New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt says the Nackawic pulp mill is “very unlikely” to reopen, and Mercer is considering Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. In related news: Domtar’s Howe Sound mill restart is called good news; an MNP report says Vancouver Island forestry is still important; and Södra’s pulp results reflect market weakness. In other Business news: BC’s Conservatives pin their hopes on forestry; Ottawa is expected to announce further forestry support; and Ontario MPP Ric Bresee takes on a forestry role.
In Forestry news: a BC Timber sale gets pushback in Armstrong; Prince George, BC faces uncertain wildfire funding; and Greenpeace says Ikea falls short on wood sourcing. In other news: WorkSafeBC’s new combustible dust requirements are pending; US lawmakers propose tax incentives for mass timber; US WoodWorks reports 321 projects advanced to construction; Trump signs an order to reducing homeownership costs; and Francesca Stevens takes the helm at the European Confederation of Paper Industries;
Finally, how forestry students fleeing Hungary’s 1956 revolution put down roots in Canada.
Kelly McCloskey, Tree Frog News Editor
A provincial election in the heart of Canada’s lumber country is exposing the limits of using US President Donald Trump as a political foil, even in one of the places hardest hit by his tariffs. On Sep. 22, British Columbia Premier David Eby called an election two years early, after the collapse of US-Canada trade talks, seeking to win a stronger mandate by tapping into the defiant Canadian patriotism that’s erupted in the face of Trump’s threats. Eby’s speech that day invoked Trump’s name more than 20 times, hammering on his threat to the lumber industry, while not naming any rival Canadian politicians. [to access the full story a Bloomberg Politics subscription is required]
We’ve had final investment decisions on LNG Canada Phase 2, the Pacific Link pipeline formally designated a project of national interest, and a snap provincial election. These big announcements have overshadowed some smaller good news stories over the past few weeks. …Domtar, it appears, has managed to secure some kind of fibre supply with the provincial government. Details are sketchy, however, because neither Domtar nor the Ministry of Forests bothered to put out press releases on the development. …Another bit of good news in forestry is that Gillfor Manufacturing, a B.C. wood products manufacturing and distribution company, will salvage what is left of Teal Jones, which includes three mills in Surrey and Tree Farm License 46. “The plan is to restart that shake and shingle mill eventually. The other two sawmills will continue to be operated on a two-shift basis, provided there is ample log supply. 
U.S. lawmakers Andrea Salinas and 
On Oct. 22, Trump signed an executive order directing the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) to create a pilot program that would cancel mortgage premiums once borrowers “have satisfied their equity requirements based on the current market value” and to make permanent its title insurance waiver pilot program. 
Environmental organization Greenpeace International has accused Ikea Group of wood sourcing practices that are destroying forests in Europe despite the furniture retailer’s reported commitment to sustainable wood sourcing standards, according to an Oct. 13 press release. 
In the last five years, B.C. has experienced multiple wildfire seasons that displaced thousands, a heat dome that killed more than 600 people and flooding and landslides that closed major highways for days and damaged thousands of homes. It would be hard to tell based on the election promises of B.C.’s political parties. The NDP and the Conservatives have made few campaign commitments relating to B.C.’s increasingly common natural disasters. Promises regarding the climate change that’s linked to many disasters have also been scarce. In last week’s 
