Susan Yurkovich & John Desjardins

The BC Council of Forest Industries (COFI) kicked off their annual forestry conference—the first in-person version of the annual event since 2019— with a sold-out Ice Breaker in Vancouver. The two-day conference promises to be an outstanding event given the expected attendance of more than 750 delegates and high profile speakers such as Tracy Robinson, President and CEO of CN, BC Premier John Horgan and BC Minister of Forests Kristine Conroy. Susan Yurkovich, President and CEO of COFI opened the conference noting her delight to be in a (real) room connecting with so many provincial, municipal and First Nation leaders as well as the many firms and individuals that service and supply our mills. The event sponsor, John Desjardins, National Sector Leader, Forest Products at KPMG shared the stage, emphasizing the importance of the sector to KPMG—as auditors, tax advisors, forest certifiers and GHG reporters, and the importance of the conference as a place to create dialogue on the many issues facing the sector.