadian Timber reported financial and operating results for the three months ended December 31, 2025 as well as for the full 2025 fiscal year. “While 2025 brought a multitude of challenges, Acadian delivered steady operational performance in New Brunswick, helping to offset weather-related challenges, trucking constraints, and productivity issues in Maine,” said Adam Sheparski, President and Chief Executive Officer. …During the fourth quarter, Acadian generated sales of $22.0 million compared to $20.2 million in the fourth quarter of 2024. Acadian generated $5.2 million of Adjusted EBITDA and declared dividends of $5.3 million. During 2025, Acadian generated revenue from timber sales and services of $87.0 million, compared to $91.6 million in the prior year. The sale of 752,100 voluntary carbon credits contributed an additional $24.6 million to total sales in 2024 while no sales of carbon credits occurred in 2025. 

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Wood, Paper & Green Building

Government of Canada advances wood construction in Quebec

By Natural Resources Canada
Cision Newswire
February 19, 2026
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada

MONTREAL – …the forest sector is facing real pressures, including the impact of unjust U.S. trade measures. The Government of Canada is responding with a strategy: protect what we have and transform the sector so it can grow stronger, more resilient and more competitive. Today at Les Conférences Cecobois et le Forum construction bas carbone et biosourcée 2026, Claude Guay, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, announced that Cecobois is receiving, from the Green Construction through Wood (GCWood) program, $580,000 in federal funding administered by the Conseil de l’industrie forestière du Québec. With this funding, Cecobois will implement new projects aimed at documenting and raising awareness of the benefits of using wood to decarbonize the construction sector, deepening technical knowledge and disseminating expertise. These strategic actions will help increase the use of wood and bio-based insulation materials, as well as promote carbon neutrality in non-residential and multi-residential buildings.

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Embodied Carbon—Regulating to Reduce

By Aurélia Crémoux
Canadian Architect
February 16, 2026
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada

As Denmark has recently tightened its standards for new construction with the aim of reducing embodied carbon, what lessons can Canada draw from this experience? In 2023, the Danish Building Code made life-cycle assessment (LCA) mandatory for all new buildings over their first fifty years. …The government also mandated researchers to provide practitioners with a list of generic material data for cases where an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD)—required to perform an LCA. When the regulation came into force in 2023, the entire construction industry was opposed to it, recalls Thomas Graabaek. “ And then slowly there was a movement within architects and engineers that actually we need to have even stricter demands.” …“Unfortunately, in Canada, [architects] have been educated only around operations, [not on its entire life cycle],” explains Kelly Alvarez Doran. He advocates for the establishment of embodied-carbon targets at different regulatory scales. 

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Stelumar and CRIBE Host First North American Hackathon Advancing Forestry-Based Housing Innovation

By Stelumar Advanced Manufacturing Inc.
Cision Newswire
February 17, 2026
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada

TORONTO – Stelumar Advanced Manufacturing Inc. has successfully completed the first-of-its-kind North American BioBoosters Hackathon. The Hackathon addressed two urgent and interconnected challenges facing Canada: the need to accelerate housing supply through innovation in construction and the opportunity to unlock new value for Ontario’s forestry sector through advanced building products. In partnership with the Centre for Research & Innovation in the Bio-Economy (CRIBE) and the Interreg Norway Sweden project Circular Bioeconomy Arena, Stelumar brought together seven teams from Canada, Norway, Sweden and Finland, industry experts and innovation leaders to explore scalable, sustainable building solutions that could be implemented directly in Stelumar’s manufacturing operations. …Throughout the two-day event, participating teams presented concepts ranging from advanced wood-based chemicals, materials and solutions supporting circular material approaches, and low-carbon manufacturing processes, with an emphasis on scalability, performance and alignment with Ontario’s forestry resources.

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The latest issue of the Wood Design & Building Magazine is now available!

The Canadian Wood Council
February 10, 2026
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada

The newest issue of Wood Design & Building magazine is now available — and it’s another strong showcase of innovation, performance, and beauty in wood construction. This edition features projects that push design and logistics boundaries, including a helicopter-access alpine cabin in British Columbia, a thoughtfully designed community hall in Nova Scotia, and in-depth analysis on the real-world costs and competitiveness of mass timber. As always, the magazine — published by the Canadian Wood Council — blends architecture, engineering, and forest sector insight, highlighting how wood continues to lead in sustainability, resilience, and smart design. For Tree Frog readers who follow the evolution of mass timber, value-added wood products, and the growing influence of low-carbon construction, this issue offers both inspiration and practical perspective. Worth a read — and worth sharing.

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BC Wood Seminar: Learn about Grants and Government Funding Programs that Support BC’s Value-Added Wood Manufacturers

BC Wood Specialties Group
February 19, 2026
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada, Canada West

Zoom Webinar | Wednesday, February 25, 2026 | 10:00am – 11:30am PST | Zoom. BC’s wood manufacturers are facing real challenges from labour shortages and export pressures to rising costs and growing sustainability expectations. The good news? There’s funding available to support your hiring, workforce development, technology upgrades, product innovation, and market expansion. Join this session designed specifically for processors, builders, and related businesses in the value-added wood sector. You’ll learn how to use grants strategically, not reactively, to achieve your business goals. What you will learn:

  • Which government and grant programs apply to your business: hiring, training, market expansion, R&D
  • How to align grants with your growth and sustainability plans
  • Tips on developing a funding strategy
  • Information on CanExport Program and the Trade Commissioners Office

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New National Platform Connects Education and Industry to Advance Construction Training: MMC Edu

By Modern Methods of Construction Education
British Columbia Institute of Technology
February 13, 2026
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada, Canada West

Modern Methods of Construction Education (MMC Edu) is a national platform that connects education and industry to advance construction training in Canada. It is a key outcome of the Mass Timber Training Network: Advancing Trades for a Sustainable Future (MTAT) project, which brings together a national network to advance wood as a low-carbon building material by addressing major barriers to mass timber adoption across the country. Led by the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) in partnership with Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) through the Green Construction Through Wood Program (GC Wood), the MTAT project focuses on education and training as a key vehicle for reducing barriers and preparing the next generation of the workforce. MMC Edu serves as a shared platform where network members, industry partners, and educators can exchange knowledge and access resources that support innovation, sustainability, and workforce readiness across Canada.

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International Pulp Week – Only 48 hours left to lock in Early Bird rates

International Pulp Week
February 13, 2026
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada West

International Pulp Week (IPW) is the premier annual gathering for the global market pulp sector, organized by the Pulp and Paper Products Council (PPPC). Set for May 10–12, 2026 at the Sutton Place Hotel in Vancouver, BC, the three-day conference brings together producers, customers, logistics providers, analysts and other key stakeholders from around the world to share market intelligence, expert insights and strategic dialogue on trends shaping the future of pulp markets. Through keynote presentations, expert panels and extensive networking opportunities, IPW offers decision-makers high-value analysis, opportunities for business development, and collaboration across the pulp supply chain. The event has become a must-attend forum for those involved in international pulp production, trade and investment, with participants from more than 40 countries expected to attend.

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Ontario teachers union’s new mass timber HQ

By Rich Christianson
The Woodworking Network
February 17, 2026
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada, Canada East

TORONTO — The new headquarters for the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation is a state-of-the-art mass timber structure designed by Moriyama Teshima Architects. The 124,000-square-foot building prioritizes sustainability and wellness, utilizing abundant natural light and a structural connection to natural elements. The architectural approach allows the cross-laminated timber and glue-laminated timber to serve as the defining elements of the interior. A clean, monochromatic palette was chosen specifically to highlight the natural beauty of the exposed wood. Key design features include: Exposed Structure: To keep the wooden ceilings visible. …Interior finishes—such as neutral carpet tiles and stone-like textures—were selected to harmonize with the timber and evoke the surrounding ravine landscape. …Acoustic Detail: The design incorporates walnut slat ceiling systems with integrated absorptive material to manage acoustics while maintaining the wood-forward aesthetic.

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Concrete’s competitor climbs nine storeys in Toronto

By Cloe Logan
National Observer
February 13, 2026
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada East

©WindmillDevGroup

The tallest residential mass timber building in Ontario is reaching completion. Soon, 60 apartments will be ready, surrounded by walls and framing free from emissions-intensive concrete. Large panels made of wood were shipped from the West Coast to construct the nine-storey Etobicoke build, which is heated and cooled with geothermal energy. In 2024, the Ontario government updated its building code to allow for mass timber buildings of up to 18 storeys, opening up a new market for tall wooden buildings. The pre-fabrication aspect is what makes buildings of this kind viable, said Stephen Savell of Windmill Development Group, which is leading the project, called Hälsa. Instead of the building being constructed completely on site, a British Columbia-based start-up got the timber panels ready to install: they arrived complete with windows, cladding and more. Once the pieces reached the site, they were hefted up by cranes and attached to the building frame, which was also constructed with timber.

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Forestry

Young Researchers Have Potential to Transform Canada’s Forests

Forest Products Association of Canada
February 19, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada

Applications Now Open For FPAC’s 2026 Chisholm Awards for Innovation in Forestry. The Chisholm Awards for Innovation in Forestry, awarded by Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC) are now open for applications. This national recognition program highlights the innovative spirit, leadership, and research excellence of students and early-career researchers in Canada’s forest sector. The Chisholm Awards pay tribute to young innovators whose work has the potential to transform Canada’s forest sector, from advancing sustainable forest management and clean manufacturing to breakthroughs in supply chain processes or forest-based product development. “The Chisholm Awards for Innovation in Forestry recognize research and solutions that advance the adoption of Canadian forest products through value chain innovation,” stated Derek Nighbor, President and CEO of FPAC. 

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Tree Canada Launches New Online Platform to Strengthen Urban Forestry Across Canada

By Robert Henri
Tree Canada
February 11, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada

Ottawa, ON — Urban trees and forests play a vital role in climate resilience, public health, and community well-being. Supporting urban forests requires stronger coordination, knowledge sharing, and capacity building among professionals working in this sector. To meet this need, Tree Canada is proud to announce the recent launch of the Canadian Urban Forest Network (CUFN) Exchange, a new online hub connecting urban forestry professionals across the country. The CUFN Exchange, which now hosts over 300 members from every province in Canada, was created to convene urban forestry practitioners, researchers, educators, consultants and non-profit leaders in a shared space for knowledge exchange, professional connection, and collective problem-solving.

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Women in Forestry Virtual Summit

Women in Forestry Virtual Summit
February 13, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada

Creating a more diverse workforce is a critical challenge for forestry companies across Canada. Addressing this will require rethinking how we recruit, train, and retain employees, while fostering an industry culture that welcomes women and people of all backgrounds. This year, we align with the International Women’s Day 2026 theme, #GivetoGain for gender equality, to drive these conversations forward. On March 5, 2026, Canadian Forest IndustriesPulp & Paper CanadaCanadian Biomass, and Opérations Forestières et de Scierie will host the Women in Forestry Virtual Summit. Co-hosted by Christine Leduc, VP, Communications & Government Relations at the Sustainable Forestry Initiative, this free, national event will bring together industry professionals for a meaningful discussion on gender and diversity in the forest sector.

Svetlana Kayumova

Jenna Phillips

Featured Q&A Stories associated with this year’s event include: Svetlana Kayumova, Vice-President of Corporate Communications & Government Relations at Interfor and Jenna Phillips, Senior Policy Advisor at the Forest Products Association of Canada. 

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Forest loss can make watersheds “leakier,” global study suggests

By UBCO Faculty of Science
The University of British Columbia
February 19, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

Forest loss does more than reduce tree cover. A new global study involving UBC Okanagan researchers shows it can fundamentally change how watersheds hold and release water. The research analyzed data from 657 watersheds across six continents. It found that both forest loss and changes in forest landscape pattern cause watersheds to release a higher proportion of “young water”—rain and snowmelt that moves through a watershed within roughly two to three months of falling. “Young water is a signal that water is moving quickly through a system,” says Ming Qiu, lead author and doctoral student in UBC Okanagan’s Earth and Environmental Sciences program. “When the young-water fraction is high, it means less water is being stored in soils and groundwater for use during drier periods.” The study was co-authored by Qiu and Dr. Adam Wei, professor in UBCO’s Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science. 

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’Wuìk̓inux̌v Nation sues B.C. over timber licence extension amid final treaty talks

By Stefan Labbe
Business in Vancouver
February 17, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

A BC First Nation in the final stages of treaty negotiation is suing the province for allegedly breaching the “honour of the Crown” after an official extended an expiring timber licence in its traditional territory. Filed in a BC Supreme Court last week, the application for judicial review from ’Wuìk̓inux̌v Nation seeks to overturn an August 2025 decision… that gave Interfor a three-year extension to log an estimated 50,000 cubic metres of timber. The court application argues that allowing a third party to continue harvesting on the nation’s lands—without their consent and against their environmental concerns—is a step backward that the law no longer allows. The claim, which also names Interfor, arrives at a volatile moment for BC politics: by leaning on a landmark legal precedent set in December 2025, it lands squarely in the middle of a heated debate over how the province manages its natural resources in an era of reconciliation.

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Fibreglass pollution in Cowichan estuary raises concern

By Robert Barron
Lake Cowichan Gazette
February 18, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

North Cowichan wants something done about the growing amount of fibreglass pollution in the Cowichan estuary. Council passed a motion at its meeting on Feb. 4 that the municipality write a letter to senior levels of government and the appropriate regulatory authorities asking that they raise awareness of the issue and take action to deal with the problem. Coun. Christopher Justice, who made the motion, said that the issue of derelict and deteriorating fibreglass boats is something that is becoming more acute in local harbours and waterways. …North Cowichan Mayor Rob Douglas said the municipality must signal its support for the continued operation of the Western Forest Products sawmill, which operates in that area. He said he spoke to officials at the mill before the council meeting. “They advised me that they are not aware of any fibreglass contamination coming from the mill site,” Douglas said.

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Alberta spending $400M on new water bombers for aging firefighting fleet

By Dayne Patterson
CBC News
February 17, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

Alberta is spending $400 million to add five new water bombers to its aging firefighting fleet over the next several years. The deal with Calgary-based De Havilland Aircraft is expected to see the first amphibious plane delivered in 2031. The Canadair DHC-515 plane can skim bodies of water and fill its 6,100-litre tank in about 12 seconds. …Premier Danielle Smith said the money is separate from the $160 million the province spends on its wildfire response each year. …The province says 18 air tankers were available to respond to wildfires last year, four of which were Alberta-owned and -contracted. Those four were built between 1986 and 1988. Loewen said the aging planes still have life left in them, but doesn’t want to wait until their retirement to begin bolstering the fleet. The purchase is expected to create about 1,000 jobs while adding to the current fleet.

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Forestry report draws criticism

By Cheryl Jahn
CKPG Today
February 17, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

PRINCE GEORGE – [Local forester and forestry advocate Michelle Connolly says what’s being suggested in a recent report, titled “From Conflict to Care: BC’s Forest Future,” is off the mark.] “One of the core beliefs is that people are better at managing nature, than nature is, even though forests have been self-organizing and self-managing for millennia,” says Connolly. “The lack of self-awareness right up front in that report is troubling, because it means that they’re not aware of their own biases and belief systems that are guiding the things they’re putting in this report.” Kiel Giddens, Conservative MLA for Prince George-Mackenzie, says the report overlooks a lot of industry concerns.  …Giddens says, while the report misses the mark overall, he agrees with Objective Number 2 around regional decision making. …But Connolly says where the report truly hits the mark is over what is seen as a lack of transparency in the decision-making processes.

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The BC NDP promised to phase out glyphosate. Forestry companies are still spraying

By Ainslie Cruickshank
The Narwhal
February 13, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

British Columbia’s three major political parties found rare common ground in the last provincial election on the forestry sector’s use of glyphosate….During the 2024 campaign, the BC Greens promised to ban the use of all chemical herbicides in forestry. The BC Conservatives committed to stop all aerial spraying of glyphosate. And the BC NDP, which was re-elected with a slim majority that October, promised to phase out the sector’s use of glyphosate altogether. Despite those commitments, chemical herbicides were sprayed across hundreds of hectares of forests in 2025, mostly in the area northeast of Prince George, B.C. …The area forestry companies reported spraying with herbicides each year in B.C. has declined since 1989, when it peaked at about 40,000 hectares, according to a 2019 report by FPInnovations, which describes itself as a private non-profit focused on research and development in the forestry sector.

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Museum Musings: Whistler’s remaining old-growth forests

By Kristina Swerhun
Pique News Magazine
February 16, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

Whistler is fortunate to be surrounded by temperate rainforest, which is essential to the resort’s appeal as a tourist destination. Forests have also proven to be highly beneficial for human mental and physical health. …Old-growth forests, defined as undisturbed for at least 250 years, are vital to addressing the interconnected biodiversity and climate crises. …On the climate side, old-growth forests store vast amounts of carbon in living trees, dead wood, and undisturbed soil. …Since the early 1900s, Whistler’s forests have been logged extensively, and low-elevation old-growth forests that once covered the valley are now found only in limited areas. Commercial logging and thinning have continued by the Cheakamus Community Forest (CCF) since 2009, though old-growth logging was deferred in 2021. …Given that old-growth forests thrive on stability, attempting to manage them doesn’t make ecological sense, especially since they are already among the most climate-resilient ecosystems on Earth.

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Timber technology to get a $5.9M upgrade

University of Alberta – Folio
February 17, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

Robert Froese

Essential scientific tools used to balance timber harvesting with environmental sustainability are getting a significant update, powered by a $5.9-million investment in University of Alberta research. Forest growth and yield models … are being redeveloped in an eight-year project led by professor Robert Froese, supported with funding from the Forest Resource Improvement Association of Alberta, Alberta Forestry and Parks and the Saskatchewan Ministry of Environment. The work will create a new generation of models … and will provide capabilities specific to Western Canada’s boreal and Rocky Mountain forests that foresters and land managers are asking for, says Froese, Endowed Chair in Forest Growth & Yield in the Faculty of Agricultural, Life & Environmental Sciences. The project will modernize tools used in forest management, for tasks such as timber supply analysis, and for forecasts of how forests will respond to thinning, reforestation activities, tree genetic improvement, innovative silviculture, conservation and climate change.

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Peers honor John Walker as a Distinguished Forest Professional

By Pat Matthews
My Cariboo Now
February 17, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

A Williams Lake man was of three people to be recognized by Forest Professional British Columbia (FPBC). At the 78th annual forestry conference on February 5, John Walker was honored as a Distinguished Forest Professional. …“John is a respected collaborator and mentor across BC, particularly in the Cariboo region, where he builds strong connections between forestry practices, First Nations stewardship and research,” Forest Professionals BC Board Chair Dave Clarke said. “I’ve been in Williams Lake since 1996 starting in consulting making decisions on a block by block level. Now working with Williams Lake First Nation it’s more landscape level working towards different policies and then also being operational. A lot of the Fire Mitigation work around town we’ve been a part of and helped push for,” Walker said. He has also collaborated with the BC Wildfire Service to develop thinning methods for prescribed burns, reducing wildfire risk, restoring culturally important plants, and enhancing operational efficiency.

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FireSmart funding changes raises concerns

By Dean Stoltz
Chek News
February 11, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

Fire departments across BC are concerned about changes to the FireSmart program and how funding is provided to communities as they plan for wildfires. The Ministry of Forests says it’s moving to a more “holistic approach” based on where risk is the highest but the fire chief who was at the centre of the Wesley Ridge wildfire on Vancouver Island last summer says the program is too important to change. Nick Acciavatti says funding from the provincial FireSmart program was instrumental in saving numerous homes in the Wesley Ridge fire. …The program provides funding to local fire departments that then go into local neighbourhoods to educate and undertake fire prevention work like brush clearing and cleaning properties of combustible materials. But that money may no longer be available to any fire department that applies for it is something Acciavatti is concerned about, considering the changing wildfire conditions here on Vancouver Island.

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Next Woodlot Talk | Fisher Workshops | Silviculture Learning Opportunities | Planting Program

Woodlots BC
February 13, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

The latest Woodlots Weekly delivers a comprehensive update for woodlot licence holders and forest professionals across British Columbia. This issue highlights an upcoming Woodlot Talk on February 19 featuring Gord Chipman, Woodlots BC Executive Director, offering insights from recent forestry conferences and a 2026 outlook. Free in-person Fisher habitat workshops are being offered in Smithers, Prince George, Dawson Creek and Williams Lake to support effective forest planning. There’s also a final reminder to register for regional silviculture workshops in Nanaimo, Prince George and Kelowna, with virtual options available. Support for wildfire risk reduction is showcased through details on the Wildfire Reduction Equipment Support Trust (WREST), designed to assist contractors in acquiring essential equipment. Forest Canada tree planting programs are also listed, offering financial support for restoration efforts following disturbances. Finally, the issue includes a robust Events Calendar with AGMs, conferences and workshops across the province.

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Motion to ban raw log exports pulled at Regional District of Nanaimo board meeting

By Maryse Zeidler
CBC News
February 13, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

Doug Pauze

The Regional District of Nanaimo (RDN) board has reneged on a decision to advocate for a ban on raw log exports following feedback from wood manufacturing companies that said such a ban would put them out of business. RDN board members reviewed correspondence from the Coastal Forest Policy Coalition, Harmac and Coastland Wood Industries imploring them to rescind their recent decision to put forward a resolution to ban raw log exports at the upcoming Association of Vancouver Island and Coastal Communities meeting. The resolution called on governments to ban exports to encourage manufacturing in B.C. and support employment in B.C.’s forest industry. …”If B.C. bans log exports, manufacturing on the coast will shrink,” said Coastland Wood Industries president Doug Pauze. “Instead of protecting jobs, a ban would trigger widespread curtailments, put contractors out of business and strip millions in provincial revenue out of the economy.” Pauze said the idea that banning raw log exports would “magically redirect” wood fibre to domestic mills is “simply not true.”

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Yukon offers financial support to commercial wood harvesters

By Chris MacIntyre
CBC News
February 11, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

@Wikipedia

Yukon’s commercial wood harvesters could get a bit of financial relief, after a rough start to the winter season for some of them. The territorial government has created a multi-year “forestry sector fund” intended to help strengthen and support the Yukon forestry industry by reimbursing operators for some business costs. Michelle Sicotte, director of the territory’s forest management branch, said the program has three funding streams commercial harvesters can apply to. The capacity support stream helps businesses with planning, training, equipment, and operational costs. Another stream encourages harvesting and sorting of logs for home builders. There’s also a funding stream for “liquidity support,” intended to provide short-term emergency financial assistance to “harvesters who might be facing unexpected issues that affect wood supply,” Sicotte said.

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Environmental groups sue Ottawa over decade-long failure to map B.C. caribou habitat

By Stefan Labbé
Business in Vancouver
February 10, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

Three environmental groups have sued the federal government for allegedly failing to map out critical habitat for B.C.’s threatened caribou. The request for judicial review was filed in the Vancouver Federal Court Monday, Feb. 9 by Wildsight, Stand.earth and Wilderness Committee. …Southern mountain caribou were listed under SARA in 2003. The legislation requires Ottawa to identify what critical habitat a species needs, so it can implement a plan for it to survive and recover. …After a previous round of litigation in 2014, Ottawa said it would finish by the end of the year. More than a decade later, that still hasn’t happened. …By delaying 11 years, the three groups claim Ottawa’s unlawful and unreasonable failure to produce the maps has caused further harm to the threatened caribou herds. …Fully protecting southern mountain caribou could involve curbing logging activity in large swaths of B.C.—something that has worried the province’s forest industry.

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The Wildfire Act needs your input

BC First Nations Forestry Council
February 10, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

On behalf of the BC Wildfire Service, we are pleased to share this opportunity with First Nations communities. The BC Wildfire Service is in the early stages of policy development to address issues with the Wildfire Act and Regulation that are affecting wildfire operations and public safety in the province. Following the Interim Approach to Implementing the Requirements of Section 3 of the Declaration Act, the BC Wildfire Service is inviting First Nations to join us in dialogue that will shape the outcome of this policy development. We will be hosting three virtual sessions with the intention of hearing your feedback, perspectives, and suggestions for addressing issues with the Wildfire Act. The webinars will be February 10, 12 and 18. For more information, or to request other opportunities to participate such as Government-to-Government discussions, please email BCWS.Engagement@gov.bc.ca.

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Dr. Jennifer Grenz Wins Lane Anderson Book Award

By the Faculty of Forestry & Environmental Stewardship
The University of British Columbia
February 10, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

A huge congratulations to Dr Jennifer Grenz, Assistant Professor in the Department of Forest Resources Management, for receiving the prestigious Lane Anderson Award for her book, Medicine Wheel for the Planet: A Journey Toward Personal and Ecological Healing. The Lane Anderson Award is an annual award honouring the best non-fiction, science-based Canadian works, recognizing books that deepen public understanding of science and its relevance to contemporary life. Published in 2024, Dr. Grenz’s book received the award in the adult category at a ceremony in Toronto in January. Medicine Wheel for the Planet traces Jennifer’s professional and personal journey as a restoration ecologist, discovering why well-intentioned, science-driven environmental efforts often fall short. Drawing on Indigenous teachings and anecdotal experiences, the part memoir, part manifesto shows a path towards ecological healing as told through the teachings of the Native American sacred symbol: the Medicine Wheel.

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BC Forest History Association welcomes first speaker for 2026 program

Forest History Association of BC
February 10, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

The Forest History Association of British Columbia is pleased to launch its 2026 Speaker Series with Jennifer Houghton, Campaign Director for the New Forest Act project with the Boundary Forest Watershed Stewardship Society, on Tuesday, February 17, 2026 via Zoom. Jennifer’s talk, “Same System, Same Results: A Century of BC Forestry Without Structural Change,” takes a long-view look at the history of forest management in British Columbia. Over decades of reviews and tweaks to policy, tenure, and allowable cut levels, outcomes on the ground have remained largely unchanged. Jennifer will explore how volume-driven, tenure-based systems became entrenched and why those repeated cycles of reform have fallen short. Drawing on her work co-authoring the legislative framework for the New Forest Act, she will also introduce this grassroots proposal as a way to rethink and strengthen forestry law so that it serves both ecosystems and communities more effectively. All are welcome to register for the free Zoom event.

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Robin Hood-style activist group strikes again — this time in a forest

By Michelle Lalonde
Montreal Gazette
February 16, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada East

Montreal — An activist group calling itself Les Robins des ruelles has followed its recent Robin Hood-style grocery store heists in Montreal with a claim to have sabotaged planned logging operations in a forest in the Mauricie region. …Translated as the Robins of the Alleyways, the group’s name is intended to evoke the legendary English folk hero who robbed from the rich to give to the poor. The group says on social media that although it delivered the booty to community kitchens and low-cost housing complexes, the grocery heists were political statements against the current economic order. …The latest such move by the group seems to be an action intended to discourage logging in some old-growth forests of Mékinac, in the Mauricie region. In a statement … the Robins say they have “armed the forest by driving steel bars through the trees on the site.” …The president of Forex Langlois Inc., said he is taking the sabotage claims “very seriously” 

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Indigenous communities look to ‘rekindle’ traditional practice of controlled burns

By Lindsay Kelly
Northern Ontario Business
February 10, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada East

Elder Edward Perley recalled, as a boy, watching the people of his community conducting controlled burns to keep their forested land healthy. …“If they noticed that there was a piece of the forest somewhere that was diseased, they would go and they would burn that area,” said Perley, a Wolastoqey knowledge keeper and fire keeper from Nekotkuk in New Brunswick. …As climate change warms up the planet, and we experience hotter, more intense fires, Perley and others believe that fire isn’t always something to be feared. It can also be used as a tool to prevent those blazes from causing wider devastation. …Jonathon Cote, a land guardian with Kitigan Zibi Anishinābeg in Quebec, is actively working to bring back the practice to his community and others. …Provincial regulations limiting prescibed burns make it more challenging to be able to use fire in traditional ways, Cote said.

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Forests in a changing climate: How the world’s forests are impacted by and are solutions to climate change

Forest Stewardship Council Canada
February 9, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada East

This article is based on Episode 1 of a three-part series on climate change and forests, on the Forests of the Future podcast. It explores how FSC understands climate change, the difference between mitigation and adaptation, and why accounting for climate risks is becoming essential for sustainable forest management. For the Indigenous peoples in Labrador, caribou have deep cultural significance. “Our whole understanding of our place in the world revolves around our relationship with caribou,” says Valérie Courtois, CEO of Indigenous Leadership Initiative and forestry expert. But recently, elders began noticing something strange. Herds were moving away from the best sources of food. The changed behaviour puzzled researchers and the community, until they noticed the bugs. “Caribou are a really sensitive animal and, like us, they don’t like biting insects,” she says. As climate change raises temperatures, insects are moving further north, pushing the caribou into windier locations with fewer insects. 

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Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy

Four key sectors in Canada’s clean economy have potential ‘projects of national interest’ ready to be prioritized: report

Clean Energy Canada
February 19, 2026
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: Canada

Canada should ensure its ‘project of national interest’ designation is helping build competitive clean industries, starting with four key focus areas, according to a new report from the One Canadian Clean Economy Task Force. These focus areas—clean electricity transmission, critical minerals refining, electric vehicle charging, and sustainable modular homebuilding—present opportunities to draw out the greatest possible value from our natural resources, build high-productivity industries, expand export opportunities, and leverage our domestic market. The task force’s new report, Connecting the Dots, highlights potential ‘projects of national interest’ within these four sectors that could be realized in Canada today including modular housing hubs in Ontario and B.C. to drive the construction of more affordable homes with Canadian construction materials. …The One Canadian Clean Economy Task Force is made up of members representing companies across critical minerals, batteries, clean transportation, clean buildings, forest products, clean electricity, and clean technology. 

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Canada eyes boosting fines for industrial emissions

By Anne Mulkern
E&E News by Politico
February 10, 2026
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: Canada

Mark Carney

Major Canadian factories and power plants could soon pay more for their planet-warming emissions. Prime Minister Mark Carney is pushing to strengthen a federal policy that forces many industrial, manufacturing and electricity-generating facilities to reduce their carbon intensity. The aim is, in part, to make up the emissions reductions lost when Carney ended a carbon tax on gasoline, diesel and natural gas consumption. Carney’s administration is already negotiating potential rule changes with oil-rich Alberta, a province responsible for about a quarter of the country’s greenhouse gas emissions. The two aim to agree on changes by April 1. But with many provinces using their own carbon-pricing system, changing the federal standards could be politically difficult, experts said. Canada’s 10 provinces and three territories regulate several hundred factories and power plants. [to access the full story an E&E News subscription is required]

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For insurers, climate change is just the tip of the iceberg

By Anushka Yadav
Canadian Press in The Canadian Underwriter
February 9, 2026
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: Canada

With global temperature rising and extreme weather becoming the new normal, ballooning insurance premiums and shrinking coverage are hitting Canadians hard. Basement floods and severe winter storms have brought the financial fallout of climate change home—it is no longer a hypothetical. …“The fact that every insurance company has climate scientists on staff and insurance companies are all pricing in climate risk; there is no financial incentive for them to do that if it wasn’t real,” said Dr. Kate Marvel, a NASA climate scientist. If climate change were a hoax, insurers would simply undercut one another, offering cheaper coverage and dismissing long-term risk, Marvel explained. Instead, they are doing the opposite; quietly rewriting the rules of risk as extreme weather becomes more frequent, more destructive and more expensive. …The question is whether governments will act quickly enough to adapt to a warming climate and confront who pays for the damage when they don’t.

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Boreal forest tree-planting efforts would pay big dividends, new research finds

By Thomas Kent
The Fort Frances Times
February 12, 2026
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: Canada East

Strategically planting trees along the northern edge of Canada’s boreal forest could remove multiple gigatonnes of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere by the end of the century, according to a new study led by researchers at the University of Waterloo. The research, published in Communications Earth & Environment, provides one of the most detailed estimates to date of the carbon that could realistically be sequestered through reforestation and afforestation in northern Canada, accounting for fire, climate, vegetation loss, and land suitability. Using satellite data and probabilistic modelling, the researchers found that planting trees on approximately 6.4 million hectares of land along the boreal–taiga boundary could remove roughly 3.9 gigatonnes of CO₂ by 2100. Expanding planting to all highly suitable areas increased the estimated removal potential to around 19 gigatonnes. Canada currently emits just under 0.7 gigatonnes of CO₂ per year, meaning even the lower-end estimate represents several times the country’s annual emissions.

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Health & Safety

BioNorth Energy’s Craig Brightman: WPAC’s Latest Safety Hero

By Gordon Murray
The Wood Pellet Association of Canada
February 17, 2026
Category: Health & Safety
Region: Canada

Craig Brightman

The Wood Pellet Association of Canada is pleased to announce our latest safety hero—Craig Brightman, Second-Class Power Engineer and Supervisor at BioNorth Energy. Craig consistently shows exceptional safety leadership. Known for going above and beyond in every aspect of his work, Craig leads effective safety meetings, ensuring his team knows not just the “what” but the “why behind safety work practices. “Craig cares deeply about doing things the right way, says Trevor Murdock, HS&E Coordinator at BioNorth Energy. “He is relentless in his pursuit of excellence.” …The Wood Pellet Association remains committed to celebrating the people whose dedication helps ensure we all return home safety at the end of each day. By recognizing their efforts, we reinforce our shared responsibility for safety and increase awareness of the actions we take every day to make our industry safer.

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