Region Archives: Canada

Business & Politics

Canada to boost Indonesia exports to diversify non-U.S. trade, says minister

Reuters in the Western Producer
September 25, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, International

Canada aims to establish duty-free access for up to 95 per cent of its exports to Indonesia over the next eight to 12 months, International Trade Minister Maninder Sidhu said, after signing a trade agreement. The Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement is Canada’s first in the economically crucial Indo-Pacific region since Prime Minister Carney promised to diversify Canada’s exports away from the US. …The bilateral agreement is likely to be ratified by the respective governments within a year or earlier, Sidhu said, adding that Canadian bilateral trade with Indonesia could double within six years. …Total bilateral trade between the two countries was just over C$5 billion last year. Canada’s exports to Indonesia include cereals, oilseeds, wood pulp, fertilizers and machinery.

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Canadian lumber industry pushes back on U.S. claims aid package is unfair subsidy

By Josh Rubin
The Toronto Star
September 25, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, United States

As the trade war sparked by Donald Trump’s tariffs rages on, Canada’s lumber industry is pushing back on U.S. claims that a $1.2 billion aid package announced last month amounts to an unfair subsidy for Canadian softwood. …The aid package includes $500 million in funding to help Canadian lumber producers diversify away from dependency on the American market, and $700 million in loan guarantees to help producers restructure. …The American argument is undercut, however, by the fact that export aid and loan guarantees are both used by various levels of government to support the US‘s own lumber industry, said Niquidet, president of the BC Lumber Trade Council. “There are a lot of tax incentives.” …The measures taken by Prime Minister Carney are in response to unjustified and illegal trade practices being advanced by the United States,” said Ian Dunn, CEO of the Ontario Forest Industry Association. [to access the full story a Toronto Star subscription is required]

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Section 232 Tariff Needed to Address Disruptive Canadian Excess Lumber Capacity and Production

The US Lumber Coalition
September 24, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, United States

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The US softwood lumber market continues to be deeply suppressed by Canada oversupplying the US market through massive Canadian subsidies and the Canadian industry’s egregious dumping practices. The Canadian government continues to prop up its industry’s excess capacity and production by announcing more than one billion dollars in new subsidies. …“This is exactly why President Trump ordered the Section 232 investigation,” stated Andrew Miller, Chair and Owner of Stimson Lumber Company. A carefully targeted Section 232 tariff designed to dismantle Canada’s unneeded and disruptive softwood lumber capacity would foster more growth of the US lumber industry and production to create a long-term stable domestic supply of lumber to build U.S. homes. …“Strong antidumping and countervailing duty trade law enforcement, coupled with an effective Section 232 tariff measure will get the job done, and support U.S. industry growth to build U.S. homes with lumber milled by U.S. workers,” said Zoltan van Heyningen.

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B.C. NDP promises on timber sales seem to be going in reverse

By Vaughn Palmer
Vancouver Sun
September 25, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada West

VICTORIA — Forests Minister Ravi Parmar this week announced major reforms to B.C. Timber Sales, hoping to reverse a two-thirds decline in sales volumes under the NDP. …Parmar said the government will broaden the agency’s mandate to focus on providing wood to support manufacturing, delivering jobs to communities and building partnerships with First Nations. The changes are prompted by a review conducted earlier this year by former B.C. Liberal cabinet minister George Abbott, Vanderhoof councillor Brian Frenkel and First Nations representative Lennard Joe. …Parmar didn’t understate the urgency of delivering logs to all the right places … that day’s Merritt Herald announced Aspen Planer mill was closing for “an indefinite period.” …The company doesn’t lack for wood supply on paper. …For all Parmar’s and Eby’s enthusiasm for boosting the annual harvest, they have not made believers of the Ministry of Finance in their own government.

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B.C. Government says it’s acting on BC Timber Sales review

By Kendall Hanson
Canadian Press in Chek News
September 23, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada West

The B.C. Government says it’s going to expand the scope of BC Timber Sales. The organization manages 20 per cent of the province’s allowable annual cut for Crown/public timber and the auction of public timber. The government released a review of BC Timber Sales on Tuesday… A Chemainus mill is among two Western Forest Products mills in the Cowichan Valley facing lengthy curtailments, impacting more than 200 workers. …At the Paulcan Jemico mills in Chemainus, there are 50 people working despite tough times for the industry. The owner says profit margins are razor-thin while regulations are always increasing. “We’re making it to the point where no one wants to do business because there is so much uncertainty in what goes on in this industry,” said Paul Beltgens, owner of Paulcan Jemico Industries. Beltgens says unless conditions improve, there’s very little reason to invest in his company’s operations for the future.

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New owners ready to get Coulson Sawmills back online

By Gord Kurbis
The Alberni Valley News
September 24, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada West

The new owners of the Coulson Manufacturing Mill (formerly operated by the San Group) say they are anxious to get the mill back up and running after purchasing the Port Alberni facility in a court-approved sale in June of this year. The mill will act as a stand-alone operation named Coulson Sawmills and will be managed by Jovan and Ajit Gill, but are connected at arms length with Fraserview Cedar on the Lower Mainland. “This is the next generation of Gills that have bought this and their plan is to go up there and get their own relationship,” says Fraserview Chief Executive Officer Gary Gill. Plans are to get the operation going near the beginning of November but the company’s first priority is to build up a long-term log deck so that the mill can run continuously with a healthy supply of logs. That’s a problem that Gary Gill says is facing other mills as well.

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B.C. mayors launch Alliance of Resource Communities to advocate for resource sector

By Robin Grant
The Campbell River Mirror
September 24, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

CAMPBELL RIVER — Several mayors from across BC have united to advocate for resource development by creating the Alliance of Resource Communities, with Campbell River’s mayor at the helm. “It’s time for an alliance of community leaders from all corners of the province to come together and strongly advocate for a secure and brighter economic future through the responsible development of our abundant natural resources,” said Mayor Kermit Dahl at the Get it Done conference on Sept. 22, which was hosted by Resource Works. “While it’s encouraging that the federal and provincial governments are becoming more vocal in support of major projects, thousands of people in my community who rely on natural resource industries face an uncertain future,” said Dahl, referring to Prime Minister Mark Carney’s pledge to fast-track nation-building projects and the recent announcement of five major infrastructure projects.

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B.C. forestry sector in ‘crisis,’ triggering change in BC Timber Sales

By Nono Shen
The Canadian Press in Business in Vancouver
September 23, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

British Columbia’s forestry industry is “under pressure from all sides,” prompting the provincial government to bring in changes to expand the role of BC Timber Sales, including allowing some communities to manage their own forest resources. Forests Minister Ravi Parmar says attacks from US President Trump, “increasingly intense” wildfires and climate change all put extra pressure on the industry. A review of the work done by BC Timber Sales, an organization that manages 20% of Crown timber, has generated 54 recommendations in a plan to help support a thriving forest economy. One of the key recommendations includes expanding three community forests in Vanderhoof, Fraser Lake and Fort St. James. …Parmar said he wants the changes implemented as quickly as possible, but a number of them will require legislative change to move forward. Parmar said the B.C. forestry sector is also looking to expand into other foreign markets.

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Aspen Planers halts Merritt mill operations amid log shortage and rising costs

The Merritt Herald
September 23, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

MERRITT, BC — Aspen Planers has halted operations at its Merritt sawmill and planer facility for an undetermined period, citing what it calls a lack of available logs and rising costs that have made continued production unsustainable. “Simply put, our mill lacks logs,” said regional manager Surinder Momrath. “Our Lillooet veneer plant has also curtailed operations for the same reason. These two closures are linked given that we source logs from both our Merritt and Lillooet forest licenses – and the saw logs are processed in Merritt while the plywood ‘peeler’ logs are processed in Lillooet.” The company pointed to an inability to obtain cutting permits under its AAC. Aspen Planers’ licenses provide for 490,000 cubic metres, but over the past two and a half years the company has only harvested 29% of that amount. …He says the shortage stems from provincial policy decisions, including Indigenous co-governance under DRIPA and old growth initiatives.

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COFI Statement on BC Timber Sales Task Force Recommendations

By Kim Haakstad, President and CEO
BC Council of Forest Industries
September 23, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

“The BC Council of Forest Industries (COFI)… is encouraged to see recognition of the urgency to ‘increase performance, move more fibre, and better serve the current client base, including the primary sector.’ To create the stability, certainty, and predictability needed, we urge government to prioritize and fast track the Task Force’s recommendations that focus on increasing wood flow to manufacturers across the province. While BCTS has consistently underperformed in its core function of delivering wood supply to the market, the government is choosing to expand its mandate and propose additional volumes be allocated to BCTS. …COFI is pleased to see harvest targets in Recommendation 17, however, the proposal to increase the BCTS volumes by only 1 million m³ per year is not ambitious enough to meet the government’s Major Project commitment to reach a 45 million m³ harvest.

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CIB loans $660 million towards Saint John Mill Modernization

By Canada Infrastructure Bank
Cision Newswire
September 26, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada East

SAINT JOHN, NB – The Canada Infrastructure Bank (CIB) has reached financial close on a $660 million loan to Irving Pulp & Paper to support the large-scale modernization of the company’s pulp mill in west Saint John, New Brunswick. Enabled by the CIB’s partnership, the modernization project consists of replacing 1970s era technology with current best-available solutions to improve productivity and maintain mill competitiveness within the sector. This includes a new recovery boiler, steam turbine and generator to produce up to 145 megawatts of renewable energy. Excess energy generated at the mill will be exported to the provincial grid under a power purchase agreement with NB Power, with approximately 50 megawatts being used to sustainably energize mill operations.

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Decisions ‘forthcoming’ to keep Kap Paper from closure

Northern Ontario Business
September 24, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada East

Struggling Kap Paper is looking for a lifeline from Ottawa to keep the Kapuskasing newsprint mill afloat and avoiding closure. The northwestern Ontario company has been threatening to shut down within a few short weeks unless the federal government comes forth with matching funds that equals the commitment by the Ontario government for a $6-million loan extension. The company is making a direct appeal, via a news release, to “act now” to keep its 300 workers employed and the pulp and paper supply chain in northeastern Ontario intact. …A spokesperson issued this statement on Wednesday: Kap Paper continues to work closely with the Governments of Canada and Ontario on long-term stability measures. Decisions on next steps are forthcoming, and we will provide a public update immediately once they are finalized. In the meantime, our focus remains on meeting commitments to our employees, customers, and community.

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Quebec government scraps forestry reform bill that drew widespread ire

CBC News
September 25, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada East

François Legault

MONTREAL — Earlier this week, a coalition made up of First Nations chiefs, environmental groups, mayors and unions called on the Legault government to scrap its controversial forestry reform bill. On Thursday, the Legault government capitulated. CBC News has learned the premier will announce later today that his government is abandoning Bill 97, which was tabled in the spring and has faced persistent opposition since. The bill would have divided the province’s forest into three zones: one that prioritizes conservation, one focused on timber production and a third zone for multiple uses. The Assembly of First Nations Quebec-Labrador (AFNQL) had panned the proposed system, arguing the bill essentially would have given the forestry industry the right to bypass consultations with First Nations regarding activities on those territories zoned for intensive logging. …The AFNQL has said the province must try to create a new bill from scratch.

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Finance & Economics

Why Anti-Dumping Duties Make No Sense in Commodity Markets

By Alice Palmer
Sustainable Forests, Resilient Industry
September 19, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: Canada, United States

Alice Palmer

Is Canada swamping the US with cheap lumber? According to the US Commerce Department, the answer is “yes.” On July 25, the US imposed anti-dumping duties of over 20% on softwood lumber imports from Canada. This means that, according to the Commerce Department’s calculations, Canadian companies have been selling lumber into the US at rates some 20% below its fair market value. Yet, softwood lumber is a commodity product, meaning its price fluctuates with the balance of demand and supply in the marketplace. Therefore, lumber companies generally do not set their prices in the way that consumer products companies do. Instead, they negotiate each sale based on the going price market price. While lumber traders may sometimes offer a small discount to make a quick sale, a 20% discount would be unusual, even on a single sales transaction. Companies certainly would not want to sell at 20% below the market for a full year (the reference period over which the US Commerce Department calculates dumping margins). That would be insane. So, how is the US Commerce Department coming up with its numbers?

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Interfor Announces $125 Million Bought Deal Offering of Common Shares

By Interfor Corporation
Cision Newswire
September 25, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: Canada, Canada West

BURNABY, BC — Interfor announced that it has entered into an agreement with a syndicate of underwriters led by RBC Capital Markets and Scotiabank, under which the Underwriters have agreed to purchase, on a bought deal basis, 12,437,800 common shares of the Company at a price of $10.05 per Common Share for gross proceeds of $125 million. The Company has agreed to grant the Underwriters an over-allotment option to purchase up to an additional 15% of the Common Shares. …The Company intends to use the net proceeds of the Offering to pay down existing indebtedness and for general corporate purposes. …Proceeds of the Offering are expected to further enhance Interfor’s flexibility to navigate near-term market volatility.  The Offering is scheduled to close on or about October 1, 2025.

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B.C. lumber sector takes another hit from weak markets, low prices

By Derrick Penner
The Vancouver Sun
September 26, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: Canada, Canada West

Weakening U.S. housing construction has put another dark cloud over BC’s forest industry, increasing the likelihood of more mill shutdowns and layoffs. Lumber prices flatlined in recent weeks due to weak demand, just as new, higher duties in the Canada-U.S. softwood lumber dispute took effect. That means BC mills are operating at losses of up to US$220 per thousand board feet of two-by-fours, according to industry consultant Russ Taylor. …Taylor said market conditions during September are typically favourable for sawmills, but they’re decidedly negative this year. His forecast is that they will remain weak for the rest of the year, which will likely result in mills taking downtime. “We’re seeing it already,” said Kim Haakstad, CEO of the B.C. Council of Forest Industries. “We’re seeing temporary curtailments, we’re seeing extended holiday breaks, we’re seeing reconfigured shift schedules. …Haakstad said Parmar’s recognition of the urgency for change was encouraging.

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Wood, Paper & Green Building

British Columbia provides $500K to new Nelson climbing gym

By Tyler Harper
Nelson Star
September 24, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada West

©Studio9

Plans to use mass timber for a new climbing facility in Nelson have earned the project $500,000 in provincial funding. The Ministry of Jobs and Economic Growth announced Sept. 23 that it would provide $2 million in funds to build four new buildings it says will showcase the benefits of mass-timber construction. One of those buildings will be Kootenay Climbing Association’s Cube 2.0, a new facility to be constructed on an empty site next to Selkirk College’s Tenth Street Campus. The estimated $11-million project will be 1,004 square metres in size and feature an Olympic-standard climbing wall. “Mass timber represents a transformative, locally sourced solution that’s generating significant employment opportunities, spurring cutting-edge innovation, and revitalizing rural economies across British Columbia,” said Jobs Minister Ravi Kahlon. …Mass timber companies Spearhead and Kalesnikoff are each involved in the construction of the new building. 

Related News in Vernon Matters: A six storey mass timber project in Penticton gets $500K from province

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B.C. advances new mass-timber demonstration projects

By Ministry of Jobs and Economic Growth
Government of British Columbia
September 23, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada, Canada West

Four new buildings in B.C. are each receiving $500,000 — totalling $2 million — to demonstrate and showcase the benefits of mass-timber construction. “Mass timber represents a transformative, locally sourced solution that’s generating significant employment opportunities, spurring cutting-edge innovation, and revitalizing rural economies across British Columbia,” said Ravi Kahlon, Minister of Jobs and Economic Growth. …The four projects were announced at the 2025 International Woodrise Congress. …Delivered through the Province’s Crown corporation Forestry Innovation Investment. The four projects are:

  • Nexus, a six-storey mass-timber project in Penticton that includes four storeys of office space, a daycare and retail space;
  • An Indigenous affordable housing project in Surrey that will be an eight-storey tall mass-timber hybrid building
  • Cube 2.0, a three-storey climbing gym in Nelson that will be an Olympic-level facility that showcases sustainable practices
  • The Ronald McDonald House BC & Yukon’s Willow House, a 12-storey build that will provide 75 units

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Forestry

Canada’s forests: the roots of a resilient nation

By Marie-Michèle Rousseau-Clair
The Nature Conservancy Canada
September 24, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada

This week, as we mark National Forest Week, people are reminded of how closely our lives are tied to forests. After another summer of wildfires and smoky skies in many parts of the country, the need to care for forests has never felt more urgent. It is more important than ever to have collaboration between all levels of government, the private sector and conservation groups to protect our nature-based infrastructure. Forests are one of Canada’s greatest resources and one of our natural assets. Their conservation and stewardship are essential in Canada’s efforts to fulfil its international commitments to nature. …The forest sector employs nearly 200,000 people across Canada and is the economic backbone of more than 300 communities. Think of all the products we use in our everyday lives, from lumber, paper, flooring and furniture to heating our homes just to name a few. While Canada’s forests may be abundant, they are under increasing pressure.

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Canada Supports Global Efforts to Manage and Restore Forests

By Natural Resources Canada
Cision Newswire
September 26, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada

OTTAWA, ON – Today, the Honourable Tim Hodgson, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, announced over $1.44 million in funding for 10 projects under Natural Resources Canada’s Global Forest Leadership Program, delivered through the International Model Forest Network. This funding will help restore damaged ecosystems, support agroforestry and sustainable local businesses, empower Indigenous and local communities — especially women and youth — and improve global forest management and restoration. Healthy forests around the world contribute to carbon sequestration and climate resilience, benefitting Canadians and the global community. As a leader in sustainable forest management, Canada plays a key role in advancing sustainable forestry worldwide, and the federal government remains committed to sharing its expertise, fostering collaboration and helping restore, manage and conserve forests around the world to protect biodiversity and help tackle climate change and environmental damage.

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Canada proposes actions to address “forever chemicals” in firefighting foams

By Environment and Climate Change Canada
Cision Newswire
September 26, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada

GATINEAU, QC – In a continued effort to protect the health of people in Canada and the environment, the federal government is taking the next step in addressing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). PFAS are a class of thousands of human-made substances that are also known as “forever chemicals”. These substances do not break down easily and have been found to be harmful to human health and the environment. Earlier this year, the federal government proposed a multi-phase risk management approach for PFAS, excluding fluoropolymers. Today, the Government is publishing the consultation document on Phase 1 of the proposed risk management for the class of PFAS, excluding fluoropolymers. This phase proposes to address all known remaining uses of PFAS that are not already regulated in firefighting foams.

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Trump’s Logging Efforts Struggle to Sell Industry on Public Land

By Bobby McGill
Bloomberg Law
September 25, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, United States

The Interior Department says it’s on track to meet a federal goal to increase logging on federal lands, even as timber industry analysts warn low prices, scarce sawmills, and litigation will likely threaten progress. Interior’s Bureau of Land Management has increased timber sales by 4.6% so far in fiscal 2025 over all of fiscal 2024. Interior spokeswoman Alyse Sharpe said. …Trump’s logging goals face fierce headwinds, however, as depressed lumber prices, a worker shortage in the timber industry, and an overriding sense of uncertainty about the future of logging are chilling timber industry interest in actually cutting down the trees sold in federal sales, said Mindy Crandall, at Oregon State University. “The Forest Service can put the timber up for sale, but someone has to want it,” Crandall said. But Trump’s logging policies are likely to have limited reach across the US in part because federal lands make up only a small part of the timber supply, and tariffs are unlikely to crush the demand for Canadian lumber.

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Partnering for Growth: Canada’s Forest Products Sector Recognizes Partners

Forest Products Association of Canada
September 24, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada

Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC) announces Integrated Resource Management Agency (AGIR) and Women in Wood as recipients of its 2025 Partnership Awards, an honour recognizing organizations that have demonstrated exceptional collaboration and leadership in supporting Canada’s forest sector and the people and communities it serves. AGIR is a community-based organization operating in several small municipalities across the Lac-Saint-Jean region of Quebec. …Women in Wood was born from an idea and a conversation – to create a place where women who work in, with and for the woods could connect to build community and learn from and support each other.  …“These organizations are leading by example – building bridges across communities, advancing sustainable forest practices, and creating space for more inclusive dialogue and collaboration in our sector. Their work reflects the kind of partnership that strengthens our industry and helps ensure a more resilient future for Canada’s forests and the people who depend on them,” said Derek Nighbor, President and CEO of FPAC.

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Should Canada sprint to replant trees after intense wildfire years?

By Nathan Howes
The Weather Network
September 24, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada

Through its 2 Billion Trees (2BT) program, the federal government has planted more than 228 million trees since 2021. With Canada enduring some of its worst wildfire seasons since it began, should the government expedite and increase its co-ordinated, replanting efforts? Canada’s 2 Billion Trees (2BT) program has achieved more than 11 per cent of its goal of planting, as the name suggests, two billion trees over a 10-year period. …The government also announced the program has agreements in place to plant one billion trees, approximately, since it kick-started the initiative in 2021. As of June 2025, Canada has signed or is negotiating tree-planting agreements with 11 provinces and territories, 58 Indigenous partners, 30 municipalities and 88 non-governmental organizations. …Restoring tree cover is an important strategy for carbon removal and addressing the climate crisis. So, with the intense wildfire seasons Canada has been experiencing in recent years, does the country require a more expedited process to keep its forests thriving?

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The Sustainable Forestry Initiative and McMaster University collaborate to advance Climate Smart Forestry Initiative

Sustainable Forestry Initiative
September 25, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada

Alemu Gonsamo & Lauren Cooper

Ottawa, ON—The Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) and McMaster University announce a new partnership to support the SFI Climate Smart Forestry Initiative, which is advancing the interpretation and implementation of climate-informed forestry practices across almost 120 million SFI-certified hectares in Canada. With investments from public and private sources… the initiative engages experts and SFI-certified organizations to reduce net greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by identifying, developing, and implementing practices that meet the SFI 2022 Forest Management Standard objectives, while achieving co-benefits for biodiversity and wildfire risk reduction. …“Partnerships like this offer unprecedented opportunities to ensure forestry functions as a climate solution and provides sustainable forest products,” said Lauren T. Cooper, Chief Conservation Officer at SFI. …Leading the collaboration from McMaster University is Dr. Alemu Gonsamo, Associate Professor of McMaster University’s Remote Sensing Lab and Associate Director of McMaster Centre for Climate Change.

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A collection of National Forest Week stories

Tree Frog Forestry News
September 25, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada

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Trees Must Fall. A Provincial Park’s Wildfire Prescription

By Ryan Stuart
The Tyee
September 26, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

John Davies

Dragon Mountain Provincial Park is a forested hump south of Quesnel, with a gravel road to its summit and 600 metres of descending mountain bike trails through rocks, chutes and mature forest. …But where mountain bikers see a playground, wildfire experts see the makings of a disaster waiting to happen… “If there’s a forest fire on Dragon Mountain it would burn the whole thing,” said John Davies, a registered professional forester. “Viewpoints, mountain bike trails, ungulate habitat, the forest — everything would be gone.” Davies is a mountain biker and appreciates the riding potential. But he has also spent 25 years fighting fires… Today he works for Forsite, a forestry consultancy that develops wildfire protection and risk reduction plans for cities and parks across the province, including for Dragon Mountain. …“We have to make sure the value will exist after a fire,” Davies said. “That requires removing trees. There’s no other way to do it.”

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Franklin Forest Products faces challenges after wildfire

By Gord Kurbis
Alberni Valley News
September 25, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

In a career that has spanned nearly 40 years in the forestry industry, Michael McKay says he’s never had to face a situation like the one he’s staring at now. “This is probably one of the biggest, I mean with this fire and the current state of the industry, to have it all come together at once, it’s definitely about as tough as it’s been,” McKay said. The president of Franklin Forest Products is facing a perfect storm of problems but is pivoting as best he can to weather through it. The latest issue was the Mount Underwood Fire which started Aug. 11 and ended up destroying half of the company’s powerline despite his employees trying to save it. …The blaze interrupted the implementation of a new Gang Mill plant that would have added more staff to the company’s roster of 35 employees. …”It’s been four years and wood’s not coming out, there’s just no wood coming out of the bush and all we are is a bunch of too many squirrels chasing too few nuts,” McKay said.

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Osprey Environmental Solutions takes flight: an Indigenous-owned company built on a partnership between Kee Tas Kee Now Sawmills and Silvacom

By Ryan Spooner
Silvacom Ltd.
September 24, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

Edmonton, AB —  Kee Tas Kee Now Sawmills Limited (KSL) and Silvacom are proud to announce the launch of their unique partnership, Osprey Environmental Solutions – an Indigenous-owned company that aims to set the standard for blending Indigenous knowledge and environmental excellence.  This partnership brings together KSL’s deep-rooted traditional knowledge and community connections with Silvacom’s industry-leading expertise in environmental consulting, regulatory compliance, and geospatial technology. Owned by Loon River First Nation, Lubicon Lake Band, Peerless Trout First Nation, Whitefish Lake First Nation, and Woodland Cree First Nation, KSL represents generations of traditional knowledge and a commitment to land stewardship. …Osprey is uniquely positioned to support industries such as oil and gas, construction, pipelines, and powerlines with services that prioritize sustainability, cultural sensitivity, and economic opportunity for Indigenous communities. …As industries seek to balance growth with environmental responsibility, Osprey is committed to setting new benchmarks for collaborative, sustainable, and culturally respectful environmental solutions. 

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BC Forest Minister’s statement on Heritage Conservation Act engagement process

By Ministry of Forests
Government of British Columbia
September 24, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

Ravi Parmar

Ravi Parmar, Minister of Forests, has provided the following statement about extending the engagement process for modernizing the Heritage Conservation Act in BC: We have formally been engaging to help find solutions and ways to update the Heritage Conservation Act, to make permitting faster and easier, help people and communities rebuild quicker after disasters, protect heritage sites more effectively and strengthen the role of First Nations in decision-making about their own heritage and ancestors. …Since 2022, more than 360 local government representatives have participated in engagement activities. September 25 there is a two-hour workshop for local governments at UBCM to discuss the intended outcomes of modernizing the legislation. The status quo is not an option. We invite more people in B.C. the opportunity to come to the table. I am announcing today that we are extending the engagement to mid-November to ensure all people in B.C., including local governments, have their voices heard.

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How forestry and logging industries can play a bigger role in wildfire mitigation

By Ty Lim
The Merritt Herald
September 24, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

Can the problems of wildfire and forestry industry setbacks be solved at once? …It will be a tough goal, especially with the Province’s timber supply forecast not projecting timber supply to turn in a positive direction until 2060. …The forest industry has been attempting to fight this every year. For wildfires, the BC Wildfire Service (BCWS) have adopted techniques, such as prescribed burnings, to try and mitigate the intense wildfire seasons. …One way is the more novel practice of harnessing the manpower of the logging industry. Nick Reynolds, acting director of investigations at the BC Forest Practices Board, was involved in two recent special investigations from the FPB on wildfire mitigation. …“Why don’t we use that engine and muscle (of the forestry industry)” Reynolds said. …Jason Fisher, executive director of FESBC, said that through their funding platform, they’ve seen workers who’ve specialized in traditional logging take on WRR work.

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New parameters for BCTS causes optimism for wood manufacturers

By Timothy Schafer
Castanet
September 25, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

Ken Kalesnikoff

A change is being made to B.C. Timber Sales’ (BCTS) mandate to allow the “unique needs of each community and wood manufacturers” to flourish, and a West Kootenay mill is already eagerly awaiting its effect. Ken Kalesnikoff, president and CEO of Kalesnikoff Mass Timber Inc. characterized the announcement as a positive step with BCTS. He said the specialty values added sector — which are mostly minimally tenured or non-tenured companies — rely heavily on BCTS for their fibre supply. “Seeing volume being accessed by this sector will show these changes are working as intended, creating certainty and fair access to the people’s resource for those of us focused on value over volume and creating over 15,000 jobs,” said Kalesnikoff in a statement. …If the expanded mandate proves to work as well as it is being touted, it could help increase performance, move more fibre, and better serve the current client base, including the primary sector.

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Hands-on wildfire research for students builds knowledge, connection and resilience

By UBC Okanagan News
University of British Columbia
September 23, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

Lirondelle, Prentice & Parrott-Landry

UBC Okanagan undergrads get hands-on with wildfires, monitoring and Indigenous land stewardship practices. What started as fieldwork for UBC Okanagan students Ainsley Lirondelle, Jed Prentice and Olivier Parrott-Landry soon became a crash course in fire science, place-based knowledge and unexpected friendship. …Under the guidance of UBC Okanagan wildfire scientist Dr. Mathieu Bourbonnais, the research opened their eyes to a central truth about the Okanagan: what appears to be wilderness is often anything but. …They learned how fire exclusion policies have led to tightly-packed stands of similar-age trees that burn hotter and faster than historic landscapes ever did. “I’ve had so many conversations where I explain that fire is a forest management issue, not just a weather problem,” says Lirondelle. “People are always surprised. They think fire is this external force. It’s not. It’s the result of how we’ve managed the land.”

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Premier pushes for wildfire mitigation, more access to public lands

By George Lee
The Macleod Gazette in Sylvan Lake News
September 24, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

Less wildfire damage throughout the province and improved access to the great outdoors feature prominently in Danielle Smith’s renewed vision for Alberta. The premier issued new marching orders last week to Forestry and Parks Minister Todd Loewen, directing him to expand efforts to prevent wildfires and reduce their effects. One bullet point is that the minister seek a wildfire agreement with the federal government. Loewen said wildfire fighting and prevention are “incredibly important to Albertans.” So is more access to public lands in a sustainable way. “Those two things encompass a lot of what’s in the mandate letter, and I think they really resonate well with Albertans,” said Loewen, the member for Central Peace-Notley in the province’s northwest. He was one of four ministers to receive new mandate letters on Sept. 17.

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A striking forestry worker’s perspective

Letter by Murray Ostler
The Campbell River Mirror
September 24, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

[Recent] articles in the Campbell River Mirror during Forestry Week, “Celebrating the role of First Nations in the forestry economy,” and “Mayor calls for urgent action to support forest industry,” deserve some context and reply from someone like myself who is directly in the crosshairs as a forest industry worker. …I work for La-kwa sa muqw Forestry Ltd., a majority-owned Western Forest Products company. And, as a union member, I am on strike. However, I am expressing my opinion only. …The article on the First Nations’ role in forestry is positive and forward-looking to a point. … On the face of it, you would think that the the Nanwakolas Council and Western Forest Products agreement was a win/win. …It glosses over the fact that Western is now using that partnership to try to gain major concessions from the union regarding the mid-island forest operations being a union shop. 

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BC Community Forest Association Launches 2025 Indicators Report and New Brand

The BC Community Forest Association
September 22, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

The BC Community Forest Association (BCCFA) has released its 2025 Community Forest Indicators Report: Measuring the Benefits of Community Forestry, alongside the launch of its refreshed brand and updated website at www.bccfa.ca. Representing more than 100 rural and Indigenous communities, the BCCFA is a province-wide network dedicated to supporting local people making decisions about local forests. Since 2014, the Community Forest Indicators Report has tracked the wide-ranging benefits of community forestry. The 2025 report demonstrates once again the broad benefits of community forestry across British Columbia. The report draws on survey data from 33 community forests – representing 70% of the BCCFA’s operating membership. …During the reporting period, community forests created full-time jobs in forestry, logging and support services at a rate 82% higher than the industry average, highlighting their role in local employment and economic growth. They also generated nearly $60 million in local economic activity, invested $2.5 million in wildfire resiliency, and dedicated contributed over 2,800 hours to community education projects.

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Quinte Woodland Conference, Tending Our Woodlands: The Rewards of Action

By Susan Moore
Frontenac News
September 24, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada East

After 5 years, this celebrated conference is back with a new look. Don’t miss the Quinte Woodland Conference, Tending Our Woodlands: The Rewards of Action on October 2, 2025 in Belleville. The Quinte Woodlot Association has revived the former Trenton Woodlot Conference, continuing its 30-year legacy in our community. This one-day event welcomes rural landowners, foresters, farmers, conservationists and naturalists from all over Eastern Ontario. The program blends practical advice with science-based insights. In addition to the keynote, presentations will include: Wildfire Protection, Plantation Cooperatives, Biochar as Soil Amendment, and a panel on Succession Planning with a conservation planner, a farm preservation specialist, an accountant and a lawyer.  …The keynote speaker, Ethan Tapper, is a forester and the bestselling author of How to Love a Forest: The Bittersweet Work of Tending a Changing World.

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Omnibus bill tackles Crown land protesters in Nova Scotia, supports domestic violence survivors

By Michael Gorman
CBC News
September 23, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada East

NOVA SCOTIA — New powers to deal with protesters blocking logging roads on Crown land are being dealt with by the Nova Scotia government in… the Protecting Nova Scotians Act introduced Tuesday. …Notable changes include amendments to the Crown Lands Act that will make it illegal to “block, obstruct the use of or impede access to” forest access roads. It will also give officials the ability to remove structures without notice when they’re deemed to be a hazard to public health and safety or are harmful to the economic interests of the province. …An official with the Natural Resources Department said the changes are being made out of concern for people who might have protests or other gatherings located too close to logging equipment. …The proposed changes come as protesters in Cape Breton are blocking a logging operation by Port Hawkesbury Paper on Crown land. Natural Resources Minister Tory Rushton told reporters that the changes were requested by conservation officers. 

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Health & Safety

Fall WorkSafe Magazine I Easier online injury reporting

WorkSafeBC
September 25, 2025
Category: Health & Safety
Region: Canada West

Fall issue of WorkSafe Magazine

The latest issue of WorkSafe Magazine includes stories that show how employers across B.C. are finding practical ways to protect workers and strengthen safety culture.

  • Find out how commercial bakeries are tackling ergonomic risks and industry-wide hazards.
  • Build skills for trainee tower crane operators with insights from a safety officer.
  • Learn about steps crews and employers are taking to prevent serious injuries when working near traffic.

Read the Fall 2025 issue of WorkSafe Magazine »

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Forest Fires

Growing wildfire near Peachland, B.C., prompts evacuation order

CBC News
September 25, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada West

©BCWildfireService

A new wildfire near Peachland, B.C., has grown rapidly Thursday evening and forced residents of 325 addresses to evacuate. More than 1,100 properties are under an evacuation alert, which means residents should be ready to leave at a moment’s notice. The Central Okanagan Regional District announced the evacuation order Thursday at 6 p.m. PT and added the evacuation alert at around 7:45 p.m. PT. The B.C. Wildfire Service (BCWS) says the fire near Munro Lake — about six kilometres southwest of Peachland — is also threatening the Munro Lake Forest Service Road and the Peachland Main Road. The fire has grown to 0.7 square kilometres (74.3 hectares). Shae Stearns, a BCWS fire information officer said the fire is currently burning at Rank 3, a classification that indicates a moderately vigorous surface fire. More than 40 personnel are working on the fire, according to Stearns, as well as air tankers and four helicopters.

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