Daily News for February 23, 2026

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Business & Politics

Eby says B.C. could fight lumber tariffs in U.S. courts

By Wolfgang Depner
Canadian Press in the Victoria Times Colonist
February 21, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

British Columbia Premier David Eby said a ruling by the United States Supreme Court that strikes down far-reaching global tariffs opens the door to challenge other tariffs that currently hurt his province’s softwood lumber industry. While Friday’s ruling does not lift long-standing American anti-dumping levies on B.C. softwood, Eby says it “opens up the possibility” of the province mounting a legal challenge in U.S. courts to the additional 10-per-cent tariff imposed last fall on national security grounds. …Eby added that the additional 10 per cent tariff “has been quite devastating” for the softwood lumber sector. …Eby said that while a future legal challenge falls “pretty squarely” within federal responsibility, B.C. might take a direct run at it. …About 40 per cent of Canadian lumber exports to the U.S. come from B.C., where the industry is dealing with low harvest levels and mill closures leading to hundreds of job losses.

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Forestry

B.C. forests minister says the province rethinking FireSmart funding model

By Mark Page
Parksville Qualicum Beach News
February 21, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

B.C. Forest Minister Ravi Parmar says the province is planning to rethink how it funds community FireSmart initiatives after topping up the program with a one-time $15 million boost in the latest budget. “There’s been a lot of success, but I need to ensure that that program is meeting the needs of communities,” Parmar said on Thursday, Feb. 20. …This fund began to run dry earlier this year, and the government imposed a closed intake starting on Jan. 30 to disburse the last $25 million. The deadline for communities to apply is April 30. …But they also sought more money. UBCM President Cori Ramsay wanted an additional $40 million. …Some communities, like West Kelowna, need this money — and more. West Kelowna has been forced to evacuate tens of thousands of residents and has lost hundreds of homes to fires in recent years.

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BLM proposes quadrupling allowed logging on millions of acres in western Oregon

By Justin Higginbottom
Oregon Public Broadcasting
February 20, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

The Bureau of Land Management has filed a notice of intent to revise the resource management plan for nearly 2.5 million acres of forests in Oregon, potentially quadrupling the amount of timber open to logging on O&C Lands (Oregon and California Railroad Lands). The agency is seeking to increase its sustained yield timber harvest to around 1 billion board feet annually, an amount matching levels prior to conservation restrictions in the 1990s. Last year, logging on those lands only yielded around 250 million board feet. …Travis Joseph, president of the timber-industry association American Forest Resource Council, celebrated the possibility of a new management plan. …He said the BLM currently allows for only 20% of annual timber growth to be logged, which defies the O&C Act of 1937’s mandate to harvest as much timber as grows annually. …But conservationists say increased logging and replanting of dense timber plantations will exacerbate wildfire risk in the region.

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