The 2025 COFI Conference tackled what moderator Michael Armstrong called “the elephant in the room”: fibre. With forests stressed by fire, pests, and policy shifts, and mills closing across the province, the session brought together voices from industry, community forests, and public policy to confront the disconnect between fibre supply and fibre access in BC’s forest sector. Panelist David Elstone, Managing Director of the Spar Tree Group and publisher of View From the Stump, said the province’s target to harvest 45 million cubic metres annually is a good starting point—but only if backed by action. …Jennifer Gunter, Executive Director of the BC Community Forest Association, offered a different lens — one focused on local empowerment and reliable access to information. …Nick Arkle, CEO of Gorman Group, said that fibre access is at the heart of the industry’s ability to innovate and invest. …George Abbott, former BC cabinet minister and current Treaty Commissioner noted that the province has taken on an increasingly complex set of land-use values, and that these need to be reconciled with the operational needs of the forest sector.
At MacLeod Forest Services, our primary business focus is providing training and response services to a variety of customers. This includes our S100 Wildfire for Industry Program. Our aim is to provide timely, achievable, effective, up to date and cost-efficient wildfire instruction to all stakeholders that have the potential to be affected by a wildfire. By staying involved in response we can continually improve our products and services as changing conditions require. We have provided training to stakeholders from First Nations crews, the Forest, Agriculture, Outdoor Recreational and Construction Industries, Type 2 and 3 Wildfire Contractors, BC Wildfire Service crews as well as rural residents. The MacLeod S100 for Industry is a two-day BCWS S100 course enhanced to better prepare participants to be on their own until organized help arrives. Upon completion participants will be able to: assess wildfires accurately; develop an appropriate plan; and respond safely and effectively. Course runs April 29-30, 2025.
Last year’s wildfire season in BC was the most destructive on record, with 2.8 million hectares burned—more than double any previous year. The fires caused significant disruption to the work and lives of many people in BC, and the impact was felt strongly by those in the forest industry. Evacuations and alerts, oppressive smoke, high heat, area closures, and lack of access to industry critical resources, including helicopters, were among the many challenges faced by the industry. …The forestry sector is vital to BC’s economy, and its workforce is the backbone of the industry. It’s crucial for forestry workers to understand wildfire risks and management to ensure their safety and the safety of forestry operations. Equipping forestry workers with the necessary skills they need to prepare themselves for the prevention, and/or mitigation wildfires is essential.
Canadian National train service employees represented by the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference will get a 3% annual raise under an arbitrator’s contract decision. Arbitrator William Kaplan released his decision Monday on the three-year contract, which runs from Jan. 1, 2024, through Dec. 31, 2026. When CN and the TCRC were unable to reach a negotiated settlement during their contract talks, the Canada Industrial Relations Board sent the matter to binding arbitration in August 2024 after a brief lockout. Kaplan urged the railway and union to iron out their differences regarding changes to work rules. “Both parties proposed detailed changes to work rules. And both parties described the proposals they sought as justified by demonstrated need, and the ones advanced by the other party as breakthroughs that would never be accepted in free collective bargaining,” Kaplan wrote.
Premier David Eby cautioned last week that BC should not make too much of the appearance that the country “dodged a bullet” in the latest round of tariff fire from the US. …Eby’s fears were borne out, when the US announced a plan to more than double the duty against Canadian softwood. …Eby told the legislature that Forests Ministry staff are “working on a proposal to defer stumpage.” The tariff threat likely means a setback for the ambitious goal that Eby set for the forest minister, Ravi Parmar. He directed Parmar to “work toward…a harvest of 45 million cubic metres per year”. The increase would be 50 per cent greater than last year’s 30 million cubic metres harvest, but still well short of the almost 60 million harvested the year the New Democrats took office. …Though the industry welcomed the premier’s target for increasing the harvest, it remains privately skeptical that the NDP can make the necessary changes in regulation and permitting to bring about the increase.
The US is set to more than double the duty it charges on softwood lumber imports from Canada, with the planned new rate set at 34.45%, up from the previous 14.54%. …New softwood lumber duties were long-feared amid the growing trade war between Canada and the US, and would be the latest blow to BC’s beleaguered forestry industry, which has seen thousands of workers laid off over the last few years. BC Premier David Eby condemned the planned duty hike as an “attack on forest workers and British Columbians” in a statement on Saturday. While Canada may have been spared additional tariffs from the US on Wednesday, anxiety around levies on BC’s softwood lumber industry remains high. …Under the U.S. Tariff Act, the Department of Commerce determines whether goods are being sold at less than fair value or if they’re benefiting from subsidies provided by foreign governments.
Homebuilder stocks plunged Monday following reports that the US is preparing to sharply increase tariffs on Canadian lumber, independent of President Donald Trump’s new “reciprocal” tariffs. …After reports of the new lumber duties emerged over the weekend, however, shares of homebuilders plunged swiftly Monday. …”Tariffs are the clear culprit for the stock market pullback and fears of recession,” says Realtor.com® Senior Economist Joel Berner. “Recession risk is especially poignant for builders.” …The latest round of tariffs, however, will likely increase materials costs for all homebuilders, to some extent, with a recent survey of builders finding that they expect an average cost increase of $9,200 per home as a result of tariffs. …Over the weekend, Moody’s Analytics Chief Economist Mark Zandi raised his outlook for the odds of a recession this year to 60%, up from just 15% a few months ago.
Canada’s economy was already stumbling a few months ago. Now, it is on the brink of recession because of President Trump’s tariffs. Canada’s economy is starting to shed jobs after months of tariff-fueled anxiety, while the outlook among businesses and consumers has become increasingly dour as one of the US’s largest trading partners braces for more pain to come. …Last week, Canada’s statistical agency reported that 33,000 Canadians lost their jobs in March, the worst jobs report in more than three years. On Monday, the Bank of Canada reported that businesses and households expect inflation to climb, and company executives warned they expect to pass on higher, tariff-fueled costs to customers regardless of the hit to consumer demand. …Canada’s fiscal and monetary outlook has also been complicated by the government’s decision to retaliate against the US. [to access the full story a WSJ subscription is required]
Prince George city council took the first step in renewing its contract with Lakeland Mills Ltd. to supply fibre for the Downtown Renewable Energy System through 2026 with options to extend it through 2027 and 2028 at its Monday, April 7 meeting. From a central location near the intersection of Second Avenue and George Street, the system uses wood waste to power boilers that pump heated water to buildings across downtown Prince George like city hall, the Prince George Public Library, the Canfor Leisure Pool, the Ramada Hotel and more. The original contract with Lakeland Mills to supply the products used to power the boilers ran from 2012 to 2022. If the bylaw creating the new agreement eventually passes fourth reading, the new agreement would stretch retroactively from July 1, 2022 to Dec. 31, 2026 with options to extend it through 2027 and 2028.
The Province is taking action to adapt B.C.’s forests to ensure long-term sustainability and good-paying jobs by enlisting BC Timber Sales (BCTS) to play a larger role in reducing wildfire risk and enhancing forest and community resilience through its operations. This work is increasingly urgent given the threat of sector-specific tariff threats coming from the United States. … BCTS manages forest harvesting on more than 20% of B.C.’s public land. In January 2025, the Ministry of Forests initiated a review of BCTS, undertaken by an expert task force, to create pathways for a stronger, more resilient forestry sector. A progress update was announced at the Council of Forest Industries convention on Friday, April 4, 2025. “We have all witnessed the impacts of wildfire on B.C.’s communities, and we are uniting all parts of my ministry to tackle this challenge head on,” said Ravi Parmar, Minister of Forests.
B.C.’s wildfire season is fast approaching, and experts are warning that urban areas of the province – including Metro Vancouver – may be at risk as fires grow more frequent and intense. A panel of experts – including bestselling author of Fire Weather John Vaillant and UBC Centre for Wildfire Coexistence co-director Dr. Lori Daniels – spoke about urban wildfire risks at the university’s Vancouver campus Thursday night. Daniels told CTV News a combination of climate change, forest management practices and urban expansion into fire-prone areas has contributed to a rise in the amount of land and structures burned in recent years. While in some parts of the province – such as the Okanagan Valley – there is a sense that it’s “not if, but when” a destructive wildfire will hit, Daniels said Metro Vancouver is also vulnerable.
The federal government is pitching in more than $180,000 for a Kamloops-area study to determine whether rehabilitating wildfire-damaged landscapes can provide an economic opportunity through carbon credits. It’s part of a total $20 million the federal government will be injecting into B.C.’s forestry sector. Jonathan Wilkinson, minister of energy and natural resources, said 67 projects in the province will receive funding, including a number of Kamloops and Shuswap-area initiatives. The Secwepemcul’ecw Restoration and Stewardship Society will receive $184,355. …Tolko Industries will be getting $400,000 in federal funding to conduct further research into a finger jointing process for parallel laminated veneer products produced at its Heffley Creek facility. Local Indigenous groups are also set to receive funding as part of the Indigenous Forestry Initiative program. …And as part of the Global Forest Leadership program the Wood Pellet Association of Canada based in Revelstoke is set to receive $180,000 to help advance international standards for wood pellets.
The Workers Compensation Amendment Act, 2019 (Bill 18) expanded the definition of “firefighter” and changed the definition of “worker” in the Workers Compensation Act, resulting in implications for society fire brigades that engage volunteer firefighters. Our Policy, Regulation and Research Department is releasing a discussion paper with proposed amendments to policy in the Assessment Manual to provide guidance on how WorkSafeBC determines the employer of a volunteer firefighter, and to remove outdated language. The discussion paper and information on how to provide feedback can be found here: 
WorkSafeBC is releasing a discussion paper concerning changes made to policy on duration of benefits (retirement age). To reflect legislative amendments to the Workers Compensation Act, policy changes related to retirement age determinations were effective on January 1, 2021. After reviewing the implementation of the initial changes, WorkSafeBC’s Board of Directors approved further policy changes, effective January 1, 2024, on WorkSafeBC’s determination of whether a worker “would retire” after the retirement dates set out in the Workers Compensation Act. The Board of Directors approved these policy changes in advance of public consultation. Our Policy, Regulation and Research Department is now consulting on the 2024 changes to determine whether further changes are necessary. The discussion paper and information on how to provide feedback can be found here: 