OTTAWA — Canada’s premiers are set for two days of huddling in the nation’s capital with the economy, affordability and trade expected to be high on the agenda. The premiers meet with Prime Minister Mark Carney on Thursday, and will want to show a united “Team Canada” front as trade tensions rise again with Canada’s largest trading partner. The meetings come a year after U.S. President Donald Trump assumed office and hit Canada with blistering tariffs, and just ahead of negotiations to renew the Canada-United States-Mexico agreement, due for its first formal review this summer. Trump threatened Canada in recent days with 100% across-the-board tariffs on exports, which would land on top of the sectors already hit by steep U.S. tariffs, such as steel, softwood lumber and vehicles. Ontario Premier Doug Ford said the premiers will show they stand united as the whole Canadian economy remains under attack.
Canada has “no intention” of pursuing a free trade deal with China, Prime Minister Carney said, after US President Trump threatened to slap punitive tariffs on Ottawa. Carney said that the country respects its obligations under the Canada-US-Mexico trade agreement, known as CUSMA in Canada and the USMCA in the US, and will not pursue a free trade agreement without notifying the other two parties. Carney’s remarks come after Trump threatened to put a 100% tariff on Canadian exports if Ottawa “makes a deal” with Beijing. …Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent also echoed Trump’s sentiments on Canada and China, saying that the UScould not “let Canada become an opening that the Chinese pour their cheap goods into the US.” …Carney said: “What we have done with China is to rectify some issues that have developed in the last couple of years,” adding that the deal was “entirely consistent with CUSMA.”
A federal task force announced earlier this month will attempt to save Canada’s stricken forest industry from further decline through product and market diversification. While the support will no doubt be welcomed by the industry, in BC the more immediate need is access to timber. Canada’s forestry sector has been pummeled by a one-two punch of low lumber prices, and US duties on softwood lumber. The situation is particularly dire in BC where an integrated industry of lumber, remanufacturing, pulp and pellet mills has been collapsing like a row of dominos. …The industry is in crisis, a number of speakers said at the 
VIETNAM — The United States has decided to postpone the tariff increase on certain finished wood products, including upholstered chairs, kitchen cabinets, and bathroom cabinets, from January 1, 2026, to January 1, 2027. The postponement of the tax increase on some finished wood products helps Vietnamese businesses temporarily avoid the policy shock at the beginning of 2026. However, this is not a sign of loosening, but rather a tactical retreat, requiring the wood industry to be more proactive and cautious in policy planning and restructuring the overall development strategy of the entire industry. …Mr. Ngo Sy Hoai, Vice President of the Vietnam Wood and Forest Products Association (VIFOREST), commented that if postponing the tariff increase is considered an “opportunity,” then extreme caution is needed. In reality, tariff pressure has spread throughout the entire supply chain, from domestic manufacturers to importers and retail systems in the US.
The Bank of Canada held its overnight interest rate steady at 2.25 per cent on Wednesday in a move widely expected by economists. The announcement comes amid ongoing trade uncertainty, with increased focus on the negotiation of the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement and a murky outlook for the Canadian economy later in the year. Ahead of the announcement, economists polled by Reuters were unanimous in their expectations for a hold today, and nearly 75% forecast the central bank will stay on hold through 2026. In its December decision the Bank also held its policy rate stable. …“While this rate hold provides some stability, other factors such as economic uncertainty, potential job loss and affordability are continuing to put downward pressure on the housing market,” Rates.ca mortgage and real estate expert Victor Tran said in a statement following today’s decision.”
Canada’s economy could gain nearly 7%, or $210 billion, in real GDP over a gradual period by fully removing internal trade barriers between the country’s 13 provinces and territories, according to a report published Tuesday by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). On average, regulation-related barriers are the equivalent of a 9% tariff nationally, estimates the report, which was co-authored by IMF researchers Federico J. Diez and Yuanchen Yang with contributions from University of Calgary economist Trevor Tombe. …Because of the trade barriers between provinces, “Canada isn’t really one economy. It’s really 10 economies,” said Alicia Planincic, director of policy and economics at the Business Council of Alberta in Calgary. …The report points to finance, telecom, transportation and professional services as far-reaching sectors that “ripple through the economy” and raise costs for all of the businesses they touch. 
In November, the volume of cargo carried by Canadian railways was up slightly (+0.5%) from November 2024 to 31.4 million tonnes. Higher volumes of intermodal shipments (mainly containers) as well as higher carloadings of wheat largely contributed to the increase in November 2025. The overall freight volume in November was on par with the five-year average of 31.5 million tonnes for the month. …Growth in non-intermodal freight loadings in November was moderated by declines in several commodities. Loadings of other oil seeds and nuts, and other agricultural products were down sharply by 35.4% (-312 000 tonnes) year over year—the largest drop in tonnage since December 2018. In November 2025, loadings of iron ores and concentrates decreased 6.4% (-287 000 tonnes) compared with November 2024, while loadings of lumber were down 22.1% (-143 000 tonnes), a fourth consecutive month of year-over-year decline.
Southern Pine lumber exports (treated and untreated) are almost equal to 2024 year to date through October 2025 at 488 MMBF, according to October 2025 data from the USDA’s Foreign Agriculture Services’ Global Agricultural Trade System. October 2025’s 60 MMBF of exports were up 47% over October 2024 and up 33% compared to September 2025. When looking at the report by dollar value, Southern Pine exports are up 4% YTD ($190 million) compared to 2024. Meanwhile, the October value of $25 million is the highest mark since June 2022, when the value hit $29 million. Mexico leads the way YTD 2025 at $56 million, followed by the Dominican Republic at $39 million, and India at $18 million. Treated lumber exports, meanwhile, are down 4% through the first 10 months of the year compared to 2024. The Leeward-Windward Islands market leads the way through October at $18 million, followed by Jamaica at $16 million, and Belize at $10 million. Softwood lumber imports are running 8% behind 2024 levels.
ST. LOUIS — What is the life cycle of a building? Each year, in the United States, new home construction accounts for 50 million tons of carbon emissions. The majority stem from harvesting, manufacturing and transporting building materials — from lumber and masonry to glass and tile to roofing and mechanical systems. But what happens at the end of the cycle? When a building is no longer inhabitable or needed, what happens to all the energy invested in those materials? “It’s demolished,” Hongxi Yin said. “It goes to the landfill.” Yin, an expert on sustainable construction, is the InCEES professor in advanced building systems and architectural design in the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts at Washington University in St. Louis. Over the last decade, he has led a series of research studios exploring ways to improve building efficiency, supply chains and construction processes. 
Together, we have served as US Forest Service chiefs for both Republican and Democratic administrations. We know that forest management decisions never come without debate, opinions and — more often than not — disagreement. Each of us has had to strike the difficult balance between leaving some forests intact, while sustainably using others to benefit communities and economies. But regardless of who is in the White House, one thing has always remained true: Americans value their national forests, and they want to see them protected for the benefits they provide us, like clean air, water, abundant recreation opportunities and sustainable economies. …The current administration needs to know: Repealing the Roadless Area Conservation Rule would not be in the long-term interest of the American people, the National Forests or the communities they serve. Each of us has been faced with tough decisions. Keeping backcountry and healthy forests free of unnecessary roads was never one of them.
Drax launched its Biomass Tracker, a new digital tool that provides greater visibility into the journey our woody biomass takes through the company’s global supply chain. The interactive tool shows the countries and states where Drax sources its biomass, the types of fibre used in Drax’s own woody biomass, how it is transported, and the carbon associated with each stage of its journey to Drax Power Station or to third-party customers. It also includes data on independent sustainability certifications, helping to strengthen accountability across the sector. The Biomass Tracker uses quarterly real-world data presented through an interactive Sankey diagram, allowing users to explore each stage of the supply chain from fibre origin (for Drax-own pellets), pelletising to transport, storage and use. …The tool is available to access on 
BOGOTA, Colombia — Chile is reeling from one of its most serious wildfire emergencies in years. Deadly flames sweeping across central and southern parts of the South American country have turned large swaths of forest and towns to ash. Fire scientists say the blazes are being driven not only by extreme heat, drought and wind, but also by how human-shaped landscapes interact with changing climates — a lethal mix that makes fires harder to control. …The fires have razed forests, farmland and hundreds of homes. …What distinguishes Chile’s current fire season isn’t an unusual surge in the number of fires, but the amount of land they are burning. …Miguel Castillo, at the University of Chile… “almost tripling the amount of affected area,” even though the number of fires so far is “within normal margins.” That means fewer ignitions are causing far greater damage — a pattern increasingly seen in extreme wildfire seasons around the world.
Nature markets are systems for measuring an ecological improvement on some land, then creating a representation of that improvement as a credit, which can then be bought and sold. In theory, they allow governments to attract more private investment and diversify funds that help restore nature. The reality is much more complicated. I recently 
The Quebec government says it’s pushing back its greenhouse gas reduction target by five years to protect the economy and jobs. Environment Minister Bernard Drainville announced today that the government will not meet its goal of reducing emissions by 37.5 per cent below 1990 levels by 2030. This target has now been set for 2035— a timeline the government describes as ambitious yet realistic. Drainville says in a news release that Quebec has reduced its greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 20 per cent since 1990. He says achieving the other half of the target in just five years would risk economic damage at a time of uncertainty and tariff threats from the US. In response, environment group Equiterre says the government is letting young Quebecers down.
UK energy company Drax’s ambitions of becoming a significant wood pellet supplier to Asia are in danger of faltering as Japanese policymakers wind back generous subsidies for the biomass sector. Japan is set to soon surpass the UK as the world’s largest wood pellet importer after a post-Fukushima push to diversify power sources that caused hundreds of plants to spring up that burn wood pellets, palm kernel shells — a palm oil byproduct — and other organic materials. But policymakers in Japan are pulling support for the controversial industry after realising the hurdles to bringing down fuel costs. Tokyo has already cut subsidies for new projects of more than 10 megawatts. “The real intention is quite simple: no new government support, phasing out. We don’t see any clear path of bringing down costs in the foreseeable future,” said one government official. “Existing projects might survive but no new projects are coming.”