David Eby
BC Premier David Eby says the federal government cannot forget about the fate of British Columbia’s softwood lumber industry as the deadline for a trade deal between the United States and Canada is hours away. Aug. 1 is the deadline the United States has set for a trade deal with Canada, and Eby says he hopes his province’s softwood lumber industry remains on the “radar” of Prime Minister Mark Carney as Ottawa continues negotiations. told an unrelated news conference that the industry has been the “canary in the coal mine” signalling American protectionism, saying Canadian softwood exports have been subject to “unfair duties” for the “better part of almost two generations,” well before the current trade dispute triggered by U.S. President Donald Trump. But Eby says the dispute’s long-standing nature does not mean the industry “should be ignored,” and resolving it could actually help broker a larger deal.
Prime Minister Mark Carney confirmed earlier on Wednesday that trade negotiations have not been finalized just two days ahead of the deadline. “It is possible that [negotiations] may not conclude by the first of August,” Carney said at a news conference on Wednesday. Trump set an Aug. 1 deadline for Canada to reach a trade deal and has threatened to impose a 35 per cent tariff on goods that don’t comply with the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA). …”The president has been very clear … that there are certain sectors that are strategic, in their judgment, to the United States’ economy: aluminum steel, automobiles, pharmaceuticals, semiconductors and lumber,” Carney said. The prime minister previously hinted that the Canadian government is in no rush to finalize a deal by Friday, saying last week that his objective is “not to reach a deal whatever it costs.”
BURNABY, BC – The United Steelworkers union (USW) District 3 and the USW Wood Council are calling on the federal government to take urgent action in response to the latest escalation in the softwood lumber trade dispute. …“This latest increase, along with other threatened tariffs, is yet another blow to workers, communities and the long-term sustainability of our industry,” said Scott Lunny, USW Western Canada Director. “We represent thousands of loggers and mill workers… and their families, are at risk – governments need to act now.” …“It’s a constant attack on our industry and our workforce from the US administration. ….In addition to calling for a deal on softwood lumber to be a priority for Canada in trade talks with the US. …“These duties are unfair and will only drive up housing costs for U.S. consumers, while putting thousands of Canadian jobs at risk,” said Jeff Bromley, USW Wood Council Chair.
BC’s independent wood product makers say hundreds of small- and medium-sized manufacturers may be forced to shut down in light of the latest decision from the US to raise anti-dumping duties on Canadian softwood… [which] includes a requirement for Canadian companies to retroactively remit duties for products shipped to the US since Jan.1, 2023. Association chair Andy Rielly says that requirement could not only force small BC producers to shut down, but may also threaten operators’ personal assets as they may have to risk using their homes as collateral to secure bonds to pay. …Association executive director Brian Menzies describes independent wood product producers as “collateral damage” in the trade war.” …“We acquire logs and lumber at ‘arm’s length’ from various suppliers on the open market, just like claims made by members of the US Lumber Coalition, and yet our Canadian companies along with U.S. consumers must pay these unfair and costly duties.”
BURNABY, B.C. – The United Steelworkers union (USW) District 3 and the USW Wood Council are calling on the federal government to take urgent action in response to the latest escalation in the softwood lumber trade dispute. Following the U.S. Department of Commerce’s decision to increase anti-dumping duties on Canadian softwood lumber exports to 20.56%, the USW is demanding immediate support for forestry workers and communities across the country. …“Our prime minister says softwood lumber is a priority in trade talks, but what forest workers need now is action,” said Scott Lunny, USW Western Canada Director. …In addition the USW is calling for a comprehensive support package for forest workers, including wage subsidies, loan guarantees for affected businesses and other targeted resources to support provinces, regional and local communities to sustain critical infrastructure and services through this unprecedented uncertainty.
In British Columbia’s forestry sector, logging and trucking businesses are beginning to take a closer look at how they manage and report fuel use. While the Motor Fuel tax rules themselves haven’t changed, recent enforcement has prompted many operators to reassess long-standing practices — particularly when it comes to using coloured fuel in mixed on- and off-highway operations. For businesses that rely on marked fuel in remote areas or cross between forest roads and public highways, assessments are surfacing more frequently and creating uncertainty around compliance. If you’ve received a notice — or aren’t sure whether your operations could be affected — there are steps you can take to reduce the impact and protect your business. …Increased enforcement of the B.C. Motor Fuel Tax rules has created a layer of complexity that many forestry businesses weren’t prepared for. …the consequences of misunderstanding the rules, especially around fuel eligibility, have become more serious.
Campbell River Mayor Kermit Dahl sent an open letter to Premier David Eby, calling for immediate action to address issues within B.C.’s coastal forestry sector. Dahl warns continued inaction could result in further mill closures, job losses and the collapse of the coastal forestry industry. According to Dahl, coastal harvest volumes have dropped by over 40 per cent since 2019, with more than 5,400 direct forestry jobs lost since 2022. The 2025–26 budget projects a harvest of 32 million cubic metres … an estimated $275 million in lost revenue. The mayor says Premier Eby pledged to “protect jobs and the economy” when reshuffling his cabinet and says “those words ring hollow for thousands of coastal forestry workers watching their industry collapse—… from policy paralysis and regulatory misfires.” Dahl argues the crisis is not caused by … internal delay. “When harvest approvals that once took six months now take two years or more, that’s not a tariff issue—it’s a made-in-B.C. problem,” Dahl says.
VICTORIA — The Council of Forest Industries wrote a letter to the New Democrats earlier this month, outlining more than a dozen proposals to rescue a struggling industry. “B.C.’s forest industry is in crisis,” wrote COFI President Kim Haakstad in the July 14 letter to Forests Minister Ravi Parmar. “Fibre availability is at historic lows, permitting systems are gridlocked, and investment is retreating in the face of prolonged uncertainty. The risk is not gradual decline — but accelerated facility closures, job losses, and the permanent erosion of forest industry capacity.” Haakstad was responding to Premier David Eby’s announcement of a “major project” to restore the industry in a speech to this year’s COFI’s convention. …I asked the government last week for a response to the proposals set out in the COFI letter. I got back a general statement from Parmar, which pretty much brushed aside the notion of a crisis in the industry.
A new report warns the impacts on B.C. 
BC’s forestry sector would have been brought to its knees Friday by new American duties on Canadian softwood lumber, if it wasn’t already flat on its back from being hammered by years of provincial government policies. …But even before the new duties, B.C.’s forestry sector was in a crisis. Annual harvest volumes are down by tens of millions of cubic metres, lumber production and exports have shrunk dramatically, export revenues have fallen, thousands of jobs have been lost, and dozens of mills have been curtailed or shuttered. The industry has blamed various BC NDP policies, including new old-growth logging deferrals… and extraordinarily long permitting delays. …If New Democrats are serious about saving the industry from ruin, now would seem to be the time to shelve the never-ending reviews and actually do something. The government could spin a pivot to pro-forestry policies not as a retreat, but as a made-in-BC response to American trade aggression.
Mushkegowuk-James Bay MPP Guy Bourgouin is calling on the province to take immediate action to protect Ontario’s forestry sector in the wake of new U.S. tariffs on Canadian lumber. Bourgouin said the impact of the tariffs imposed by U.S. president Donald Trump could be devastating for northern communities that depend on the industry. “The anti-dumping tariffs imposed by Trump will devastate our lumber industry. Condemning Trump’s actions isn’t enough. We saw it with the auto sector, with steel, and now with lumber — the Premier’s ‘wait and see’ approach is leaving thousands of workers vulnerable to layoffs.” Bourgouin criticized the Ford government for failing to present a concrete strategy, calling their approach “an afterthought” for northern Ontario’s economy. …Ontario NDP party argues that using Ontario-produced wood could tackle multiple challenges at once, safeguarding forestry jobs, boosting local economies, and addressing the province’s housing shortage with “made-in-Ontario” solutions.
Members of the forest industry and the provincial government weighed in Monday on the Trump administration’s decision to raise tariffs on Canadian softwood lumber. Last week, the U.S. Commerce Department decided to raise anti-dumping duties on Canadian softwood to 20.56 per cent. A news release stated the province’s forest industry is “deeply troubled” by the decision to increase the duties by over 14 per cent. “Increasing anti-dumping duties to 20.56 per cent from the current average rate of 7.66 per cent is unjustified,” read the statement. “New Brunswick’s softwood lumber producers already face punitive and unfair anti-dumping and countervailing duties.” According to the statement, when combined with an anticipated rise in countervailing duties, the new increase to anti-dumping duties will mean an expected new total of 34 per cent by the middle of August.
A cornerstone industry of northwestern Ontario is at risk, says a regional municipal group, with the decision by the U.S. Department of Commerce to raise anti-dumping duties on Canadian softwood lumber to 20.56 per cent. “Forestry is the economic lifeblood of communities across northwestern Ontario,” said Rick Dumas, president of the Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association (NOMA), in a July 28 statement. “This unjustified and protectionist action will have a direct and harmful impact on workers, families, Indigenous communities, and local economies throughout our region.” The provincial government called the U.S. commerce department’s decision to increase duties on Canadian softwood lumber exports an “unjust burden” on American consumers that will raise construction costs in the U.S., make homes less affordable, and negatively impact economic growth on both sides of the border. “We remain firm in our position that these duties should be lifted entirely, for the benefit of workers and families on both sides of the border.”
Northern Pulp is abandoning its plans in Nova Scotia, but the province is still counting on the company to decommission its old mill and clean up the site in Pictou County that was used for heavy industrial activity for more than half a century. Environment Minister Tim Halman says his department is waiting for the company to file a reclamation plan. …Northern Pulp had been pursuing a new mill in Liverpool, and had said it would maintain the old mill for “potential logistics operations.” But the plan for a new mill was abandoned earlier this month. In a settlement agreement, Northern Pulp agreed to pay up to $15 million to the province for the mill’s closure and any necessary cleanup. …(However), it must first pay off hundreds of millions of dollars owed to its creditors as part of an insolvency process being handled in a BC court.
SKAMANIA COUNTY, Washington — Sawmills have been closing across the Pacific Northwest over the past 30 years. There is just one left in Skamania County, down from six during its logging heyday. Limited log supply from the region’s national forests has cut off their raw material, while cheap lumber from Canada has taken market share for their finished product. Owners of the remaining mills have high hopes that President Trump will deliver relief by increasing logging in national forests and raising trade protections against Canadian exports. Although the latter can be achieved with a stroke of the president’s pen, meaningfully boosting the federal timber harvest could take years and be impeded by litigation and red tape. …US sawyers have argued successfully in trade cases that their Canadian competitors are supplied with subsidized government logs, and that they offer two-by-fours over the border for less than they sell them at home. [to access the full story a WSJ subscription is required]
