The BC Forest History Association is pleased to host its final speaker of 2025: Keith Moore, RPF, a longtime resident of Haida Gwaii and a respected leader in forest policy, regulation, and certification. Tonight, December 16th, 7:00 pm on Zoom.
In his presentation, “How the Long History of Forest Practices Regulation in BC Became a Key Part in a Recent BC Supreme Court Case,” Keith will explore how decades of statutory and voluntary forest practices regulation in British Columbia shaped the context and outcome of a recent court decision. Drawing on a career that spans research, policy development, enforcement, and auditing, he brings a rare, end-to-end perspective on how forest regulation actually works in practice.
Keith began his career with the Ministry of Forests Research Branch, followed by ten years with the BC Ministry of Environment. He was the inaugural Chair of the BC Forest Practices Board (1995–2000) and later became deeply involved with Forest Stewardship Council certification, conducting audits in forest regions around the world. Based in Daajing Giids, he continues to work with the Council of the Haida Nation and internationally through Assurance Services International.
Please register for a Zoom link here.
Prime Minister Mark Carney said Canada probably won’t reach a near-term deal with the United States to lower tariffs on sectors such as steel and aluminum, and negotiations are likely to be rolled into next year’s review of the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement. Canada and the US were close to a pact on metals tariffs, but President Donald Trump then terminated talks in October. …“My judgment is that that is now going to roll into the broader CUSMA negotiation, so we’re unlikely, given the time horizons coming together, to have a sectoral agreement,” Carney said on Thursday. “Although if the United States wants to come back on that in those areas, we’re always ready there — we’re very ready.” …Canada is “very ready on forest products to strike an agreement,” the prime minister added. The U.S. has placed roughly 45% duties and taxes on imports of Canadian softwood lumber, to the frustration of US homebuilders.
Canada and the U.S. will launch formal discussions to review their free trade agreement in mid-January, the office of Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said. The prime minister confirmed to provincial leaders that Dominic LeBlanc, the country’s point person for US-Canada trade relations, “will meet with U.S. counterparts in mid-January to launch formal discussions”. …Carney met with the leaders of Canada’s provinces on Thursday to give them an update on trade talks. Canada is one of the most trade-dependent countries in the world, and more than 75% of Canada’s exports go to the country’s southern neighbor. But most exports to the US are currently exempted by USMCA. …Canada is the top export destination for 36 US states. Nearly $3.6 billion Canadian worth of goods and services cross the border each day. About 60% of US crude oil imports are from Canada, as are 85% of US electricity imports.
The trade war launched by Donald Trump continues to intensify, striking Canadian workers. In addition to the 50% tariffs on steel and aluminum imposed earlier this year and the duties on non-CUSMA-compliant automobiles and parts, Washington added a 50% tariff on copper in July. More recently, a new 10% duty on softwood lumber was introduced, on top of the existing countervailing and anti-dumping duties. …Thanks to the mobilization and constant pressure of the United Steelworkers, several long-standing union demands have finally been adopted in Ottawa. …The federal government announced that it will now require the use of Canadian-made products in publicly funded projects and has announced new investments to strengthen Canada’s industrial capacity and the resilience of our supply chains. …Canada must go further and adopt a strong industrial strategy to reduce our dependence on the U.S. market, protect jobs, and ensure that we never again find ourselves in such a vulnerable position. 
The federal government’s “Buy Canadian” policy for procurement for large infrastructure and defence projects kicked in on Tuesday as the U.S. trade war continues, Procurement Minister Joël Lightbound says. The policy was announced by Prime Minister Mark Carney in September and is essentially a mandate for the federal government to source components used in major government projects from domestic manufacturers. The procurement policy will extend immediately to government contracts valued at $25 million and over, but will expand to contracts valued at $5 million and over by the spring of 2026, Lightbound said. …Additionally, large federal construction and defence projects valued at $25 million or more will be required to use Canadian-produced steel, aluminum and wood products where the basic supply is available, he added. …In July, Carney had announced Canada would “restrict and reduce foreign steel imports entering the Canadian market.” In August, the policy was extended to Canadian lumber.
“We’re just waiting for the dust to settle.” That sentiment was expressed recently by Nick Arkle, CEO of Gorman Bros., regarding the current 45% tariff on Canadian lumber exported to the US. In other words, what the industry is seeking more than anything else is clarity. …Complicating this scenario for lumber producers—and one that should not and cannot be overlooked—is provincial government policy, especially in BC, Ontario and Quebec. …If there is a potential silver lining in Canada to the ongoing tariff soap opera, it’s the promise by the Canadian Liberal government to build 500,000 new, affordable homes per year, thus theoretically creating significant domestic demand for building materials like softwood lumber. …While the experts are skeptical that the federal government will meet its goal of building 500,000 new homes per year… it will be worthwhile watching to see if Canadian softwood lumber producers will step up and benefit from this initiative.
Canada-US Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc says the door is open for American officials to restart trade talks with Canada. …”Canada believed it was making progress with the Americans — and talks would eventually move to automobiles and softwood lumber — but Trump “decided to suspend those negotiations. That’s regrettable.” …Canadian, American and Mexican officials are gearing up to review CUSMA, which offers Canada crucial protection from many of U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs. …On Thursday, Canada’s ambassador to the U.S. Kristen Hillman downplayed signals from the Trump administration about breaking down the trilateral pact and said she hasn’t “heard any indication from the US side that they want to change that foundation.” …All three countries must indicate by July 1 of next year whether they want to extend the agreement, renegotiate its terms or let it expire. LeBlanc said in private the conversations are “much more reassuring” about CUSMA.
This infographic, released December 12, 2025, provides an overview of the lumber industry, showcasing key metrics and trends related to production, exports and price change. It highlights significant data points, illustrating the state of the market and offering insights into the current landscape of lumber in Canada.
The Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) held a hearing regarding the six-year review of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). Though some stakeholders advocated for maintaining the current framework, many called for targeted updates. Despite varied perspectives, there was broad consensus that USMCA should be preserved. Transshipment and circumvention of Section 232 tariffs emerged as recurring concerns, particularly from the automotive, steel and aluminum, and wood and lumber sectors. …Stakeholders from the wood products, millwork and cabinetry industries raised serious concerns about how USMCA’s current rules of origin are being exploited to circumvent U.S. trade remedies and undermine domestic manufacturers. …The organization’s representative urged the adoption of Labor Value Content (LVC) rules for wood products modeled after those used in the automotive sector to ensure that qualifying goods reflect substantial North American production and fair labor practices.
Nine more forestry companies are being supported to modernize, innovate and diversify their product lines and fibre sources to make more high-value, made-in-BC products, and help protect and create jobs. “It’s no secret our forestry sector is facing many challenges, making these investments timely,” said Minister of Forests, Ravi Parmar. …Through the BC Manufacturing Jobs Fund, the Province is contributing $2.5 million to plan or complete capital projects. For example, Canadian Bavarian Millwork and Lumber in Chemainus will receive as much as $1.4 million to help build its new facility. …Additional investments include:
CHEMAINUS, BC — Western Forest Products’ value-added division in Chemainus is receiving up to $7.5 million from the province to add two new continuous dry kilns to its manufacturing operations. The investment, from the province’s BC Manufacturing Jobs Fund, will allow WFP’s facility on River Road to expand the production of high-value products and create new opportunities for second-growth hemlock to produce higher-value products, as well as increasing the stability of the forest company’s operations on Vancouver Island. Minister of Jobs and Economic Growth Ravi Kahlon and Forest Minister Ravi Parmar joined Steven Hofer, CEO of WFP, to make the funding announcement, which is expected to strengthen Vancouver Island’s manufacturing sector. In addition, the ministers announced that 
For Crofton mill workers it was like getting a lump of coal in their stockings. Last week owners of the Domtar pulp mill announced they were shuttering the operation …Who and what is to blame is a complicated tangle, encompassing questions about the future of the forest industry in this province. …While we must confront these questions, the closure also highlights the dangers of community dependence on a particular operation, or even industry. While the workers will, of course, be the most affected, North Cowichan residents will also feel the pain from the mill closure, as it is the municipality’s single biggest taxpayer. ….We can all hope that there will still be a future for the Crofton mill site… but that’s in no way a given. The municipality will be facing some very difficult decisions about services and what it can afford. The larger community will also feel the loss of all of those well paying jobs.
NANAIMO — Exploratory discussions around potentially restricting industrial business activities in Nanaimo irked representatives of Nanaimo Forest Products (NFP), which operates Duke Point’s Harmac Pacific pulp mill. The narrowly approved Nov. 17 notice of motion from Nanaimo city councillor Paul Manly. …Harmac Pacific is actively attempting to rezone a pair of adjacent Phoenix Way lots involving a combined 244 acres bordering Cedar’s Cable Bay Trail. “If this bylaw were to become a reality, it would threaten the ability of our business to continue. …Mayor Leonard Krog is heavily opposed to the motion. “This motion basically says to anyone who wants to invest in this community ‘Don’t bother going to Nanaimo, don’t bother worrying about whether the land is zoned for heavy industry because Nanaimo wants to limit everything that might actually create some real jobs…’” …Harmac Pacific employs roughly 340 employees at its specialty pulp operation, which features a unique employee-owned ownership model.
Many laid-off workers at Western Forest Products’ Chemainus sawmill are increasingly frustrated with the company for the delays in the reopening of the mill, and with the state of the coastal forest industry overall. Brian Bull, Randy Robertson and Robert Joyce, who collectively have 95 years working in the forest industry, have been laid off since WFP temporarily curtailed operations at the mill on June 18. WFP recently announced that the shutdown at the mill, which employees approximately 150 workers, would extend into 2026 due to poor market conditions, high American lumber tariffs, and log-supply issues. Robertson said the company has not given the workers any indication of when the mill will reopen. …Bull said the mill’s workers’… employment insurance benefits are running out and they’re only making about half of the money they make at the mill even with the EI benefits. 
The province has retained an external consultant with expertise in the pulp and paper sector to assess options for the Crofton mill site, B.C.’s Forest Minister Ravi Parmar told North Cowichan’s council during a meeting on Dec. 10. Parmar also discussed the possibility of a new owner acquiring the property to resume pulp and paper production, or repurposing the property for another industrial use, the municipality said in a statement. “Given the significant implications for our community, we have requested that North Cowichan be actively involved at all stages of this work and in any discussions or decisions related to the future of the site,” North Cowichan said. North Cowichan Mayor Rob Douglas said they are continuing to work with the provincial and federal governments to secure transition funding and support for the mill workers.
Join industry, government, First Nations, and community leaders at the 2026 COFI Convention as we focus on rebuilding competitiveness and shaping a more resilient future for BC’s forest sector. British Columbia’s forest sector is at a crossroads — facing tough challenges, but also leading the way in solutions that matter most to our province: housing, wildfire resilience, reconciliation, and building a resilient provincial economy. At the 2026 COFI Convention, themed Forestry is a Solution, leaders from industry, government, First Nations, local government will come together to advance competitiveness and chart a strong, sustainable future for BC’s forest sector. Discounted hotel rates are nearly sold out, book now to secure conference pricing and guarantee your stay. April 8 – 10, 2026 | JW Marriott Parq in Vancouver
Forest Minister Ravi Parmar says proposed new zoning regulations in Nanaimo for heavy industries could have “extreme” consequences for a local pulp and power producer. …A motion by Nanaimo Coun. Paul Manly at a Nov. 17 meeting targets emission-intensive industries such as garbage and waste incineration facilities and chemical, petroleum and LNG plants. …“This is not anti-Harmac,” Manly said in an interview on Friday. …In a letter to Nanaimo’s mayor and council this week, Parmar said the motion sends the wrong signal at a time when the B.C. forest manufacturing industry is in a downward spiral. “This move could result in lost investment, confidence and assuredness in the local forest sector,” said Parmar, noting Harmac Pacific is a key driver of the local forest sector and a major employer in Nanaimo’s economy. “We need to be supporting our forestry operators, not punishing them. This motion is closer to the latter.”
President Trump’s tariff and trade policies dominated the world’s political discourse through 2025. …The good news is that the BC economy has been fairly resilient through 2025. …BC trade resilience can also be attributed to a broader export commodity mix, dominated by forestry, agricultural and seafood products, as well as mining and oil and gas. …Forest products were tagged with a sectoral tariff of 10 per cent in October 2025, on top of new anti-dumping and countervailing tariffs on softwood lumber. …This has put tremendous pressure on an industry. …It’s difficult to disentangle the impact of tariffs from overall adverse trends in the BC forest industry, many mill closures and curtailments in recent years. BC forestry exports are among the most exposed to the US market, with about 75% of forestry exports headed south. Exports of softwood lumber were down 26% in August 2025 compared to August 2024. Pulp and paper exports were also down 9% on a year-to-date basis compared to 2024.
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The Softwood Lumber Board has released its Q3 2025 Report, highlighting significant progress tied to its new strategic plan. This quarter, SLB-funded programs advanced a coordinated strategy centered on high-opportunity sectors—1-8 story multifamily, commercial, K-12 education, and the fast-growing industrial segment—while accelerating project conversions, strengthening building code support, scaling post-secondary education, and expanding outreach in key cities.
The Canadian Wood Council (CWC) welcomes the announcement made today by the Honourable Tim Hodgson, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources. The event celebrated funding for projects that strengthen Canada’s forestry sector and foster innovation in wood-based solutions. CWC received $8.5 million since 2023 to expand the use of wood-based products, broaden education on wood construction and contribute to the advancement of the National Building Code. …This funding has allowed CWC and its WoodWorks program to support design and construction professionals with expert resources, tools, and guidance that help accelerate the adoption of wood construction nationwide. As we continue this work, we will help catalyze sustainable demand for construction solutions that are not only innovative but also replicable and rapidly deployed, approaches that will help address Canada’s housing and affordability challenges at scale.
EDMONTON, AB – Celebrated for its pioneering mass timber design and construction, commitment to safety and collaborative excellence, Limberlost Place has been named the Global Best Project of the Year by Engineering News-Record (ENR). In addition to PCL Construction and partners taking home the top honour, PCL was also awarded ENR’s Global Best Projects Award for Limberlost Place in the Education/Research category. …Ontario’s first institutional building of its kind, George Brown Polytechnic’s Limberlost Place has set a new precedent for mass timber construction as a model for sustainable, green building innovation. Located in Toronto, Ontario, the 10-story mass timber, net-zero educational facility integrates first-of-its-kind solutions including: Groundbreaking slab band structural system that advances the use of mass timber in multi-storey buildings; North America’s largest mass timber columns soaring three stories tall; and a striking mass timber feature stair, spanning levels three to five as a centerpiece of architectural design.
In 2022, Canada hosted a pivotal UN nature summit in Montreal, where the Liberal government led a diplomatic push for a global deal on protecting ecosystems. Countries agreed to conserve 30 per cent of the world’s lands and oceans. Canada pledged to reach that target by 2030 with a plan to more than double the current amount of protected spaces. Three years later, the landscape is very different. Steven Guilbeault, the former environmental minister … has quit cabinet over new moves to expand oil and gas resource development. Prime Minister Mark Carney’s first budget barely mentions nature and his government is focused instead on major resource projects. Now, environmental groups and others are concerned that the apparent pivot from the Carney government will reverse years of progress made on nature conservation. Among the initiatives now facing uncertainty: new national parks and protected areas, as well as federal support for the “win-win” Indigenous guardians program…
Over an hour of discussion followed BC Timber Sales’ (BCTS) presentation at the Sunshine Coast Regional District’s (SCRD) Dec. 11 committee of the whole meeting. …BCTS representatives, a delegation at the committee meeting, faced a direct ask from Gibsons area alternate director Annemarie De Andrade to pause harvesting activities on TA0519, in the Gibsons aquifer recharge area pending further study of the impacts of such logging. “We can continue to listen and continue with a light footprint, but we cannot pause,” was the response from BCTS’s Chinook Business Area timber sales manager Stacey Gould. She explained BCTS has a role as a revenue generator for the province. …That “lighter” BCTS footprint… is havesting about half of the volume it is permitted to on the lower Sunshine Coast. To make up for that, higher levels of harvesting need to be undertaking in other locations.
A B.C. court has issued a rebuke to the City of Vancouver, declaring it overstepped its authority when it authorized the cutting down of thousands of trees in Stanley Park without approval from the park board. Handed down Dec. 17, the decision from B.C. Supreme Court Justice Jasvinder Basran analyzed a multi-stage approval to cut down thousands of trees in Vancouver’s largest park. In 2023, the city entered into an $1.9-million supply agreement with B.A. Blackwell and Associates to remove an initial 7,000 trees over six months [due to] a hemlock looper moth infestation… According to Basran’s judicial review, the initial decision to cut down trees in Stanley Park … was made without the proper authority. …The judge found the city circumvented the park board’s authority in the first phase of the tree removal, but that it went through the proper channels to approve the second and third stages of the work.
The Alberta government isn’t ruling out lifting a near 20-year ban on hunting grizzly bears, a divisive issue between conservationists, politicians, and hunters. Forestry and Parks Minister Todd Loewen says all options are on the table following several recent bear attacks and close encounters in the province. Grizzlies are being spotted in parts of the province they haven’t inhabited in more than a century. “There’s no plans at this time yet. We don’t want to take anything off the table. I think it would be irresponsible not to have all options on the table so we’re looking at everything,” Loewen said. There has been a ban on hunting grizzly bears in Alberta since 2006. …Loewen says there are several factors that would have to be considered …including the number of bears in the province and recent grizzly-human interactions, and their expansion into the foothills.
The RCMP made more arrests over the weekend for allegedly breaching the court-ordered injunction at a blockade near a forestry operation in the Carmanah Valley, near Lake Cowichan. A police statement said that on the evening of Dec. 12, while patrolling the injunction area around the Walbran Forest Service Road, police located a cantilever structure across a bridge and a tripod structure in the middle of the roadway a short distance away. The two structures blocked both directions in and out of the cut block where the Tsawak-qin Forestry Limited Partnership and Tsawak-qin Forestry Inc. forest companies were conducting work.
A First Nation is suing the B.C. government alleging it advanced a secret land claim policy to give away rights to its traditional territory, surrender control over lucrative carbon credits, and prevent it from safeguarding threatened caribou. The allegations, made in a Dec. 12 lawsuit filed by Chief Johnny Pierre on behalf of the Tsay Keh Dene First Nation, target the B.C. government’s handling of overlapping land claims—specifically, a policy that allows First Nations to switch between multiple identities to give them the best chance of claiming traditional territory. Tsay Keh Dene says it learned of the alleged government policy in October 2025 after the province confirmed the nation would see a sharp drop in the amount of money it received from a previously negotiated agreement to share revenue from forestry activities. In 2023, the province had quietly started negotiating with the neighbouring Kwadacha Nation to develop a similar agreement, the lawsuit claims.
Gold River, BC — This has not been a good year for forestry as the industry continues to feel the pain from escalating tariffs, mill closures and job losses. But in Nootka Sound a First Nation is looking to a future where trees have a higher value staying in the ground. …the Mowachaht/Muchalaht First Nation is looking at an entirely different economic approach to managing its territorial forests and waters in Nootka Sound. The First Nation’s Salmon Parks project aims to have 66,595 hectares, comprising approximately 20 per cent of its land territory, under a protected designation by 2030. The initiative strictly limits industrial activity within the Salmon Parks – particularly old growth logging – with hopes of eventually allowing nature to heal itself to the point that salmon runs rebound from the headwaters to the ocean. …As the project seeks an economic future, the Salmon Parks initiative is looking at the economic value of keeping trees standing by selling carbon credits. 
Band-aid solutions are not going to fix the flooding problems in the Chemainus River watershed, Chief James Thomas from the Halalt First Nation told North Cowichan’s council on Nov. 19. He said the watershed and its salmon are in jeopardy mainly due to logging practices that were conducted upstream in the watershed over the past 50 years. Thomas said the Halalt and its partners, who are working on finding solutions to the watershed’s issues, didn’t create the problem, they inherited it. There is general community consensus that gravel and sediment accumulation, scoured banks, and increased debris, largely from logging operations upstream, have increased in recent years causing extreme flooding downstream, including on Halalt reserve lands. …Thomas and Cheri Ayers from Waters Edge Biological Consultants made a presentation to council on the Chemainus Watershed Initiative. The initiative began following two flooding events in 2020 and 2021.
NEW YORK, NY – Mercer International announced that its subsidiary, Mercer Peace River Pulp (MPR), and Svante Technologies (Svante) have commenced operation of a previously announced carbon dioxide (CO₂) capture demonstration unit at the Mercer Peace River pulp mill in northern Alberta. The pilot project is designed to evaluate Svante’s solid sorbent carbon capture technology on biogenic CO₂ emissions from the mill’s recovery boiler flue gas. As a cost-efficient step, this stage builds on the previously announced Front-End Engineering and Design Phase 2. …“Commissioning this demonstration unit… allows us to evaluate carbon capture performance in our operating environment and gather practical data on what would be required for any future scale-up,” said Bill Adams. “The results from this on-site demonstration will help us evaluate the decarbonization potential of this technology for biogenic emissions and inform longer-term planning across our pulp operations.”
At its November 2025 meeting, WorkSafeBC’s Board of Directors approved amendments to the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation and the Prevention Manual. The amendments relate to