Daily News for September 15, 2026

Business & Politics

Some interesting motions brought forward at this year’s Union of B.C. Municipalities conference

By David Carrigg
Victoria Times Colonist
September 13, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada West

Indigenous land titles, data ­centres and human-bear conflicts are among the­ ­top-of-mind concerns for ­municipal politicians, as they gather for their annual fall ­convention and attempt to ­influence the provincial ­government’s agenda. The Union of B.C. Municipalities convention this year is being held in Vancouver from Sept. 14 to 18. … The City of Nanaimo is calling for a ban on exporting raw logs and lumber cants. A cant is a raw log with its bark removed. The motion identifies a lack of adequate and affordable wood fibre supply as a key factor in the continued curtailment or permanent closure of B.C. sawmills and pulp mills. Over the past five years, on average, about 3.2 million cubic metres of raw logs have been exported. The ban would be to “ensure that forests harvested in B.C. from Crown land and private managed forest lands are processed in B.C., encouraging value-added manufacturing in B.C. and supporting employment in B.C.’s forest industry,” the motion states.

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First barge carrying major Project NextGen components arrives at Irving Pulp & Paper

Tissue Online
September 14, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada East

Irving Pulp & Paper has reached a new milestone in Project NextGen, with the first barge carrying major components for the initiative successfully navigating Saint John’s Reversing Falls en route to the company’s westside mill. The shipment marks an important step in the US$1.5 billion project, which includes the construction of a new recovery boiler to replace the mill’s existing unit, installed in the 1970s. The new equipment is expected to increase production by approximately 66 per cent while expanding the mill’s green energy capacity. The barge’s passage through the Reversing Falls required the coordination of marine crews, equipment operators and teams responsible for planning and logistics. The operation was carried out as part of the delivery of the large-scale components required for the project. According to Irving Pulp & Paper, Project NextGen represents the largest investment in the Canadian forest products industry since 1993. 

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Wood, Paper & Green Building

Doors Open: Trinity College’s Lawson Centre for Sustainability Officially Opens to the Community

Trinity College, University of Toronto
September 14, 2026
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada East

At the Lawson Centre for Sustainability Welcome Celebration, Trinity College marked the official public opening of its state-of-the-art mass timber, zero carbon and targeting LEED platinum residence and academic building. …Creating a new model in which students both ‘live and learn’ sustainability, the Lawson Centre for Sustainability sets a new standard for sustainable design and architecture at the University of Toronto. …What makes the Lawson Centre for Sustainability truly unique is that it features all the major sustainability components in one facility, including hybrid mass timber, a geothermal exchange system, cistern for rainwater collection and reuse, and a rooftop farm. …The Lawson Centre for Sustainability has already received international awards for sustainable design: 2026 World Architecture News Awards–Silver in Future Projects, Education; 2025 Holcim Foundation Award for Sustainable Design North America Regional Winner; and named by ArchDaily as one of the world’s 20 most anticipated projects for 2026.

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Clemson University dedicates state-of-the-art Forestry and Environmental Conservation building

Ny Shaw Hipsher and Carly Copeland
Clemson University News
September 14, 2026
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: US East

Clemson University is proud to announce the dedication of its newest innovative campus facility, the Forestry and Environmental Conservation (FEC) building. Positioned at Clemson’s southern entrance at the intersection of Cherry Road and Perimeter Road, the four-story, 85,000-square-foot mass timber facility blends cutting-edge science with elegant, sustainable design. First envisioned back in 2018, the culmination of this building project marks a historic milestone for sustainable architecture in the Southeast. …The building utilizes cross-laminated timber (CLT) made from regional Southern Yellow Pine. The wood used in the facility’s 62,000 square feet of CLT components was donated by Norfolk Southern and harvested from their Brosnan Forest in the South Carolina Lowcountry. 

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Forestry

Fuel treatment projects begin on municipal land parcels in Rossland this week

Castanet
September 14, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

As part of the City of Rossland FireSmart program, contractors will complete FireSmart fuel treatment projects on municipal land parcels within the community beginning this week. The objective of the fuel management project is to reduce hazardous forest fuels and to decrease wildfire risk to the adjacent residents and the community, noted a release from the city. “The goal for the project is to reduce hazardous surface fuel accumulations close to homes and the community,” it stated. Expected activities include: Reduction of woody surface fuels from tree mortality and winter storm damage; Removal of dead standing trees; Retention of the healthy, large trees to maintain a cool and moist under storey; Retention and protection of all healthy, deciduous trees and shrubs (leaves have a high moisture content and are low flammability); Retention and protection of high value wildlife trees; and Debris disposal (chipping).

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Community forests expanding in McLeod Lake/Mackenzie, north Island

By Ministry of Forests
Government of British Columbia
September 14, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

Communities in McLeod Lake and Mackenzie, and on northern Vancouver Island, will have greater opportunities to manage local forests, support wildfire resilience and strengthen local forestry economies through expansions of two community forests. “Rural communities understand forestry, both as an economic driver and as a tool to reduce wildfire risk,” said Ravi Parmar, Minister of Forests. “Driven by powerful partnerships, these expansions will mean real benefits for their communities in the form of local logs for local manufacturing, jobs on the land base and healthier, more resilient forests.” These expansion decisions will result in a total of 20,000 cubic metres allocated to the McLeod Lake Mackenzie community forest, and more than 8,100 cubic metres to the North Island Community Forest. The expansions will provide more opportunities for local forest management, including wildfire risk reduction, while helping ensure a sustainable fibre supply for local facilities and users. 

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