CROFTON, BC — When Tawni Marcil found out the pulp mill she works for is closing, she immediately started worrying about the cats who live there. Marcil is one of 350 workers on Vancouver Island who are losing their jobs after Domtar announced in early December 2025 that it’s shutting down its pulp mill in Crofton, B.C. For almost as long as the mill has existed, Marcil says, the worksite has been home to a population of feral cats, who the workers feed and take care of. …So for the last month — even as she faces her own uncertain future — Marcil has been working with local cat rescue organizations to round up the mill cats, remove them from the site, and find them new homes.
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 wood chip facility primarily owned by the ʼNa̱mǥis Nation on north Vancouver Island says it is permanently shutting down as a result of the recent mill closure in Crofton, BC. Atli Resources CEO Jonathan Lok says the Atli Chip LP directly employed nine people, but the closure will affect many more in the small community of Beaver Cove, near Port McNeill. …Lok says a contractor the company hired to bring wood fiber into the facility would be affected as well, along with the 10 to 15 positions it hires. …Lok says the company announced the closure on Jan. 20. He expects the facility to operate until the end of February. Atli Resources is majority owned by the ʼNa̱mǥis Business Development Corporation. Its other two partners include Domtar. Lok says all of the materials from the facility were shipped to the Crofton pulp mill, which Domtar announced in December would permanently close by April.
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.
Canada’s six largest CMAs recorded a 3.9% rise in housing starts in 2025, driven by a 58% jump in Montréal and record starts in Calgary and Edmonton, while Toronto fell 31% and Vancouver slipped 3%, CMHC said. CMHC said the metro gains helped lift the national annual total for all areas in Canada to 259,028 housing starts in 2025, up 5.6% from 245,367 in 2024 and ranking as the fifth highest annual total on record. …The year-over-year increase was driven by a second consecutive year of record rental housing starts, which made up just over half of all housing starts in Canada’s urban centres, CMHC said. …Among Canada’s three largest cities, CMHC said all posted year-over-year increases in December. Toronto recorded a 151% increase, driven by higher multi-unit starts. Montréal posted a 123% increase, driven by higher starts across all dwelling types. Vancouver reported a +17% increase, also driven by multi-unit starts.
VANCOUVER, BC – Canfor Pulp Products announced the expiration of the go-shop period provided for in the previously announced arrangement agreement dated December 3, 2025 between Canfor Pulp and Canfor Corporation, pursuant to which Canfor Corp will acquire all of Canfor Pulp’s issued and outstanding common shares not already owned by Canfor Corp and its affiliates. Under the terms of the Arrangement Agreement, each shareholder of Canfor Pulp will have the option to receive: 0.0425 of a common share of Canfor Corp per Canfor Pulp Share held, or $0.50 in cash per Canfor Pulp Share held. …During the Go-Shop Period, Canfor Pulp was permitted to actively solicit, evaluate and enter into negotiations with third parties that expressed an interest in acquiring Canfor Pulp. …The Go-Shop Period expired on January 19, 2026. Canfor Pulp did not receive any Acquisition Proposals.
In October, single-family building permits weakened, reflecting continued caution among builders amid affordability constraints and financing challenges. In contrast, multifamily permit activity remained steady and continued to perform relatively well. Together, these trends suggest that while demand for new housing persists, builders are adjusting residential construction activity in response to evolving market conditions. Because permits typically precede construction starts, these patterns offer insight into the near-term outlook for residential building activity. Over the first ten months of 2025, the number of single-family permits issued nationwide reached 787,122. On a year-over-year basis, this represents a 7.0 percent decline compared with the October 2024 year-to-date total of 846,446. Multifamily permitting activity was stronger, with 426,352 permits issued nationwide, marking a 5.7 percent increase from the same period last year.
The Canadian Board for Harmonized Construction Codes (CBHCC) has released the 2025 editions of the National Model Codes which bring forward new revisions but some provinces – such as BC – have already implemented new standards or have outstripped the current codes. “The 2025 National Model Codes aim to create a harmonized framework that addresses building safety, accessibility, energy efficiency and climate adaptation,” said Silvia Garcia, co-chair of the CBHCC. The 2025 National Model Codes include the National Building Code (NBC), National Energy Code, National Plumbing Code and National Fire Code. …BC‘s building code (BCBC) allowed 18-storey encapsulated mass timber construction (EMTC) in 2024 with Ontario joining in a year later. The 2020 NBC set the structures at 12 storeys and 42 metres in height while the new 2025 NBC code retains the 12 storeys (for residential or Group C structures and office occupancies or Group D) but raises the height to 50 metres.
On this episode of This is Oregon Podcast, we’re joined by Judith Sheine, Professor of Architecture and Director of Design of the TallWood Design Institute at the University of Oregon. She shares her work with helping mass timber become more accessible and discusses it potential to create affordable, sustainable housing. Sheine also discusses the challenges and opportunities in advancing mass timber development and what its future could look like for the Pacific Northwest and homeowners. This is part two of our conversation with Judith Sheine. Part one is titled: 
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. 
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.
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.
PRINCE GEORGE, BC — On the anniversary of the Babine Forest Products mill explosion, the United Steelworkers union is remembering the two workers killed and the more than 20 others injured in the 2012 tragedy, while welcoming long-overdue reforms to BC’s combustible dust safety regulations. Fourteen years ago, two workers went to work at the Babine sawmill near Burns Lake, BC, and did not return home after a powerful explosion caused by combustible wood dust. The disaster remains one of the deadliest industrial workplace tragedies in the province’s history. …At its November 2025 meeting, WorkSafeBC’s Board of Directors approved significant amendments to Part 6 of the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation to modernize how combustible dust hazards are regulated in BC. …The new requirements include mandatory combustion risk assessments, written combustible dust management programs, stronger controls on ignition sources and dust accumulation, and enhanced training and worker consultation. The amendments will come into force on Jan. 4, 2027.