Region Archives: Canada

Business & Politics

Canada removes all tariffs on US goods covered under the Canada-US-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA)

By Marc Carney
Office of the Prime Minister of Canada
August 22, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, United States

Marc Carney

Negotiations have been taking place as the US has been fundamentally transforming all its trading relationships. …In a positive development, earlier this month, the US reaffirmed a core commitment to our free trade agreement, Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA), by reinforcing that those Canadian exports to the US that are compliant with CUSMA will not be subject to US IEEPA tariffs. As a result, the actual US average tariff rate on Canadian goods is 5.6% and remains the lowest among all its trading partners, and more than 85% of Canada-US trade is now tariff-free. …In this context and consistent with Canada’s commitment to CUSMA, I am announcing that the Canadian government will now match the US by removing all of Canada’s tariffs on US goods specifically covered under CUSMA. This decision will take effect on September 1, 2025. …The Canadian government will begin our preparations for the CUSMA review process due next year.

Related coverage by Katie DeRosa in CBC News: BC jobs minister surprised at Ottawa’s move to drop retaliatory tariffs against US

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Canadian Pacific Kansas City: Further rail consolidation not necessary

By Canadian Pacific Kansas City
Cision Newswire
August 26, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, United States

CALGARY, AB – Canadian Pacific Kansas City said that the company is not interested in participating in immediate rail industry consolidation, despite the suggestions by some that it take part. CPKC does not believe that further rail consolidation is necessary for the industry as currently structured. The company remains focused on delivering more of the benefits and unique value-creating opportunities of its three-nation network, which connects shippers in all parts of North America via effective interline service options. CPKC strongly feels… any major rail merger poses unique and unprecedented risks to customers, rail employees and the broader supply chain. Those risks would be exacerbated by the inevitable follow-on consolidation. …The public’s interest is best served by the nation’s railroads focused on delivering reliable, “truck-like” service while investing in their networks to increase U.S. rail network capacity required for sustainable growth, rather than pursuing additional rail consolidation in an industry already greatly consolidated.

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What’s happening in the Canada-US trade dispute and what comes next

By Marc Lee and Struat Trew
Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives
August 25, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, United States

International political discourse in 2025 has been haunted by the spectre of Donald Trump and his brute force reshaping of global trade relationships to the (perceived) advantage of the US. Canadians have been consumed by the question of when a deal might be struck to end Trump’s egregious tariffs, real and threatened, and what that deal might cost us. …While countries that have struck deals with Trump have largely focused on transactional arrangements that accept a lower tariff, Canada has gone the other direction by seeking to roll security into a broader deal that may prove expensive but without guarantees of market access. …Prime Minister Carney does not appear to be rushing the US negotiations, but the Canadian government response so far leaves much to be desired. …The CUSMA also is up for renegotiation in 2026. …Prime Minister Carney has kept his strategy cloaked from the public.

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West Fraser Timber perseveres despite challenging economic pressures

By Jordy Cunningham
The Clearwater Times
August 28, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada West

West Fraser Timber is continuing to succeed in this ever-changing world, despite a lower second quarter. …Sales were up slightly from Q1 — $1.532 billion, compared to $1.459 billion. However, earnings were nearly cut in half — $24 million compared to $42 million in the first quarter. “Demand for many of our building products slowed in the second quarter as spring building activity fell short of our expectations,” said Sean McLaren, West Fraser’s President and CEO. “This was more acute in our North America Engineered Wood Products segment, which experienced further easing of demand as the quarter progressed [with] softer U.S. new home construction.” …West Timber’s director of communications, Joyce Wagenaar, told Black Press Media that this year has been a challenge economically. “2025 has brought a number of changes, most notably sluggish demand for building products in Canada and the U.S. due to challenging economic conditions, leading to a slowdown in new home construction,” said Wagenaar.

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Lumber yard fire expected to be extinguished soon: Quesnel fire chief

By Colin Slark
Prince George Citizen
August 26, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada West

A fire at a lumber yard inside Quesnel city limits is being managed by West Fraser Mills and was expected to be completely extinguished on Monday, Aug. 25, the city’s fire chief said. The 500-square-foot fire at BC Eco Chips on Pinecrest Road was first spotted around 4 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 23, leading to a response from six fire departments in the Cariboo Regional District, BC Wildfire Service and personnel from West Fraser Mills. Reached by phone on Aug. 25, Quesnel Fire Chief Ron Richert said that the fire departments and wildfire service withdrew from the scene around 8 p.m., leaving West Fraser Mills in charge of managing the scene. At that point, the chief said, there were still “significant flames” but it was fully contained. …Richert confirmed that there were no structured damaged or people hurt by the fire. The cause of the fire has yet to be determined.

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Obituary: Ralph Fredrick Hastings Torney

Dignity Moemorial
August 25, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

Ralph Torney

With broken hearts, we announce the passing of Ralph Torney… He completed his schooling in Nanaimo, after which he started working in the logging and forest industry all up and down the West Coast. Ralph was very involved in the forest industry, becoming President of the Truck Loggers Association, as well as the Pacific Logging Congress. He eventually joined Erickson Air Crane and started working with the Sikorski skycrane helicopters, which were used for logging and firefighting around the world. During this time, we were very fortunate to have lived in Singapore before moving to the Erickson Air Crane Headquarters in Medford, Oregon. After a few years, he decided he wanted to start his own business, returning to Canada where he formed RFT Industries, and eventually Canadian Air Crane. He loved his work which took him to all parts of the world. …Honouring Ralph’s wishes, there will be no service. 

©TruckLoggerBC

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B.C. Conservative MLA slams Forestry Innovation Investment chair appointment

By Monica Lamb-Yorski
Pentiction Western News
August 22, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

Ward Stamer

Kamloops-North Thompson MLA Ward Stamer criticized the recent announcement that Rick Doman has been appointed the new Forestry Innovation Investment Board chair. “British Columbians don’t need another announcement; they need results,” said Stamer in his capacity as the Official Opposition Caucus Shadow Minister for Forests, in a news release. ..Stamer said while Doman has decades of industry experience, the appointment “does nothing to fix the deep-rooted crises the sector faces, such as mill closures, slumping harvest volumes, regulatory paralysis, and the steady erosion of family-supporting forestry jobs.” …“Communities are desperate for action; instead, we get another NDP press release while sawmills close and workers are forced to leave their hometowns.” …The Ministry of Forests told the North Thompson Star Journal in an emailed response that the ministry will be releasing more details in the coming weeks about the BC Timber Sales review.

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Finance & Economics

Lumber futures on the brink of bear market territory as tariff-driven rally fizzles out

By Sinchita Mitra
Seeking Alpha
August 28, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: Canada, United States

Lumber futures have come under strain after the initial tariff-driven upswing has fizzled out and the cracks in the housing market are beginning to show… retreating from an early August high of ~$695 per thousand board feet to about $560, a decline of nearly 19.5%, making it just shy of the 20% mark that would push it into a technical bear market. Lumber futures saw a surge driven by tariffs and optimism over lower interest rates, which pushed prices to their highest levels in more than three years. However, the enthusiasm soon faded away, as recent housing data disappointed, and builders scaled back due to higher input costs, weaker demand and looming affordability challenges. Housing affordability remains stretched even with potential rate cuts, requiring better wage growth or increased supply for meaningful improvement, according to Rafe Jadrosich, Senior US Homebuilders and Building Products analyst.

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US–Canada Lumber Dispute Intensifies with Massive Tariff Increase

By Audry Dixon
ResorceWise
August 26, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: Canada, United States

Industry leaders are urging the governments of Canada and the US to prioritize resolving the longstanding softwood lumber dispute after the US more than doubled lumber import duty rates. Construction costs are already rising for American builders, while housing affordability and worries about inflation remain. …The love-hate relationship the US has with Canadian softwood lumber took another turn last week, when the American Building Materials Alliance (ABMA) highlighted one more reason hiking duties on imports of Canadian softwood lumber is a problem for the US construction sector. …ABMA Chair Rod Wiles, a VP at Hammond Lumber Company, said: “Tariffs at this level send a clear signal that the status quo isn’t sustainable, and they can be a tool to bring both sides back to the table. The sooner we can achieve a fair agreement, the better it will be for the entire North American lumber supply chain.”

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Wood, Paper & Green Building

Wood Pellet Association of Canada Summer Newsletter

The Wood Pellet Association of Canada
August 26, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada

The Headlines

  • WPAC 2025 Conference in Halifax, NS – Registration Now Open
  • Canadian Wood Pellets at the Forefront of Asia’s Energy Transition
  • Dr. Fahimeh Yazdan Panah Promoted to Associate Executive Director of WPAC
  • Pellets: A ‘Backyard Solution’ for Energy Needs
  • Trip Report: Biomass Innovations Asia 2025
  • Case Study: Biomass Heat Brings Divine Savings

Safety First Focus

  • Conference and BECCS Tour September 2-3: Safe Wood Pellet Storage
  • Ted Brown, Site Trainer at Drax Entwistle—WPAC’s Latest Safety Hero
  • WPAC’s June Safety Hero: Brett Wickstrom from Drax Meadowbank

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Discover Vancouver’s legacy and North Shore’s community spirit — built with wood!

Woodrise 2025
August 28, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada West

As part of Woodrise 2025, the Offsite Technical Tours presented by WoodWorks open the doors to two inspiring full-day experiences. In Vancouver, explore the lasting architectural impact of the 2010 Winter Olympics — from the iconic Richmond Oval to contemporary landmarks like the VanDusen Botanical Garden Visitor Centre and Fast+Epp’s award-winning office. In North Vancouver, see how community-driven design and mass timber innovation come together in spaces like the Tsleil-Waututh Administration and Health Centre, Maplewood Fire and Rescue, and Lonsdale1. These exclusive tours showcase how wood is shaping sustainable, resilient, and culturally meaningful architecture across the region — and they’re selling out fast.

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BC firms receive $6.8M federal boost to advance waste-reducing tech

By Pacific Economic Developement Canada
Government of Canada
August 25, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada, Canada West

COQUITLAM, BC — Gregor Robertson, Minister of Housing and Infrastructure and Minister responsible for Pacific Economic Development Canada (PacifiCan), announced an investment of over $6.8 million for two Coquitlam-based businesses that are developing technologies to reduce waste and advance sustainability in the energy and textile sectors. …Novo Textile Company is receiving an investment of over $1.8 million to expand its textile recycling capacity. Novo plans to bind recycled fibres with BC wood pulp fibres to produce Canadian-made textiles at a competitive price. This will strengthen Canadian supply chains and divert 15 million pounds of garment waste from landfills annually. …Novo Textiles was incorporated in 1991 as a supplier of fibre-filled home textiles. Most recently, Novo introduced a textile recycling production line, continuing its evolution within the textile sector. It is estimated that 92 million tonnes of textile waste ends up in landfills annually.

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Tall Timber building boosts student housing at BCIT’s Burnaby campus

BC Government
August 25, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada, Canada West

The British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) has officially opened its new Tall Timber student housing residence at the Burnaby campus, expanding affordable on-campus housing options for students. As the tallest building in Burnaby built using mass timber, a renewable and lower-carbon alternative to traditional concrete construction, this project was planned with sustainability at its core. The building’s fully electric design and high-performing building envelope also helps it meet B.C.’s Energy Step Code 4, the highest level of energy efficiency for this type of structure. The building has also received a CaGBC Net Zero certification. “Using B.C. mass timber for this student housing project is an important step in our goal to build the infrastructure projects people need in their communities more sustainably,” said Bowinn Ma, Minister of Infrastructure. “We’re supporting a greener economy while also building a new project that will benefit students for generations to come.”

Additional coverage in DH Urbanized: BCIT Burnaby campus opens mass-timber student housing tower with 469 beds

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Advance Your Lumber Career in 12 Months with the BC Institute of Technology

BC Institute of Technology
August 26, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada West

The lumber and sawmilling sector demands skilled leaders who combine technical expertise with sound business acumen. BCIT now offers two Associate Certificates, designed to be completed part-time and fully online in just 12 months, enabling working professionals to advance without leaving the industry. The Associate Certificate in the Business of Sawmilling (starting October 2025) focuses on the operational, financial, and strategic aspects of modern sawmill management. Topics include production planning, quality optimization, supply chain considerations, and market dynamics. Graduates are equipped to contribute to profitability and long-term competitiveness. The Associate Certificate in Industrial Wood Processing (IWP) (starting January 2026) emphasizes the science and technology of wood conversion. With courses in wood properties, manufacturing processes, quality control, and technical problem-solving, the program prepares participants to step into supervisory roles with confidence. Both programs are tailored for career advancement in the North American lumber industry.

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Forestry

Melissa McHale Receives 2025 Wall Fellowships Award

By The Faculty of Forestry
The University of British Columbia
August 27, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

Melissa McHale

UBC Forestry congratulates Dr. Melissa McHale on receiving one of two prestigious Wall Fellowships, UBC’s highest-value internal research awards. The fellowships will fund innovative research to help B.C. communities adapt to climate change and address rising housing demands. The Okanagan Valley is feeling the effects of climate change more than ever with hotter summers, more frequent wildfires and growing pressure on water supplies. On top of this, rapid growth and urban development are adding new challenges for local communities. Melissa’s research, entitled “Rising Heat, Roaring Flames, and Waning Waters: Building a Climate-Resilient Research Hub for British Columbia” is tackling these issues head-on in partnership with the City of Kelowna, Indigenous communities and local organizations. The project is exploring how cities can: Use trees and vegetation to cool neighbourhoods while saving water; Design greener spaces that also reduce wildfire risk; and Build healthier, more inclusive communities through nature-based solutions.

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North Cowichan’s council votes to make harvesting in municipal forest a top priority

By Robert Barron
The Ladysmith Chemainus Chronicle
August 26, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

Harvesting in North Cowichan’s 5,000-hectare municipal forest reserve (MFR) is considered a primary issue for the rest of council’s term, which ends in October, 2026. On Aug. 20, council voted 4-3 to make harvesting, which hasn’t taken place since 2019, one of its strategic priorities. Coun. Bruce Findlay pointed out that the municipality has received no revenues from harvesting in the MFR for six years, and it may take several more years yet as negotiations with the Quw’utsun Nation on co-management of the MFR continue. …Despite the vote, CAO Ted Swabey advised council that he thinks that it’s unlikely that any harvesting could actually take place before the end of council’s term. …The public engagement aspect of the forest review concluded in early 2023, and the feedback from that process found very strong support for active conservation in the MFR, which would allow for targeted harvesting to provide some income, while restoring and enhancing biodiversity.

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Prolonged heat brings renewed fire risk to Vancouver Island

Cowichan Valley Citizen
August 26, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

On the heels of record-breaking daily high temperatures, Vancouver Islanders face warmer than usual weather this week. Temperatures will continue to “remain well above seasonal” into mid-week for east and inland Vancouver Island with cooler temperatures overnight, according to an Environment Canada statement issued early Aug. 26. The extra warm conditions are expected to persist from inland Greater Victoria, up the east coast from Nanoose Bay to Fanny Bay. Cloud cover is expected Thursday. The Malahat area broke the newest record on the Island, hitting 30.2 C, topping the 29.8 daily record set in 2022. Nanaimo tied the oldest record, hitting a high of 33.3 set in 1958. Campbell River, Courtenay and Comox all flirted with 2016 records, with Campbell River shading the old 30 C temperature, hitting 30.2. Comox and Courtenay both tied the 2016 record of 30.3. The heat coincided with a new wildfire discovered Aug. 24 south of Nanaimo. The 8.6-hectare fire was classified as being held as of Tuesday morning.

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Canary in the cutblock: researchers target B.C.’s bellwether bat population

By Abigail Popple
The Revelstoke Review
August 26, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

An international research project in the northern is taking a hard look at the decline of keynote bat populations in a bid to help area ecosystems survive and thrive. Efforts to preserve a population of northern myotis – an endangered bat species that used to be found throughout eastern B.C., but whose range has been contracting to the central Interior – are under way near Kinbasket Lake, north of Revelstoke and Golden. Researchers with the Wildlife Conservation Society … are planting fake bark to mimic the old-growth trees where the northern myotis roosts, and on the north side they are using radio detectors to determine how many of the bats are present in logged areas. Logging may not be an automatic death sentence to bat populations, Lausen says, but it needs to stay within the limits of what northern myotis colonies can sustain. One of the project’s goals is to identify those limits.

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Forest Minister tours Alberni operations

By David Wiwchar
The Nanaimo News Now
August 26, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

Ravi Parmar

BC Forest Minister Ravi Parmar was in Port Alberni on Monday, touring the Mount Underwood fire site as well as local mills. Parmar said local logging played an important role in helping control the massive wildfire. “The Mount Underwood fire could’ve been a lot worse if there wasn’t those breaks from those logging roads,” he said. “Having a chance to fly over and see where the fire stopped because the logging road was there, or there was a cutblock speaks to the role of the forest sector for managing our forests.” Parmar celebrated the recent purchase of the former Coulson Mill by Fraserview Cedar Products after the SAN Group fell into bankruptcy. …Parmar then met with Domtar / Catalyst managers, before sitting down with Mayor Sharie Minions. He congratulated the BC Wildfire Service, ACRD and local First Nations for working together to battle the Mount Underwood fire.

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Cougar sculpture erected to block logging trucks in Upper Walbran Valley

By Jeff Lawrence
Chek News
August 25, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

Logging trucks in the Upper Walbran Valley were met with an unusual blockade Monday morning — a 15-foot cougar sculpture erected by anonymous forest defenders demanding permanent protection of one of Vancouver Island’s last intact old-growth watersheds. The group, which says it has the blessing of several local First Nations elders, is targeting eight provincially approved cut blocks in Tree Farm License 44. The license is currently held by C̕awak ʔqin Forestry, a partnership between the Huu-ay-aht First Nation and Western Forest Products. …While the provincial government enacted temporary logging deferrals in 2021 for the Central Walbran Valley and neighbouring Fairy Creek watershed, those measures do not extend to the upper valley. Geoff Payne, for C̕awak ʔqin Forestry, said… “Our approach reflects this understanding and follows the Pacheedaht First Nation and the Province’s shared objective for the area. He said that the Pacheedaht First Nation chief and council have consented to the tree harvesting plan.”

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Heat wave shatters records across B.C. as wildfire risk climbs

By Josh Recamara
Insurance Business Magazine
August 26, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

A prolonged heat wave gripping British Columbia has already toppled more than 20 daily high-temperature records, with forecasters warning the sweltering conditions are set to persist through mid-week. Environment Canada has extended heat warnings to large parts of the province, including Fraser Canyon, South Okanagan, and South Thompson, where highs in the upper 30s are expected to continue. Inland sections of the north and central coasts are forecast to reach up to 29C, while four special weather statements remain in effect for Vancouver Island. …Even as air quality improves, wildfire officials warn the soaring heat and dry air are fuelling dangerous conditions. The B.C. Wildfire Service said low relative humidity is making forest fuels highly susceptible to ignition… For insurers, the intensifying fire risk underscores a costly pattern. …Another active fire season … adds further pressure to an industry already grappling with rising catastrophe exposures in B.C.

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The spruce budworm is making an unwelcome comeback

By James Steidle
Prince George Citizen
August 23, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

Take a road trip across BC and chances are you will see our forests in freefall. From Lilloet through to Whistler, I was shocked to see valleys of red, as a western spruce budworm, a type of moth, rips through the conifer forests of almost all species. Hemlock, Douglas Fir, spruce, and the true firs are all being impacted, on a massive, catastrophic level. Unlike the Mountain Pine Beetle, which prioritized the old pine, the budworm seems to go for the younger trees. I saw entire plantations of young monocultures, the textbook product of modern forest management, with near complete infestation. The only trees that were still green was the cottonwoods and, ironically, the odd lodgepole pine tree. I’m not sure how we will log ourselves out of this one. …It’s probably just a matter of time before the budworm shows up again in Prince George.

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Mount Underwood fire a ‘harbinger’ of future Island fires, says wildfire specialist

CBC News
August 24, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

Lori Daniels

Lori Daniels, a UBC forestry professor with a focus on wildfires, told CBC that the fire is one of the biggest in about 100 years of record-keeping on Vancouver Island — and that significant wildfires are expected to become more frequent as climate change impacts coastal forests. She spoke to CBC host Gregor Craigie about the history and future of wildfires on Vancouver Island. …On the west side of Vancouver Island, and in our wet coastal forest, fire was not historically a large portion of how our ecosystems functioned. …So we know that in our coastal region, we don’t have nearly as much lightning, and lightning ignitions in the historical record are much lower than in the Interior. …We’re going to have to think carefully about how we are managing our forests, how we are managing logging residues.

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Vanderhoof hunting lodge loses appeal of fine for logging without a licence

By Bob Mackin
The Prince George Citizen
August 23, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

The Forest Appeals Commission dismissed a Vanderhoof hunting and fishing lodge’s appeal of a $25,000 fine for cutting Crown timber without a licence. In an Aug. 13 decision, panel chair Maureen Baird upheld the March 2023 fine against Crystal Lake Resort Ltd. by the Ministry of Forests. Daniel Brooks, whose family bought the resort in 1975, admitted trees were cut without a licence in July 2020 on a right of way and the company asked, after the fact, for the Ministry of Forests to authorize the removal of merchantable timber. The ministry advised the company that it needed to have a licence to harvest in the first place. Brooks said he did not know he needed a licence. …The Ministry approved the required management plan, that allowed cutting trees if the resort had a forestry licence to do so.

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Restrictions on New Brunswick Crown land end at midnight, provincewide burn ban remains

By Oliver Pearson
CBC News
August 25, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada East

John Herron

New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt says most restrictions on Crown land will be removed at midnight Monday night, but the province’s burn ban will remain in place to decrease the risk of wildfires. Speaking to reporters Monday, Holt said cooler weather and efforts by firefighters have made it possible to ease restrictions. Restrictions remain on timber harvesting, which will only be allowed from 6 p.m. to noon and will be reassessed on a daily basis, according to a news release from the province. …Natural Resources Minister John Herron said people should also stay away from any areas where firefighters are still actively fighting fires. All Crown land has been closed to industrial and recreational activities since Aug. 10 because of wildfires that required the province to request outside help. Herron said the decision to reopen may be changed again if multiple fires are ignited.

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How a centuries-old fire foreshadowed the future

By John Woodside
The National Observer
August 26, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada East

A monster firestorm roared through the pine and spruce forests of New Brunswick. It burned one-fifth of the province’s forests and raged through villages, reducing buildings to ash and killing at least 160 people — although historians believe that is likely a severe undercount. This was the Miramichi Fire, which 200 years ago this fall announced an era of megafires in North America. Commemorated in folk songs, documented in archives and seared into memory for those who lived through it, the Miramichi Fire to this day ranks among the largest and most devastating fires the continent has ever seen. The Miramichi Fire was the continent’s first megafire rooted in extracting resources from the land, but that century was packed with other examples that collectively destroyed thousands of buildings and caused millions in damages, all while claiming lives. Among the major fires were Quebec City in 1845, 1866, 1876 and 1881; St. John’s in 1846 and 1892; Toronto in 1849, 1885 and 1895; Montreal in 1850, 1852 and 1898 and both Calgary and Vancouver in 1886.

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Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy

Turning Slash into Solutions: UBC Forestry’s Combined Heat and Power Academy Builds Bioenergy Skills Across Canada

By The Faculty of Forestry
The University of British Columbia
August 27, 2025
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: Canada

Williams Lake, B.C. – The University of British Columbia Faculty of Forestry’s Combined Heat and Power (CHP) Academy, based at the Alex Fraser Research Forest, has successfully wrapped up its June 2025 field training, bringing together participants from Ontario, the Northwest Territories, Saskatchewan, and British Columbia for an intensive, hands-on learning experience. Over five days, participants developed the technical skills and strategic knowledge needed to implement biomass energy projects, especially in remote Indigenous communities, while deepening their understanding of forest management, wildfire prevention, and community resilience. Through training on the CHP system, participants learned to operate and maintain biomass energy equipment, tracing the complete pathway from forest to fuel to community heat and power. …Future CHP Academy sessions are scheduled for September, October, and December 2025, and January 2026. 

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Wood Pellet Association of Canada annual conference and Tour

The Wood Pellet Association of Canada
August 25, 2025
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: Canada

The Wood Pellet Association of Canada’s annual conference is just around the corner! Register now for one of the biggest draws of the WPAC annual event: the tour. This time it’s the day before the conference, when we’ll learn more about the people, facilities, and communities behind the sector. Depart from Halifax Marriott Harbourfront Hotel around 8:30 am and enjoy a scenic drive to Hardwood Lands, where you will see the Shaw Renewables pellet plant. From there, we will make our way back to Halifax, stopping at an installation or for a scenic break. We will tour the Port of Halifax in the afternoon and return to the hotel by 4:00 pm.  Don’t miss this chance to be inspired by those in our sector who are committed to producing clean, renewable and responsible energy from Canadian wood pellets. Space is limited. Cost: $124/person

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B.C. says it’s starting to close ‘gaps’ in forest carbon accounting after critical audit

By Stefan Labbé
Business in Vancouver
August 26, 2025
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: Canada, Canada West

B.C.’s Ministry of Forests has approved a new way to calculate the amount of carbon in forests — what it says is a direct response to an auditor general investigation that found the province had failed to transparently do so in the past. …But according to… the auditor general, the ministry’s guidelines for calculating carbon projections — which in turn help it determine the allowable annual cut — contained “gaps in methodology.” On Tuesday, the Ministry of Forests said it had moved to address that failure. …The auditor general’s investigation had also found the ministry did not use a “defined methodology” when it calculated the carbon impact of investments under the Forest Investment Program. …But the audit found the ministry used a methodology that “wasn’t specific enough to allow review or replication.” …The ministry said in a statement it is still working to solve that problem, and expects to complete a “defined and approved methodology” this year.

BC Government Press Release by The Ministry of Forests: B.C. sets standard method to measure forest carbon

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Health & Safety

Wildfires are reversing Canada’s progress on improving air quality

By Nicole Mortillaro
CBC News
August 28, 2025
Category: Health & Safety
Region: Canada

It’s hard not to forget the 2023 Canadian wildfire season, when more than 16 million hectares of forest were lost, thousands were displaced and smoke suffocated cities across both Canada and the U.S. And it turns out Canada experienced its worst air pollution levels that year since 1998, according to a new report released today by the University of Chicago’s Air Quality Life Index (AQLI). At the same time, the report found that pollution levels didn’t change much for the rest of the world in 2023. If those levels continued for a person’s lifetime, the average Canadian would lose roughly two years of their life expectancy, according to the report. Efforts have been made around the world, including in Canada, to curb harmful emissions of fine particulate matter with a diameter of less than 2.5 micrometres, also known as PM 2.5. But wildfires are reversing those advances — with serious health consequences.

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Renewed calls for alternative route as Vancouver Island road faces indefinite closure

CBC News
August 27, 2025
Category: Health & Safety
Region: Canada, Canada West

There are fresh calls for an alternative route to the west coast of Vancouver Island after it emerged the main route between Port Alberni and Bamfield, B.C., is closed indefinitely. …The only alternative is a logging road detour through Youbou in the Cowichan Valley. …Ditidaht First Nation Chief Councillor Judi Thomas said she hopes the province will go further and redesignate the forest service industrial road as a provincial road and fast-track investment. But the Ministry of Transportation and Transit said, “there is mixed ownership of the road(s) in this area, but all are private industrial roads, and the ministry has no plans to take over the ownership”. …The province says it’s working with Mosaic Forest Management, which is responsible for maintaining 15 kilometres of Bamfield Road, to beef up maintenance on the detour road . …D’Arcy Henderson, Mosaic’s chief operating officer, said it was working with stakeholders on maintaining that detour route.

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BC Forest Safety News

BC Forest Safety Council
August 28, 2025
Category: Health & Safety
Region: Canada West

In this edition of Forest Safety News you’ll find these stories and more:

  • As we pass the halfway mark of 2025, BC’s forestry industry is facing a sobering reality: six workers have lost their lives on the job. These tragedies are a stark reminder that while we have strong safety systems in place, we must never become complacent.
  • A recent ruling from the Supreme Court of British Columbia has highlighted the serious risks posed by defective or expired bear bangers—pyrotechnic devices commonly used to deter wildlife in remote work environments.
  • Fall is coming bringing shorter days, wetter roads and the return of school speed zones, all of which contribute to increased hazards on the road. Whether you’re heading to a job site or driving through town, it’s a good time to adjust your habits behind the wheel.
  • BCFSC Safety Awards: Celebrating Safety Leadership – Nominations are open to anyone in forestry

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Forest Fires

UPDATE: Wildfire southwest of Nanaimo now being held Nanaimo News Bulletin

Nanaimo News Bulletin
August 25, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada West

©BCWildfireService

A new wildfire started up last night and burned 8.6 hectares southwest of Nanaimo overnight, but the fire is now being held. B.C. Wildfire Service reports that a fire at Manson Creek is considered being held as of 3 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 25. The fire was discovered Sunday, Aug. 24, about two kilometres west of the intersection of Nanaimo Lakes Road and South Forks Road. The cause of the fire is under investigation. The wildfire service reported that two initial attack crews responded last night, with heavy equipment support. “With this support, crews were able to create a fire guard surrounding most of the perimeter,” the wildfire service noted.

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B.C.’s Fraser Canyon to bake under 39 C heat as wildfire prompts evacuation alerts

The Canadian Press in Energetic City
August 25, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada West

©BCWildfireService

An air-quality warning remains in effect for parts of Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley due to smog and wildfire smoke from a blaze that has prompted evacuation alerts for the Yale and Spuzzum areas. It comes as Environment Canada warns that temperatures in the Fraser Canyon and South Thompson regions are expected to reach 37 to 39 C this week, posing a moderate risk to public health. The smog warning spans eastern areas of Metro Vancouver as well as the central Fraser Valley, while the smoke warning covers eastern parts of the valley. It says smoke from the Sailor Bar wildfire burning in the Fraser Canyon has also resulted in elevated levels of fine particulate matter in the air. The fire has prompted the Fraser Valley Regional District to issue an evacuation alert stretching from Yale and north to the Spuzzum area, covering properties on both the east and west sides of the Fraser River.

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Vancouver Island wildfire downgraded again, no longer a fire of note

Canadian Press in the Victoria Times Colonist
August 23, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada, Canada West

©BCWildfireService

PORT ALBERNI — A wildfire near Port Alberni, B.C., that spurred evacuations and a state of local emergency last week has been downgraded again, leaving the province without any wildfires of note. The BC Wildfire Service said the Mount Underwood fire lost fire-of-note status on Thursday, meaning it was no longer “especially visible” or posing a threat to public safety, after it was doused by 40 millimetres of rain over the past week. The service had announced a day earlier that the fire was being held, meaning it was not expected to spread beyond its current 35-square-kilometre size. …The Mount Underwood fire had shown aggressive growth in initial days after being discovered on Aug. 11, forcing the sudden evacuation of a nearby campground and leading to several other evacuation orders and alerts.

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9 active wildfires burn in New Brunswick, 2 out of control

By Oliver Pearson
CBC News
August 27, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada East

Nine wildfires are burning in New Brunswick as of Wednesday evening, two of them out of control. Three fires are contained and four are being patrolled, according to the province. The total number is down from the 17 wildfires burning on Tuesday and the 39 burning 10 days ago. The Beaver Lake Stream fire in Northumberland County, near the Kennedy Lakes Protected Natural Area, is still out of control. The fire was 338 hectares on Tuesday and is now 456 hectares… The Rocky Brook fire is also out of control about 40 kilometres south of Dalhousie and is 175 hectares, down from 204 hectares in the previous report. …Natural Resources Minister John Herron said earlier this week that the wildfire situation is moving in the right direction, especially now that the province is no longer seeing temperatures “flirting with 40 C.” On Monday, he said the wildfire season could run to the end of September and possibly into October.

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Firefighting force on Long Lake wildfire grows to more than 170, plus 17 aircraft and 70 dozers

By Ian Fairclough
The Chronicle Herald
August 28, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada East

©Province of Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia — A replacement incident management team from Ontario is in Nova Scotia and taking over at the helm of the Long Lake wildfire for a bit. That will give the team from the Department of Natural Resources a break and time for rest before they return to dealing with the fire, which is now estimated at 8,234 hectares. The handover is a common occurrence in dealing with wildfires in Canada. …Crews are working the entire perimeter of the fire today while continuing to focus on the east side of Paradise Lake, where the closest threatened populated areas are Trout Lake and Albany on Highway 10. Those areas were evacuated Sunday after the fire more than doubled in size and high winds pushed it across West Dalhousie Road. …Evacuations have put more than 1,000 people out of their homes since the fire started.

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More firefighters coming to relieve Nova Scotia crews as wildfire grows to 8,026 hectares

By Andrea Jerrett
CTV News
August 26, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada, Canada East

After more than doubling in size on Sunday, the out-of-control wildfire in West Dalhousie, N.S., grew again on Monday – from 7,780 hectares to 8,026 hectares. The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) says the Long Lake wildfire, which first started on Aug. 13, has now advanced along both sides of Paradise Lake, despite some rainfall Monday. “Yesterday we had a little bit of rain, which was wonderful, so our crews did not have to respond to any (new) wildfire incidents yesterday,” said Jim Rudderham, director of fleet and forest protection for DNR, during a news conference Tuesday afternoon. …DNR says crews are focusing on the east side of Paradise Lake as they try to prevent the fire from spreading to Trout Lake. They also continue to build guards in an effort to contain the perimeter north of West Dalhousie Road. …DNR says there are six other wildfires burning in the province, but they are all under control.

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Following destructive wildfires, New Brunswick reopens forest access

By Hina Alam
Halifax City News
August 25, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada, Canada East

New Brunswickers will be permitted once again to enter the province’s forests, following a bout of cool weather that has reduced the risk of wildfires, officials said Monday. Starting Tuesday at 12:01 a.m., the province will lift its ban on access to Crown land, parts of which have been scorched in recent weeks by wildfires triggered by drought-like conditions and lightning. “I would like to thank New Brunswickers for their co-operation, for changing their plans for protecting our forests and communities,” Premier Susan Holt said Monday. About two weeks ago, there were 39 active wildfires across the province, and temperatures were close to 40 C with the humidex, said Natural Resources Minister John Herron. But over the past couple of days, temperatures have fallen well into the “very low teens” at night, he said, adding that parts of New Brunswick got rain on Monday, which has helped in firefighting.

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Crews return to Long Lake wildfire’s new front lines after a bad day; financial support set for evacuees

By Aaron Beswick
The Chronicle Herald
August 25, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada East

After a day of terrible setbacks, crews were back at the Long Lake wildfire Monday. Forestry and heavy equipment crews were clearing new fire breaks to replace the old ones that the fire jumped Sunday as it doubled in size to over 7,550 hectares. With damp air promising a bit of rain, wild land crews set up hose lines and put water on the flanks. …crews returned to pumps feeding sprinkler systems around homes and structures in West Dalhousie that they’d been forced to abandon … the day before as strong winds and low humidity fanned the flames into an inferno. “Despite best efforts … that fire responded as we thought it would to the weather yesterday,” said Jim Rudderham, director of fleet and forest protection for the Department of Natural Resources, on Monday afternoon. “That fire stood up and ran away. It’s a lot larger than it was. Many homes were saved. Some were lost.”

Additional coverage from the Government of Nova Scotia: Homes Damaged by Long Lake Wildfires

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