Ken Kalesnikoff
Frédéric Verreault
OTTAWA, ON – The Honourable Tim Hodgson, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources statement on the conclusion of the Canadian Forest Sector Transformation Task Force’s mandate: “Canada’s forest sector is a cornerstone of our economy … we are working to ensure Canadian customers benefit from Canadian forest products and Canadian forest products benefits from Canadian customers… Abroad, we are diversifying trading partners and opening new markets for Canadian forest products. This is why we established the Canadian Forest Sector Transformation Task Force to identify practical measures to transform and retool our industry, including to support our home-building ambitions; support product and trade diversification; and improve the long-term competitiveness of Canada’s forest sector. Today, I am pleased to have received the Task Force’s final report and recommendations [and] sincerely thank the two Co–Chairs, Ken Kalesnikoff and Frédéric Verreault, for their strong leadership, as well as all Task Force members for their dedication, expertise and hard work.
Canadian softwood producers have now paid more than US$8-billion in US duties since 2017, as BC’s Forests Minister seeks to keep lumber on Ottawa’s radar to resolve the trade dispute. The issue of Canadian softwood shipments into the US is not directly addressed by the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement. …About US$2-billion in interest has gradually piled up over the past nine years, bringing the value of duties paid plus interest to more than US$10-billion. …Last week, the US said it plans to decrease duties for Canadian softwood. …The revised anti-dumping and countervailing duties equal 24.83%, and when combined with the tariffs, the levies would total 34.83%. …Canfor would see its total levies decline to 31.02%, down from the current 47.59%. West Fraser’s duties would decrease to 20.70%, compared with the current 26.47%. The duty rate for Resolute FP, a subsidiary of Domtar, would drop to 24.95% from the current 35.16%. [to access the full story a Globe & Mail subscription is required]
TORONTO – Worried about wildfires sending claims soaring this year, Canada’s property and casualty insurers are pushing owners to flood- and fire-proof homes and urging the government to take climate issues more seriously despite economic turmoil. Insurers Intact Financial, TD Insurance, Wawanesa and Definity Financial face financial pressure as claims surge and in turn push up home-insurance premiums, which rose about 6% last year in Canada. They worry Prime Minister Mark Carney’s prioritization of energy and the economy over risks from climate change could contribute to more wildfire- and flood-related damage over time. Canada has seen record wildfire and flood damage in recent years. But calamity-prone regions are still insurable in Canada, unlike in some other countries where companies will not insure houses for wildfires. This year is expected to be among the hottest years on record.
OTTAWA — The Canada Border Services Agency has launched a probe to determine if plywood is being subsidized or sold at unfair prices in Canada. A news release from the agency says the investigation began on April 10 and focuses on imports from producers operating in or exporting from China. It says the practices can harm Canadian industries by undercutting Canadian prices and undermining fair competition. The investigation comes after a complaint was filed by Columbia Forest Products and the Canadian Hardwood Plywood and Veneer Association, which say they’ve faced lost sales, poor financial results and reduced employment. The CBSA and the Canadian International Trade Tribunal are both involved in investigations of Chinese plywood. The tribunal will issue its decision by June 9, while the CBSA’s probe into unfair prices will reach a preliminary decision by July 9.
From fibre performance to global demand, three speakers at International Pulp Week offer a compelling view of the forces shaping today’s pulp sector. Finland’s Ismo Nousiainen and Aki Temmes bring deep, mill level expertise in softwood performance and fibre strategy, while Canada’s Mathieu Wener connects those decisions to evolving global markets and economic trends. Together, their sessions trace a clear arc, from how fibre characteristics influence tissue quality and energy efficiency, to how papermakers are optimizing furnishes under cost and supply pressures, and ultimately to how demand is shifting across tissue, paper, and specialty grades. It also reflects the conference’s international reach, bringing together global leaders to address shared challenges in a sector increasingly shaped by interconnected markets, trade dynamics, and long term structural change.
Kenora, Ont. – The United Steelworkers (USW) are proud to welcome 147 new members following a strong organizing victory at Weyerhaeuser in Kenora, Ont. Workers voted overwhelmingly in favour of joining the union with 97% support. This is a clear demonstration of their desire for a stronger voice at work and a more secure future. “This result speaks volumes,” said Kevon Stewart, USW District 6 Director. “Workers at Weyerhaeuser came together with shared goals – to improve their working conditions, strengthen their rights and build a better future. We are proud to stand with them as they begin this next chapter.” The organizing campaign was driven by workers coming together and building support across the workplace. …This victory reflects a growing trend of workers across the forestry sector choosing to unionize and strengthen their collective voice on the job.
VANCOUVER, BC – West Fraser Timber provided notice of Q1, 2026 conference call and softwood lumber duties and operational update. …The Company expects to record a $73 million non-cash charge in Q1-26 to export duty expense, representing the difference between previously recorded expense for 2024 based on CVD cash deposit rates of 2.19% and 6.85% during the year and the preliminary CVD rate released of 15.93%. …Additionally, the USDOC is processing the liquidation of ADD for the first administrative review period (AR1) covering exports between August 2017 and December 2017. Based on the liquidation rate, the Company expects to receive a refund of $15 million in 2026. Operational Update: Full operations have resumed at the Company’s Blue Ridge Alberta lumber mill following a fire in January of 2026, and production has commenced at the new lumber facility in Henderson, Texas. Manufacturing operations at the Company’s High Level, Alberta OSB mill will be concluded by the end of April.
The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Canada, together with the FSC Canada Indigenous Chamber, the FSC Indigenous Foundation, and Indigenous communities across the country, is proud to announce the launch of the Indigenous Knowledge Networks, a new Indigenous led initiative designed to strengthen community-driven forest stewardship, knowledge sharing, and rights-based governance. The Indigenous Knowledge Networks will serve as a collaborative platform where Indigenous communities can connect, share wise practices, and advance their own stewardship priorities in ways that reflect local governance systems, cultural protocols, and community-defined goals. As part of the launch, Wahkohtowin Development GP has been named the first regional Network, supporting sister Nations across the Northeast Superior Region. Wahkohtowin will lead in-person gatherings, virtual learning opportunities, and community-driven activities that strengthen relationships and build capacity across the region. …The first phase of the Indigenous Knowledge Network will include a visioning process…
The Ancient Forests Alliance (AFA) are concerned that legislation changes in BC could put endangered old-growth forests at risk. The Province’s own logging agency, BC Timber Sales (BCTS), may see an increase in logging rates with the changes brought about by Bill 14, the Forest Statutes Amendment Act. The changes would provide BCTS with a projected increase of at least 700,000 cubic metres in timber for the 2025-26 period. This would be equivalent to approximately 15,500 to 17,700 additional truckloads. Bill 14 was introduced in March, but has not yet been passed. The proposed legislation seeks to modernize the logging industry in BC and is aimed at increasing mill production and sustainability within the forestry sector. It would give BCTS an expanded mandate, streamline salvage and fibre access for mills, change the contract authorization process and encourage future stewardship.
Urban bears in Prince George are dropping clues, and the CNC Research Forest team needs your help scooping them up! Bear poop holds a wealth of information about the bear’s health, diet, and hormones. By analyzing feces samples from across the city, CNC researchers hope to gain insight into the health and behaviour of urban bear populations versus their counterparts that live outside of Prince George. CNC Research Assistant Vanessa Uschenko is co-leading this unique study with Dr. Laura Graham from the CNC Biology department. The research project is done in partnership with the Northern Bear Awareness Society and with support from the B.C. Conservation Officer Service. “Our goal is to better understand what drives bears to enter the city. We can use that data to help inform wildlife management and conservation strategies that mitigate human-bear conflict,” shares Vanessa.
Recently, the phrase “active forest management” has come into usage by the forest industry in numerous countries. In Australia, the equivalent terms are “forest gardening” and “cultural thinning.” …The concept is convenient for the forest industry because it allows companies to continue doing what they have done since the onset of industrial logging. Better yet, the industry is promoting the idea that logging is a solution to the wildfire problem we now face. Actually, the massive cutting down of forests in B.C. and elsewhere has created the problem that the industry wants to solve by more cutting down of what is left of our primary or unlogged forests. Clear cutting forests creates several problems. First, it dries out the land. Without the shade that trees create to cool the land, and without tree roots holding back the water from snow melt and precipitation, the land becomes highly susceptible to fire. 
It didn’t take long for the smoke to clear following 2017’s horrendous wildfires for the BC government to respond with a plan to log more forests and plant more trees. The scale of what had just happened exceeded anything on record. Fires burned more than 12,000 square kilometres of the province’s forests and grasslands. No wildfire season over the previous half century had come remotely close. Yet, it would take just one more year for a new record to be set. In its 2017 post-fire response plan, BC’s Ministry of Forests promised to replant the forests that had burned. …But a look at what actually burned in the worst fires of 2017 suggests that aggressive logging and “reforestation” — essentially just tree-planting — sets the stage for even more frequent wildfires to come. …Science shows that young stands of trees, with their branches lower to the ground, are more vulnerable to burning in catastrophic fires. 
Mosaic Forest Management wants a more informed discussion on wood-fibre security and log exports with North Cowichan’s council before the municipality decides if it wants to move forward with a motion on the issue. Coun. Christopher Justice had made a notice-of-motion that, if adopted, would encourage senior levels of government to review and strengthen their policies, including those governing raw log exports from private managed forest lands on Vancouver Island. … Karen Brandt, at Mosaic, said the motion does not accurately reflect how the coastal-fibre system operates, and risks unintended consequences for the local mills, workers and communities that council is seeking to support. Brandt said… “The motion suggests international log sales from private-managed forest lands reduce fibre available for domestic manufacturing when, in fact, the opposite is true.” …Brandt said that if the objective is to improve fibre availability, the primary issue is the decline in Crown harvest levels.
District of Squamish staff are asking Council to endorse a new wildfire strategy with 53 specific actions to protect residents, homes and critical infrastructure. According to staff, the 2026 Community Wildfire Resiliency Plan, prepared by Blackwell Consulting Ltd., must be adopted by April 30 for the District to remain eligible for up to $400,000 in provincial FireSmart grant funding over the next two years. The plan is Squamish’s first major wildfire strategy update since 2017. In the years since, rapid population growth, increased tourism pressure, and new development pushing into forested terrain have changed the risk picture considerably. It was developed in collaboration with Squamish Nation, Squamish Community Forest, BC Wildfire Service, BC Parks, the Ministry of Forests, and the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District. …The plan identifies hiring a full-time FireSmart Coordinator as a high-priority step with a three-month timeline. …The plan also calls on the District to review Squamish Fire Rescue staffing levels…
Provincial and municipal officials say they’re focusing on leveraging new resources and applying lessons learned from last year, now that Ontario’s wildfire season is officially underway. A total of 643 wildfires were reported last year in the province, burning nearly 600,000 hectares of land. Northwestern Ontario bore the brunt of wildfire activity in the province, with 11 communities facing restrictions or evacuations related to wildfire activity. “I think the biggest lessons learned obviously was how do we stretch as many resources as we can across the province,” said Mike Harris, Ontario’s Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry. Harris was new to the MNR portfolio last year, and he said he spent a lot of time through the summer meeting with fire crews, supervisors and meteorologists to gain a better understanding of the operations that happen on the ground throughout the season.
The Drax power plant in North Yorkshire received record subsidies of almost £1bn for burning trees to generate electricity in 2025, a climate thinktank has calculated. The company was paid £999m last year for generating about 4.5% of Great Britain’s electricity from its biomass plant, costing each household £13 a year, according to analysts at Ember. The power plant was able to claim £2.7m a day from energy bills in part by increasing its power generation by about 2% from the year before – but mostly due to the rising payouts from a legacy renewables support scheme. …The Guardian revealed last November that forestry experts believed the company was burning 250-year-old trees sourced from some of Canada’s oldest forests as recently as last summer. …The government has already halved the subsidies available to Drax. …Drax will have to switch to using woody biomass from 100% sustainable sources, up from the current level of 70%. 