OTTAWA — The Canadian Truck Dealers Association says it needs Ottawa to quickly fix a paperwork problem that will prevent dealers from importing new models from the United States next year, warning it will cause further economic pain if the issue isn’t solved. “If Canada faces a shortage of heavy trucks, the impact will extend far beyond our industry,” said Kevin Disher, the head of the association, at a press conference on Parliament Hill on Thursday. “This issue affects every major sector of the Canadian economy. Shipping, infrastructure, construction, forestry, mining, agricultural. If trucks become more difficult or more expensive to access, those costs move throughout the supply chain and ultimately impact Canadian businesses and households.” The truck dealers said manufacturers have been flagging the issue to the federal government for a year, with little progress. Disher said the problem arose after the United States changed how it certifies emissions standards for trucks built there.
There’s no need to make the explanation of the carbon pricing, carbon capture and bitumen pipeline deal announced Friday by the federal and Alberta governments too complicated. It’s actually pretty simple. After all, notwithstanding their political differences, Prime Minister Mark Carney and Premier Danielle Smith have more objectives in common right now than they don’t, so it couldn’t have been that hard for them to reach an agreement. …Of course they weren’t going to have all that much trouble finding ways to grant the Canadian oilpatch its wish. …Carney needs to keep his coalition together as well. Instead of MAGA separatists on the right who would really rather be part of the US… he needs to appease moderate green voters in BC and Quebec and somehow hold the country together. …If Carney is sneakily giving Eby a veto, British Columbia’s premier doesn’t seem too happy about it.
VANCOUVER, BC — Canfor Corporation announced today that its 77%-owned subsidiary, Vida AB, will permanently close its sawmill operations in Urshult and Orrefors, Sweden. “While this was a difficult decision, the closures are necessary given the ongoing imbalance between production capacity and access to fibre in southern Sweden,” said Karl-Johan Löwenadler, CEO of Vida AB. “By concentrating production in fewer more productive and efficient facilities, we will strengthen Vida’s competitiveness and better position the business for the future.” The closures will reduce Vida’s annual lumber production capacity by approximately 265,000 cubic metres. Following the closures, Vida will operate 13 sawmills across central and southern Sweden, along with its other facilities in packaging, specialty finishing, and logistics.
Canadian lumber mills are curtailing production, absorbing historic losses, and in some cases closing permanently – all while American competitors operate with a built-in margin advantage engineered by US tariff policy, according to wood market analyst Russ Taylor. …The practical effect is a marketplace that strongly favours US producers. Insulated from import costs, American mills are generating margins that Canadian suppliers cannot access. “The only region really making any money is the US because they’ve got what I call a huge subsidy that they’ve put on importers,” Taylor said. “So they’re gaining the margins that importers aren’t getting.” Those margins have also given US producers room to manoeuvre aggressively on pricing, further cornering their Canadian competitors. “The US mills… know that the Canadians don’t have margins – or they have break-even at best,” Taylor said. Despite the pressure, many Canadian mills have held on far longer than Taylor anticipated. 
Building Canada Strong with Canadian Forestry. If Canada is going to capitalize on this moment to build a stronger, more resilient economy, we need to ACT NOW, controlling what we can control and empowering the Canadian sectors that will allow us to shape our own economic destiny. …And as a globally-recognized leader in how we manage our forests, we have a lot to offer the world. But we’re currently weathering a perfect storm — a 45% wall of U.S. tariffs on top of duplicative regulatory inefficiencies here at home. While we have no control over the former, we can control the latter. And government can help. They’ve already identified the known friction points in their “Comprehensive Red Tape Review”. Now we need them to act. By fixing these Made-In Canada Barriers, they can empower sectors like forestry to fortify and diversify our country’s economy while maintaining the high environmental standards that help keep our forests as forests forever. You can EMAIL YOUR MP and call on them to ensure the findings of their Red Tape Review are actioned. 
Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC) welcomes the Government of Canada’s announcement today on addressing long‑standing, structural challenges across the country’s transportation supply chains. Reliable, efficient, and cost‑effective transportation networks are essential to the forest sector’s ability to support domestic manufacturing, reach global markets, and sustain jobs in hundreds of rural and Indigenous communities across Canada. “Canada’s transportation system continues to face three fundamental challenges—cost pressures driven by limited competition, infrastructure bottlenecks across key trade corridors, and ongoing labour instability,” said Derek Nighbor, FPAC President and CEO. “Addressing these issues together is essential to reducing costs for shippers, improving system reliability, and supporting long‑term economic growth and jobs across hundreds of forest-dependent communities.” Currently, the forest sector must absorb billions of dollars in freight costs annually, the vast majority of these accruing from rail transportation – representing more than 15% of the sector’s annual GDP contribution and up to 25% of a shipper’s delivered product costs.
The US Department of Commerce is 
CALGARY — Workers in sectors facing global tariff pressures will receive support to help them adapt, retrain and seize new opportunities as a result of a partnership agreement announced by
A $2-million grant from the Province to FPInnovations will lay the groundwork to help support the development of economic hubs intended to support and grow the forestry sector. The Make More in B.C. project will support B.C.’s wood products. …Economic hubs are at the heart of the Make More in B.C initiative, fostering regional collaboration, connecting local manufacturers with local contractors and First Nations partners, unlocking fibre and forging new opportunities. …Ravi Parmar, Minister of Forests said “The Make More in B.C. project is about building a stronger, more resilient forest sector that is never again dependent on a single trading partner like the US.” Nick Arkle, CEO of Gorman Group, recently found success with this innovative concept. …The groundwork Arkle has laid through his Merritt-based working group, sets the foundation for BC’s first official economic hub in the Merritt Timber Supply Area.
In 2008, the B.C. government agreed to provide the Musqueam First Nation with land and money to settle a dispute over the prospective sale of the University of B.C. golf course lands. …As part of a deal valued at $250 million, which involved several parcels of land, including the golf course, and cash, the Musqueam received nearly 14 hectares adjacent to their community south of Marine Drive along the north arm of the Fraser River. …The Musqueam have been in discussions with the province about adding more land, possibly from Pacific Spirit Regional Park, show communications disclosed through a freedom of information request. …Many First Nations in the Metro Vancouver-Fraser Valley-Squamish-Sunshine Coast region are using their existing and newly obtained land holdings for economic development, which can also provide economic benefits outside their communities. …The Squamish Nation has plans for 11 towers and 6,000 units on the portion of lands returned from those taken away from them at False Creek in 1913, 
On Friday, Energy and Resources Minister Chris Beaudry visited Dunkley Lumber’s Carrot River sawmill, a key facility in Saskatchewan’s forestry industry. Minister Beaudry held discussions with senior officials from the company. “Saskatchewan’s forestry industry is a cornerstone of economic activity in the north, generating thousands of jobs and contributing to strong, vibrant communities,” Energy and Resources Minister Chris Beaudry said. “The Government of Saskatchewan is committed to working with industry partners to strengthen the forestry industry and grow the responsible development of our natural resources.” Dunkley’s Carrot River facility is the largest sawmill in the province, with the company employing more than 400 people combined… In 2024, Dunkley completed a $220 million expansion to the Carrot River sawmill, which increased the facility’s capacity by 75 per cent. “Saskatchewan continues to distinguish itself as one of the most attractive jurisdictions in North America for lumber manufacturing,” Dunkley Lumber Fibre and Sustainability Vice President Dyon Armstrong said. 
Statistics Canada says B.C. lost more than 40,000 jobs over the first four months of the year, and more than 11,000 full-time positions last month alone. Premier David Eby says this comes as little surprise, and the explanation is obvious, with a major pillar of the province’s economy continuing to take a beating from a major trade war with the U.S. “Our softwood lumber sector is under huge pressure,” he said. “The tariffs we face are higher than those faced by Russia and Europe when they import wood to the United States. And as a result, Russia and Europe are exporting more wood to the United States than they ever have.” As well, exports from B.C. to the U.S. are down, which is affecting all provinces, Eby says.
Ottawa’s decision not to include softwood lumber among the industries that will benefit from $1 billion in tariff relief funding sparked frustration from BC Premier David Eby, who said softwood lumber in the province has been “decimated” by U.S. tariffs. “I don’t know what it’s going to take, really, to get the bureaucrats and the ministers in Ottawa to recognize that softwood lumber employs more people in Canada than steel and auto parts combined,” Eby said. …”I really feel like BC’s projects are not getting the attention they deserve.” …Eby said he does not know why the industry would have been overlooked, though he hopes a separate funding announcement just for softwood lumber is in the works. …Jeff Bromley, wood council chair with the United Steelworkers, said 150,000 workers across Canada make their living off forestry. “I wish they would have included a broader program that would have helped our forestry industry,” he said.
CROFTON, BC — Numerous companies and investors have expressed an interest in purchasing the Domtar pulp mill site in Crofton since the facility shut down operations earlier this year. Domtar said in a statement that it is exploring a variety of possibilities for the future of the waterfront site, and North Cowichan Mayor Rob Douglas said a number of interested parties have contacted the municipality directly looking to buy the site for a range of potential uses, including manufacturing, energy production, and other industrial purposes. …“Domtar has retained BMO Capital Markets to evaluate potential purchase proposals and expects to make a decision regarding the site’s future in the coming months.” Douglas said that as decisions about the site’s future use will ultimately rest with Domtar or a prospective new owner, and not the municipality, he is encouraging interested parties to contact Domtar directly.
The Province and seven Treaty 8 First Nations have taken a next step toward creating a thriving and community-centered local economy in northeastern British Columbia. Restoration agreements will restore and protect the environment, provide predictability and stability to existing industries, as well as establish new business opportunities in the region, while ensuring historic Treaty Rights are upheld. “The restoration agreements will build on the strong partnership that we have with the Treaty 8 First Nations, which is a First Nations led approach,” said Adrian Dix, Minister of Energy and Climate Solutions. “This work is guided by the belief that healing the land and healing the people are inseparable. …This partnership approach to land and resource management will help to uphold constitutionally protected Treaty Rights, while supporting a vibrant economy.”
MACKENZIE, BC — Conifex will temporarily curtail sawmill operations at its Mackenzie facility for about seven weeks starting May 19, 2026, with a target restart in July 2026. This planned sawmill curtailment is primarily driven by log inventory levels and fibre availability, in conjunction with seasonal logging breakup conditions impacting supply across the BC Interior. Logging operations are expected to resume in early June, subject to, among other things, weather conditions. The curtailment represents an approximately 25 million board feet supply impact. We continue to advance initiatives underway to broaden our available financing options. …Conifex restarted the Mackenzie sawmill in February after a four-week curtailment. The restart followed the completion of a $19 million secured term loan for its subsidiary Conifex Mackenzie Forest Products. 
ENGLEHART, Ontario — The Ontario government is investing $10 million in Georgia-Pacific North Woods to advance a major $191 million upgrade to its OSB plant. The project will support the increased production of Ontario-made wood products and protect more than 220 jobs and hundreds of indirect jobs in the region. …The province is making strategic investments to help forest sector businesses adapt, compete and grow to stay resilient in the face of US tariffs. …The government’s investment under the Forest Biomass Program will support Georgia-Pacific’s $191 million project, helping modernize and expand operations at its Englehart facility. The project includes upgrades to log processing operations, construction of new facilities, expansion of on-site storage and modern equipment. Once completed, these improvements will increase production by 14%, strengthening a key anchor facility in the northeast. Georgia-Pacific will also acquire a thermal energy system to use wood by-products for heat and power, supporting sustainable forest management by maximizing fibre value.
The clock began ticking April 7 on one of the most important Supreme Court of Canada cases in New Brunswick’s history. That’s the date the country’s top court told law firms involved in the Wolastoqey Nation’s landmark title claim it would determine if it would allow “leave for appeal.” …On one side are logging firms and other private property owners who say they’re caught in the middle of a three centuries-old fight that had nothing to do with them. The Indigenous nation wants the Supreme Court to overturn a Court of Appeal decision last December. That ruling found the nation would have no chance of success in its lawsuit proving that it has Aboriginal title over privately held lands. …By that measure, the Wolastoqey Nation could sue governments but would have no means to take back control of most of their old territory. …If the appeal goes ahead, the Supreme Court could hear the case as early as this fall.
European negotiators agreed late on Tuesday to implement the controversial trade agreement concluded last summer with the US. However, the deal — signed in the Scottish city of Turnberry — remains fragile as long as US President Donald Trump continues to use tariffs as a tool of political pressure. Diplomats and MEPs reached an agreement late on Tuesday to implement the contentious EU-US agreement, which eliminates duties on most US industrial goods imported into Europe. …The so-called “Turnberry Agreement,” criticised by MEPs as unbalanced, raises US tariffs on EU goods to as much as 15%. …In the final compromise text, the Commission would be able to suspend the trade agreement — at the request of either Parliament or a member state — if the US fails to lift tariffs on European steel and aluminium products by the end of 2026.
A group of Democratic senators will issue a set of demands to U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer ahead of a mandatory joint review of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement this summer. In a letter led by Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., 15 Democrats wrote to Greer to “insist that any revised agreement must deliver meaningful and measurable gains for American workers.” The USMCA, struck during President Donald Trump’s first term, is up for review on July 1. While initially touted by Trump as “the fairest, most balanced, and beneficial trade agreement we have ever signed into law,” the president has soured on the pact lately — slapping Mexico and Canada with tariffs during his second term. Greer has also, in testimony to Congress in December, said that “a rubber stamp of the Agreement is not in the national interest,” meaning that significant changes may be required to reapprove the agreement or disapprove and enter into a cycle of yearly reviews.
The May newsletter has these headlines and more:
The highly anticipated summit between US President Trump and his Chinese host Xi Jinping has begun – and Europe is watching from a distance. Yet, whatever the outcome is, there is little Brussels can be optimistic about. For Europe, the Trump-Xi summit is not just about US-China relations. It’s about whether the European Union ends up squeezed between two superpowers cutting tactical deals over trade, technology, energy and security – while European interests are treated as secondary (if at all). In fact, Europe might be watching the summit from a lose-lose position. The most immediate concern in Brussels and Berlin is probably nothing less than industrial survival – and it comes in the form of rare earths. …European officials fear a US-China arrangement could prioritize American access to Chinese rare earths while Europe remains vulnerable to shortages and export restrictions — effectively making it collateral damage.
PORTLAND, Oregon — Green Building Initiative (GBI) is announcing the planned departure of its CEO, Vicki Worden. Worden is leaving to take a new CEO role after serving as GBI’s chief executive since 2015. GBI is an international nonprofit organization and ANSI accredited standards developer that operates virtually with a 30-member staff. …Sumayyah Theron, Chair of GBI’s Board of Directors and CEO and Founder of Avant-garde Sustainable Solutions, said “Under Vicki’s leadership, GBI evolved from a US-focused organization into a truly global presence, now serving members in more than 20 countries. Her vision and dedication helped GBI’s green building standards reach more than one billion square feet of certified commercial and multifamily space worldwide.” …Worden’s departure is slated for late June 2026, and a consulting firm will be engaged to manage the search for Worden’s permanent replacement. …For the transition period, GBI’s Board has appointed The Honorable Stephen T. Ayers, FAIA, as GBI’s Interim CEO.
US President Donald Trump’s administration on Monday asked a US court to pause its ruling against the administration’s 10% global tariff while the federal government pursues an appeal. Last week, the US Court of International Trade ruled that the president’s 10% temporary global duties were unjustified under a 1970s trade law. But the court only blocked the levies for two private importers and the state of Washington. The court ruled that Trump’s imposition of the tariffs under Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974 was misguided. In February, Trump imposed the so-called global tariff of 10 per cent after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down some tariffs the U.S. president had implemented under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. CUSMA-compliant Canadian exports heading to the U.S. were exempt from the global tariff.
President Trump said federal agencies “must buy American”, doubling down on his push to prioritize the use of products manufactured, developed and produced in the US. …Government agencies are generally required to buy American-made products under the Buy American Act of 1933, which mandates that federal agencies acquire domestic end products for public use. However, there are several exceptions to the law including unreasonable cost, product unavailability and if domestic preference would be inconsistent with the public interest. Trump has long criticized government agencies for signing too many waivers. In a March executive order entitled “Ensuring Truthful Advertising of Products Claiming To Be Made in America,” Trump pushed forward efforts to crack down on false claims of American-made products.
The U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities (the Endowment) has partnered with the USDA Forest Service’s Forest Products Laboratory to highlight innovation, stewardship and economic opportunity in America’s forest products sector through a 
WASHINGTON, Georgia — A sawmill that once stood as the largest east of the Mississippi River in the 1990s has reopened, offering relief to Georgia’s timber industry as it struggles with mill closures, Hurricane Helene damage and recent wildfires. Wilkes Lumber has brought the old mill back online in Washington, a small mill town surrounded by endless pines along Highway 78. The facility is already operating in phase one with about 50 workers, with more hiring expected as phase two comes online in the next few weeks. The mill shut down because of the cost and capability of getting rid of chips, according to Mack Winfrey. …At a time when Georgia’s timber industry is fighting to hold on, Washington is getting back something it lost a quarter-century ago: jobs, a market and a little more hope.
FLORIDA — On the heels of Escambia County adopting an ordinance to establish an Economic Development Ad Valorem Tax Exemption (EDATE) for West Fraser, the sawmill company announced a $70.25 million expansion, creating 30 new jobs. The board voted to approve the ordinance, which will give the Canada-based lumber company a 70% ad valorem tax exemption for a period of five years. Shortly after the vote, FloridaWest Economic Development Alliance announced that West Fraser has invested $70,250,000 in capital expenditures to expand its existing sawmill operation in McDavid. …The project is expected to generate substantial economic activity across Escambia County, supporting local suppliers, contractors and service providers. …Over the next five years, the estimate of the taxable value lost to the county is $70,252,000 improvements to real property, and $3,400,000 to tangible personal property.
ARNEBURG, Germany — Valmet will deliver a new ash crystallization plant for Mercer Stendal mill in Arneburg, Germany. This investment is part of Mercer’s long-term vision to further reduce the mill’s emissions and improve its performance. Ash crystallization plant contributes to this target by helping to close the mill’s chemical circulation, reducing the need for make-up chemicals, and by helping to extend the recovery boiler maintenance intervals to 24 months and beyond. …Martin Zenker, mill manager, said “The new ash crystallization plant will help us to further improve both operational and environmental performance.” …Mercer Stendal mill in Arneburg, Germany was started up in 2004 and today has a capacity of 740,000 tonnes per year of bleached softwood kraft pulp. The biomass power plant at the site is one of the largest of its kind in Germany with an output of 148 megawatts.
AUSTRALIA — Timber NSW, the industry body representing the NSW hardwood industry, 