Category Archives: Business & Politics

The BC First Nations Forestry Council’s October newsletter highlights growing efforts to ensure First Nations leadership in BC’s forest sector transformation. CEO Lennard Joe raises concerns about the incoming provincial government’s intention to repeal the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA), emphasizing the importance of collaboration, rights and long-term investment certainty. In other news, the BC Assembly of First Nations endorsed six recommendations from the Canadian Forest Sector Transformation Task Force, while Lennard Joe and Policy Program Manager Tiffany Butler-Hernández travelled to Ottawa to advance First Nations forestry priorities, funding opportunities and market access. The newsletter also features an interview with Lennard Joe on Indigenous forestry leadership, new business and partnership opportunities involving GIS, fibre utilization and wildfire mitigation, and funding deadlines for rural economic development and forest resilience projects. Additional resources address wildfire salvage agreements, recovery funding and the future of BC’s forest industry.

MACKENZIE, BC — …Today, the Honourable Gregor Robertson, Minister of Housing and Infrastructure and Minister responsible for Pacific Economic Development Canada (PacifiCan), announced an $11 million investment through the Regional Tariff Response Initiative (RTRI) for Conifex Timber Inc. to modernize its operations. Conifex operates a facility in Mackenzie that produces wood products and bioenergy for Canadian and international markets and supports hundreds of jobs in northern B.C. This support consists of a repayable investment of $10 million and a non-repayable investment of $1 million that will help Conifex increase productivity, enhance product quality, and lower production costs by upgrading transfer systems, modernizing five kilns and installing automated production equipment. These improvements will strengthen Conifex’s competitiveness and position the company for long-term success in Canadian and international markets.

The Municipality of North Cowichan is working to connect forestry workers impacted by the Crofton pulp mill closure and ongoing sawmill curtailments in Chemainus and Cowichan Bay with new employment opportunities, including positions in manufacturing and mining. In a statement, North Cowichan Mayor Rob Douglas outlined several initiatives underway to support displaced workers, including industry information sessions recruitment opportunities and retraining programs. Through the municipality’s Mill Closure Response Working Group, North Cowichan is partnering with the BC Centre of Training Excellence in Mining to organize two introductory sessions later this month for workers interested in exploring careers in the mining industry. …Meanwhile, two companies operating in the Chemainus area are expected to create a combined 65 employment opportunities. The Shinohara Nexus Group is opening a production facility in early 2027, and have expressed interest in hiring forestry workers affected by the closure and curtailments …Ron Anderson & Sons is also expanding.

The BC Council of Forest Industries (COFI) congratulates Premier-designate Lorne Doerkson and the Conservative Party of BC on their election victory. We also thank all candidates who put their names forward for their commitment to public service and the future of our province. “Premier-designate Doerkson has spoken clearly about the importance of forestry communities, getting more wood moving, accelerating permitting and restoring investment,” said Kim Haakstad, President and CEO of COFI. “We strongly support this direction and look forward to working with the new government to turn these commitments into action.” …With the election behind us, the urgent work to stabilize B.C.’s forest sector must resume. We are ready to work with the incoming government, First Nations and local communities to get started immediately and deliver meaningful progress in the first 90 days. A strong, competitive forest sector is essential to B.C.’s economic future.

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Two prominent environmental advocacy groups have revealed concerns over the incoming Conservative Party of BC government and their mandate. The BC Conservatives ran their campaign on a platform that could see liquefied natural gas (LNG) and forestry production increased. They promised to double natural gas production by 2032 and triple it by 2035 and return numerous plots of deferred land back to the forestry industry. While the BC Conservatives intend to give land back to the forestry industry through this initiative, they also promised to protect “original” old-growth forests. The old-growth advocacy group Ancient Forest Alliance has stated that this definition is ambiguous and redundant under standard definitions since all old-growth forests in BC are inherently “original.” …Sierra Club BC believes that it is possible to strengthen the economy without sacrificing the environment. The organization says it wants to see sustainable development implemented that respects nature’s limits rather than capitalizes on it. 

The NDP’s Ravi Parmar, who held onto his Langford-Highlands seat in a provincial election dominated by the B.C. Conservatives, says he’ll miss the role of minister of forests, which he’s held since 2024. Parmar said he’s proud of his work in the ministry through two devastating wildfire seasons and the trade war with the United States, and worries about what a Conservative majority government will mean for forestry in the province. “I really hope that they think of communities, and they think of local jobs and workers, instead of multinational companies.” …“I’m obviously disappointed in the provincial results,” Parmar said. “British Colombians have given my party a new job, and that is to hold this new Conservative government accountable to all their promises and commitments.”

The Valemount Specialty Mill has entered into a temporary closure, which mill manager Andy Hubbell estimates will last approximately two months, but is dependent on weather conditions. Hubbell says the ground is currently too soft to get trucks in to cut timber needed for the mill to continue operations. The last of the timber was cut on October 8th. Hubbell told The Goat the mill needs freezing conditions before it can access more timber in difficult-to-reach areas. He hopes freeze-up will allow access to hemlock in December, although the timing remains dependent on the weather. The closure puts sawing on hold while the mill waits for its next supply of logs. Although timber is available to harvest, the areas that supply hemlock cannot be accessed until the ground freezes. The mill is dependent on hemlock which they ran out of in the middle of September. 

Susan Mowbray

There is an uncertain outlook on Vancouver Island for forestry and aquaculture, but emerging opportunities in defence and an ocean economy… Susan Mowbray, partner in MNP’s Vancouver consulting practice, presented the 2026 State of the Island Economic Report at the Vancouver Island Economic Alliance on Oct. 21, giving the current state of the economy and the short-term outlook. “Forestry remains an important part of the Island economy, it’s a lot smaller than it was but it is still really important, particularly in the mid-north Island, but employment has been falling,” Mowbray said. Curtailments and closures, she explained, stem from a mix of fibre constraints, a slow-down in the U.S. housing market and higher U.S. tariffs. “There are signs, if you look at the data, that we did see a little bit of harvest volume increase in 2026 versus 2025, but that is because we’ve had better weather and labour disputes resolved, not because we’re seeing an increased lumber demand.”

Interim BC Conservative leader Lorne Doerkson is partly hanging his hopes on the province’s beleaguered forestry sector to carry his election platform’s economic growth forecasts, recalling that the sector had been a “ginormous contributor” to the province’s economy in the past. …when asked how he would achieve the growth predictions that his party says will bring in $2.6 billion in new revenue over three years, Doerkson said, “that infrastructure is there, it’s in place and we can absolutely get back to business in that sector almost immediately.” …[An] NDP background document said Doerkson could not change U.S. softwood tariffs, now close to 35 per cent, low prices or the exhaustion of the most profitable timber stands. B.C. Council of Forest Industries’ Kim Haakstad cautioned that expecting the sector to resume the role it had in B.C. in the 1960s or earlier was not realistic. But she said increasing the annual allowable cut backup to 45 million cubic metres … could generate about $600 million in additional revenue. 

The NDP platform promises to continue to support the forest industry by providing more cash for mills to upgrade their operations, spending $120 million to protect jobs at mills that are at risk of closing and focus on making sure mills get the fibre needed to keep operating. The party’s promises to protect B.C.’s forests are less robust. …The BC Conservatives are promising to do many of the same things the NDP has done but better, bigger and faster. Conservative forestry policies would double government revenue from stumpage fees by 2028-29. The 2026 provincial budget estimated total forestry-related revenues will increase 3.3 per cent per year through 2029. …The party promises to “resolve” the issue of old-growth deferrals by “protecting original old growth” and making the rest eligible for logging. …The Green platform proposes shifting B.C. forestry from a fibre-supply model to one that prioritizes ecosystem health, wildfire resilience, cultural values and healthy communities.

…In the weeks before Premier David Eby called a snap election, forestry stakeholders including the United Steelworkers, the BC Council of Forest Industries, the Truck Loggers Association and the BC First Nations Forestry Council told the provincial government the industry was at a breaking point. A month later, ahead of the provincial election on Saturday, B.C’s Conservative, Green and New Democratic parties have put forward their plans for the industry’s future. The United Steelworkers union … has welcomed the NDP’s plan as a positive step toward protecting jobs. Meanwhile Gary Bull, professor emeritus of forestry at the University of British Columbia, said that while both parties have made some steps toward sustaining the industry, neither the Conservatives nor the NDP offered a dramatic shift in the province’s approach to forest management. …Scott Lunny, United Steelworkers Western Canada director, said he welcomed the NDP plan, but it doesn’t go far enough to protect jobs. …Bull said both parties’ platforms were still missing details about how to finance better forest management.

More than 80 forestry workers gathered in the Port Alberni paper mill parking lot last Friday to raise awareness of forestry issues, and discuss the future of their industry. With Domtar dependent on a dwindling market of fall-down chips from sawmills, Unifor local 592 first vice-president Ted Haggard says workers are pressuring governments to act. “I’m not gonna lie, our future doesn’t look like sunshine rainbows right now, but we can change that with proper forest management,” he said. Haggard says the development of the First Nations led Alberni Valley Forestry Coalition has helped pressure governments to improve forest rules and regulations and lower logging costs.

…But urgent action is needed to stop the deepening crisis in BC’s forest sector. Since 2022, more than 15,000 forestry jobs have been lost, and over 20 mills have closed or curtailed. The damage doesn’t stop at the mill gate. Every closure puts contractors, suppliers, secondary manufacturers, local small businesses and communities at risk. …As British Columbians prepare to vote for the next provincial government, COFI has outlined key policy priorities. The comparison sets out COFI’s recommended actions alongside the commitments put forward by the BC NDP and Conservative Party of BC. …This election is an opportunity to put forestry back at the centre of BC’s economic priorities. We encourage forestry workers, businesses and communities to engage with local candidates, share what is at stake, and ask how their parties will support a competitive and sustainable forest sector. View the full 2026 Provincial Forestry Platform Comparison on these issues: Stabilize BC Forestry; Secure an affordable and predictable wood supply; Protect and Invest in BC Jobs and Mills; Build Homes with BC Wood; Stand Up for BC Forestry in Ottawa and Washington, DC; and Other Forestry-related Commitments.

British Columbia’s forest sector is at a turning point. Communities are feeling the effects of sawmill and pulp mill closures, catastrophic wildfires, changing markets, and general uncertainty about the future. British Columbians are also asking how forests can support healthy ecosystems, sustainable local economies, reconciliation, public safety, recreation, and other community priorities. We believe community forestry offers a tested and proven way forward and should be on the minds of British Columbians and on the platforms of those running for office in the provincial election. We are asking political parties, candidates, and the next government to make two clear commitments. These practical actions would strengthen local economies, support First Nations leadership and partnerships, reduce wildfire risk, and help build a more resilient forest sector: Expand the Community Forest Program and protect the policies and operating conditions that make community forests viable; and Provide stable, long-term funding for proactive wildfire management, planning, and risk reduction in and around community forests.

Leader of the BC Conservative Party Lorne Doerkson made a campaign stop at a shake and shingle mill in Maple Ridge on Monday, Oct. 19, to announce new supports for forestry jobs in the province if his party is elected to office. Doerkson shook hands with workers at Waldun Forest Products in east Maple Ridge, in the riding of BC Conservative incumbent candidate Lawrence Mok, where he said he will give the sector more predictable access to fibre, speed up the permit process, and eliminate unnecessary permitting costs in the sector. …He set a goal of 45 million cubic metres, minimum, for the annual cut. …He also pledged his government would review and eliminate unnecessary permitting costs and encourage Indigenous participation in the forestry industry by investing in skills training and ensuring First Nations will benefit from any federal funding to support the industry. He also vowed to create competitive tax conditions.

Kim Haakstad

We are spending a lot of time talking about major projects these days. …But somewhere along the way, we seem to have decided that they are the only answer to our economic ­challenges. There’s a catch with that approach: For most major ­projects, the biggest boost ­happens during construction. …We can build major ­projects while strengthening the ­industries that already provide jobs, investment and economic activity in communities across British Columbia. Forestry is one of those industries. Forestry literally and figuratively built British Columbia. …Unlike a construction project, forestry’s economic contribution doesn’t end when the assembly is complete. Forestry supports jobs on Vancouver Island, in the North, the Central Interior, the ­Southern Interior and throughout the Lower Mainland… It offers established networks, skilled workers and global customers ready to generate revenue right now. Yet instead of leveraging this advantage, we seem to have accepted managing the ­industry’s decline. …British Columbia needs major projects. We should pursue them with ambition. And we must bring that same ambition and urgency to forestry.

EDMONTON, AB — After nearly seven years at the helm of the Alberta Forest Products Association (AFPA), President and CEO Jason Krips will step down from his role at the end of the calendar year to join the executive team at the University of Alberta.mKrips will remain with AFPA through the end of 2026 and support the organization as the Board Executive undertakes the recruitment process for AFPA’s next President and CEO. During his tenure, Krips led the association through a period of significant change for both AFPA and Alberta’s forest sector — from the COVID-19 pandemic and organizational restructuring to a record-breaking wildfire season and, most recently, significant trade challenges with the United States. Throughout it all, Krips has been a steadfast champion for Alberta’s forest sector and the communities that depend on it. 

The B.C. NDP government has committed to hand over approximately 400 parcels of public Crown land to First Nations, while promising just days before the snap election that it would change the law to limit compensation to forest companies affected by the losses. The revelation is contained inside briefing documents labelled “confidential” but obtained by Northern Beat. The briefing is dated Sept. 10… Anyone who wanted to see the material was forced by government to sign a non-disclosure agreement to remain quiet during the election period. “One mechanism used to advance reconciliation is through the return of Crown lands to First Nations under treaties and other negotiated agreements,” reads the document, titled “Forest Compensation Framework.” …The proposed solution is to change the compensation rules to make it cheaper for government to remove the logging rights from forest companies on land earmarked for First Nations by, in some cases, not compensating the companies at all.

Additional coverage by Rob Shaw in Chek News: Eby defends plan to limit payouts for forestry companies on Indigenous land transfers