Region Archives: Canada East

Business & Politics

Kruger, Province Ink Deal To Prop Up Paper Mill, Forestry Sector

VOCM News Now
March 15, 2024
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada East

NEWFOUNDLAND and LABRADOR — The provincial government has agreed to buy hydro power “when needed” from Corner Brook Pulp and Paper to help the struggling mill through more tough times. In exchange, Montreal-based parent company Kruger “will work to identify new revenue sources from wood-based bioproducts” to diversify the operation and keep it afloat amid a dying global newsprint market. In addition, the company has agreed to sell saw logs to Newfoundland’s three large sawmills, in line with its operating plans, which government says is “essential for the stability of the forest sector.” The six-month agreement was announced in separate news releases from the company and government on Friday afternoon, with the province insisting any power purchased from Corner Brook Pulp and Paper, generated by its Deer Lake facility, won’t affect ratepayers. …Corner Brook Pulp and Paper employs more than 300 workers, with annual sales in the range of $130 million.

Gov’t of Newfoundland: Province Announces Agreement with Corner Brook Pulp & Paper

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Nova Scotia grants Northern Pulp mill one-year extension for environmental assessment

The Canadian Press in CTV News Atlantic
March 15, 2024
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada East

An idled Nova Scotia pulp mill has been given another year to complete an environmental assessment for its project to build a new effluent treatment facility. The provincial Environment Department says it granted Northern Pulp the extension last week after the company had requested one. In March 2022 Environment Minister Tim Halman released the terms of reference for the Abercrombie, N.S., mill’s assessment report. The two-year deadline for that report was originally set for this week.The mill closed operations in January 2020 after the former Liberal government of Premier Stephen McNeil rejected plans for a new effluent treatment facility. That government passed legislation in 2015 requiring effluent to stop flowing into a tidal estuary near the Pictou Landing First Nation by 2020. [END]

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Who is looking after Fort Frances?

Letter by Fred Laverdure
The Fort Frances Times
March 13, 2024
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada East

On March 28, 2022, Greg Rickford, Minister of Northern Development, Mines, Natural Resources and Forestry, announced the Ontario government’s first Forest Biomass Action Plan. According to the announcement, the plan was a way to promote economic opportunities, drive economic growth and help secure, for future generations, a strong forestry sector in the north. At the time of the announcement, Fort Frances had a biomass facility, originally funded with lots of your hard earned tax dollars. Perfect for the Town to take advantage of this program. From my perspective, Council took no initiative to take advantage of this program. By late 2022 the biomass was demolished and it was recently revealed that Thunder Bay received funding for a new biomass facility. I feel this was just another failure by this and the last council to do anything to make sure Fort Frances continues to benefit from the forest around it.

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Laid-off Terrace Bay mill workers appeal for support

By Gary Ring
Superior North News
March 6, 2024
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada East

QUEEN’S PARK — A delegation representing laid-off workers at the Terrace Bay pulp mill travelled to Queen’s Park on Tuesday “looking for some hope” that the mill will be restarted in the near future. India-based Aditya Birla Group announced the indefinite shutdown of the mill in early January, and laid off close to 400 people. The Steelworkers union, representing about 270 workers, says it’s had no luck getting any information from the company about its plans. Michelle Richardson, the recording secretary for local 665, made an emotional appeal at a news conference held jointly with the NDP. “We are here to ask for the government’s support to fight for us, to fight for our community and the people who work in the pulp mill. We can’t afford to wait. The last time we were down – and this is the fourth time we’ve been through this – we were out of work for 18 months.”

Video coverage in CBC: Sparring over shuttered Terrace Bay pulp mill leads to heated exchange

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Kruger to increase facial tissue production Richelieu Plant in Gatineau, Québec

By Kruger Products
Cision Newswire
March 5, 2024
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada East

GATINEAU, Quebec – Kruger Products announced a major increase in its production of Scotties® facial tissues at its Richelieu Plant in Gatineau, Québec. The announcement was made in the presence of Christopher Skeete, Québec Minister for the Economy. …Through this expansion project, which received investments totalling $14.5 million and created 16 jobs, Kruger Products commissioned a new facial tissue converting line at its Richelieu Plant in November 2023. The additional equipment will increase the production of facial tissue by 25%. Another component of the project will be rolled out at the Laurier Plant, also in Gatineau, where new equipment will collect tissue production residues… [which] will be repulped for the manufacture of value-added projects. This component is expected to be completed in June 2025. Investissement Québec provided support for the project in the form of a $7.27-million loan granted under the ESSOR program.

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Irving Pulp & Paper invests $110M in Saint John, New Brunswick woodyard

JD Irving
March 1, 2024
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada East

NEW BRUNSWICK — The woodyard at Irving Pulp & Paper in west Saint John, New Brunswick is reaching new heights in technological advancement with a $110-million project to update how the site receives and stores woodchips. Currently underway, the upgrade includes the installation of a new automated stacker reclaimer that is the tallest of its kind in the world. This technology “stacks” woodchips into one large pile, while the reclaimer function removes the woodchips from the pile to be used in the kraft pulp making process. This automated machinery will improve safety at the site while enhancing quality and reliability. The woodyard project, which is anticipated to reach completion in 2025, will employ an additional 150 skilled workers from 26 local contractor companies. …The mill now directly employs over 380 full-time employees and over 85 local contractors.

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Multi-million dollar blaze destroys JM Lumber and Pallet plant

By Scott Miller
CTV News
February 29, 2024
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada East

HARRISON, Ontario — There’s not much left of a wood pallet manufacturer near Harriston, Ontario. About 60 firefighters from across Wellington County converged on the sawmill and wood pallet maker, JM Lumber and Pallet, around 4:30 a.m. Thursday. …High winds and cold temperatures hampered firefighters efforts to contain the blaze that is believed to have started near a wood furnace on the property. By sunlight, the main building housing the business, which was Mennonite owned and operated, had been levelled. Fire officials estimate that the fire caused approximately $2 million in damage. No one was hurt during the blaze, which isn’t considered suspicious.

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Court judgment gives Canada, Ontario 60 days to pay out $10B treaty settlement

By James Hopkin
Timmins Today
February 28, 2024
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada East

The $10-billion settlement awarded to Robinson Huron Treaty annuitants for past compensation is slated to be distributed to 21 First Nations included in the treaty in the coming weeks. A partial judgment by Ontario Superior Court Justice Geoffrey Morawetz was granted Feb. 26. That means both Canada and Ontario have a period of 60 days to pay out $5-billion each in accordance with the settlement agreement. …The Robinson Huron Litigation Fund said “It is the largest First Nations’ settlement in the history of the country. It resolves an aspect of a grievance that has been outstanding for 150 years and it sets the stage for renewal of the relationship going forward.” The settlement provides past compensation to Robinson Huron Treaty beneficiaries after not seeing an increase to annual treaty payments for a period of nearly 150 years, as wealth generated in the territory through resource revenues from the mining, forestry and fishing sectors continued to grow.

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Forests Ontario Recognizes Important Contributors to Forestry and the Environment

Forests Ontario/Forest Recovery Canada
February 28, 2024
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada East

Jess Kaknevicius & Rob Keen

BARRIE, Ontario — At Forests Ontario’s Annual Conference at the Universal Eventspace in Vaughan, Ontario, Forests Ontario recognized important contributors to forestry and the environment with an awards ceremony:

  • The Forests Ontario Award | Rob Keen: presented to individuals for outstanding achievements in, and contributions to, the field of forestry education in Canada and beyond.
  • The Forest Stewardship Award | Ken Elliott: presented to individuals for outstanding activities in private land forest management and strong support for forestry promotion, education, and understanding.
  • The Forest Stewardship Award | Martin Litchfield: Martin is a retired RPF from Guelph with senior management experience in both the forest industry and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry. 
  • The Green Legacy Award | Enbridge Gas: presented to a corporate partner that is instrumental in ensuring a green legacy for future generations.
  • The Most Valuable Planter Award | Brent Attwell: recognizes outstanding contributions to the health of our natural ecosystems through tree planting.

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Finance & Economics

GreenFirst Reports Financial Results for Fiscal 2023

GreenFirst Forest Products Inc.
March 14, 2024
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: Canada, Canada East

TORONTO, ON — GreenFirst Forest Products Inc. announced results for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023. Fourth quarter 2023 net loss from continuing operations was $21.6 million or $0.12 per share, compared to net earnings of $2.7 million or earnings of $0.01 per share in the third quarter of 2023. For fiscal 2023, net loss from continuing operations was $48.8 million or $0.27 per share, compared to a net loss of $4.1 million or $0.02 per share in 2022 on the same basis. “Despite ongoing pricing pressures in the fourth quarter, we are starting to see some positive momentum in lumber markets at the beginning of 2024,” said Paul Rivett, GreenFirst’s Executive Chair. “This coupled with an enhanced operational focus with Joel Fournier as CEO are factors that bode well for GreenFirst’s resiliency in the current environment. On the paper side we expect productivity gains and a better cost profile with Terry Skiffington’s tenacious focus on operations, along with his many years of experience in this area.”

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Stella-Jones reports Q4, 2023 net income of $56M

Stella-Jones Inc.
February 29, 2024
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: Canada, Canada East

MONTREAL, Quebec – Stella-Jones announced financial results for its fourth quarter and year ended December 31, 2023. “We concluded 2023 with a marked improvement in profitability and the successful execution of investments to support the continued growth momentum in our infrastructure product categories,” said Eric Vachon, President and CEO. Q4 …Sales for the fourth quarter of 2023 amounted to $688 million, up 3% from sales of $665 million for the same period in 2022. Gross profit was $137 million in the fourth quarter of 2023 2022, representing a margin of 19.9% and 16.8%, respectively.  Similarly, operating income totalled $89 million in 2023 versus operating income of $61 million in the corresponding period of 2022, while EBITDA increased to $120 million, or a margin of 17.4%, compared to $87 million, or a margin of 13.1% reported in the fourth quarter of 2022.

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Wood, Paper & Green Building

Timber construction and Indigenous practices a natural fit, say panellists

By Don Procter
Daily Commercial News
March 15, 2024
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada, Canada East

The connection between timber construction and First Nations communities goes back ages, long before today’s mass timber movement in major cities such as Toronto. That movement should grow, however, in Indigenous communities as relationships are forged between mass timber proponents and First Nations partners. Patrick Chouinard, of mass timber manufacturer Element5, said he hopes more Indigenous fabrication centres for mass timber can be established by Element5 in First Nations communities. He said Element5 could produce “truckloads of billets” and ship them to Indigenous areas to set up in First Nations-owned facilities for fabrication tailored to local projects. “They own their own projects, hire local labour.” Chouinard was a conference speaker on a panel session on Indigenous collaboration. “Mass timber generally is ideally suited for First Nations communities because you can use it for so many kinds of buildings,” he said, pointing out firehalls to housing as examples.

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A facility in Kirkland Lake proposes to transform wood waste into natural gas

By Aya Dufour
CBC News
March 13, 2024
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada, Canada East

High-temperature pyrolysis is a technical term that can scare some people away – but over the years, CHAR Technologies CEO Andrew White has developed a succinct way to explain it. “We heat up wood in the absence of oxygen. We heat it up to 900 degrees celsius, with no oxygen so the wood can’t burn, but it cracks apart into a gas and a carbon,” he said. The gas is then upgraded to renewable natural gas and pumped directly into the pipeline. The carbon can be converted into biochar, an environmentally friendly substitute to the coal-based fuels used in steel making or nickel smelting. This is the process that underpins a new proposed biomass conversion facility in Kirkland Lake in northeastern Ontario. Some elements of this technology are very old, and others, like controlling the environment more tightly, are relatively new, according to White.

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$215M mass timber plant in Nova Scotia a ‘groundbreaking’ Indigenous collaboration

By Don Procter
Daily Commercial News
March 13, 2024
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada, Canada East

A $215 million mass timber manufacturing plant being developed in Nova Scotia could reap economic benefits that ripple through its community, region, province and Atlantic Canada. It will be “one of the most modern plants of its kind,” producing 50,000 cubic metres of commodity mass timber and large-scale glulam products for up to 3,100 residential units annually, said Patrick Crabbe, director of mass timber with Bird Construction and leader of the MTC Mass Timber Company. “The anticipation is it will be capitalized by May/June this year.” Crabbe, who spoke at a conference recently themed Indigenous Collaboration, said he sees the venture as “a circular economic opportunity that is a diamond in the rough.” Through integration with the First Nation sawmill industry in the region, the plant could help the small Pictou Landing First Nation community of about 650 residents maintain its large swath of evergreen forest.

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Ontario company unveils world’s first paper bottle machine

By Joe McGinty
Village Report
March 11, 2024
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada, Canada East

CAMBRIDGE, Ontario – For the last 10 years, KinsBrae Packaging has been trying to figure out how to disrupt the world and create a better and more efficient system for its customers. Now with its first-of-a-kind paper bottle machine, the company is hoping to change how consumers and companies look at bottles and enjoy some of their favourite drinks. …The bottles start as 100 per cent recycled cardboard printed and cut into templates that can have any graphic printed 360 degrees around the bottle. The bottle can only be used for non-carbonated liquids such as wine, juice and iced coffee. …Since paper bottles weigh five times less than glass, KinsBrae can maximize how much product they can fit on a truck. There is also no breakage with paper, so they can eliminate the inserts that prevent glass bottles from hitting each other and shattering during transport.

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Ontario Structural Wood Association and the wood industry meet at the recent Light-Frame Wood Solutions Conference

By Mike Phillips, Ontario Structural Wood Association
Ontario Construction News
March 8, 2024
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada, Canada East

Close to 300 wood industry experts gathered together on Feb. 13 to discuss solutions to Ontario’s housing crisis. The Light-Frame Wood Solutions Conference explored how modular, prefabricated and offsite manufactured construction methods can be used for all types of construction, but could be of particular value in the delivery of much needed housing. The conference was a joint production of WoodWorks Ontario and Ontario Structural Wood Association (OSWA). WoodWorks is the technical outreach office of the Canadian Wood Council (CWC). …OSWA members were joined at the conference by a broad mix of engineers, architects, building and other government officials and developers. The conference kicked off in the morning with a speech from the Hon. Graydon Smith, Minister of Natural Resources & Forestry, MPP for Parry Sound-Muskoka.

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Mass timber fire performance a game-changer for future tall buildings

By Grant Cameron
Journal of Commerce
February 28, 2024
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada, Canada East

Mass timber construction continues to gain momentum across Canada largely because it is eco-friendly and extensive research has validated the fire safety of the material for taller buildings. That’s the opinion of Shawn Keyes, executive director of WoodWorks BC, and Marc Alam, senior manager, codes and standards – fire and acoustics, at the Canadian Wood Council (CWC). …Statistics show the number of mass timber projects across Canada has steadily risen. So far, 689 have been completed, 76 are under construction and 67 are in the planning stages. Of the 832 mass timber projects, B.C. leads the way with 355 followed by Quebec at 221 and Ontario at 151. …The use of mass timber received a boost recently with the release of findings from large-scale mass timber demonstration fire tests… showed that even in rare worst-case fire scenarios where sprinklers have failed and fire fighters are unable to reach a blaze, mass timber buildings perform similarly to noncombustible construction.

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Forestry

Concern, confusion among members as $10B treaty settlement looms

By Jenny Lamonthe
The Bay Today
March 14, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada East

NORTHERN ONTARIO — In just a few weeks, $10 billion will land in northern Ontario, but how it will be disbursed among the thousands of Robinson Huron Treaty members is causing confusion, concern, and even anger among some members of the 21 signatory First Nation communities. As the settlement amount from the Robinson Huron Treaty annuities claim is divided among each First Nation, members are being asked to vote on how much will be given to each individual person, and how much will be kept by the band. …The only time the annuity was increased was in 1874, when the government augmented it to $4 per person. It remains $4 per person today, despite the billions in dollars of resource wealth extracted from signatory territories over the past more than 100 years.

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Scientists track invasive species discovered in Haldimand woodlot

By Brian Thompson
The Stratford Beacon Herald
March 13, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada East

ONTARIO — A pilot community-science project that utilizes a 3D-printed trap is helping scientists track the invasive hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA) discovered in a Haldimand County woodlot. The tiny insect’s presence can be determined by the wool it creates to protect itself and its eggs. …“In Canada the bug was discovered in southern Nova Scotia in 2017 causing significant mortality to old-growth hemlock forests,” said Laura Thomas of NRC Science Communications. “A large infestation was found in the Niagara region in 2019 and since then there have been one or two new detections every year in Ontario.” …HWA spread through bird migration at the crawler stage when they stick to birds’ legs and feathers. …The 3D-printed traps are being deployed in woodlots containing hemlock trees … in higher-risk areas. …people who own or manage property with hemlock trees in Southwestern Ontario can join the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid Monitoring Network at invasivespeciescentre.ca.

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Quebec questions its long-term timber harvest targets

FEA – Forest Economic Advisors
March 13, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada East

Quebec had planned to nearly double its timber harvest by 2080, but the targets are now being called into question due to wildfires, climate disruption, and the province’s commitments to protect territory, Radio-Canada’s ICI Quebec reported. …Now, that plan is being called into question by Quebec’s Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry. Among the factors being considered, the MNRF points to the threat of forest fires and the province’s commitments to protected areas. Quebec wants to reach a goal of 30% protected areas on its territory by 2030. Furthermore, a recent MNRF study shows Quebec plantations are not meeting expected yields, Radio-Canada’s ICI Quebec reported. Due to recent forest fires, Quebec has already reduced its allowable cut for the 2023–28 period on the recommendation of the Office of the Chief Forester. Some 1.3 million hectares of forests burned in 2023, including 920,000 hectares subject to calculations of the allowable cut in public forests.

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Bruce Trail Conservancy preserves 463 acres on the Saugeen (Bruce) Peninsula

By Bruce Trail Conservancy
Cision Newswire
March 14, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada East

DUNDAS, ON – The Bruce Trail Conservancy (BTC) is thrilled to announce the creation of the MapleCross Nature Reserve at Hope Bay, forever preserving 463 acres on the majestic Saugeen (Bruce) Peninsula. The creation of this nature reserve protects an ecological corridor containing dense interior forest, a declining habitat in Ontario. This environment is critical for area-sensitive bird species, such as American Redstart, Black-and-white Warbler and Ovenbird, as well as mammals like the elusive Fisher and Black bear. This area also boasts cliff and talus features, which are uncommon in Ontario and provide sheltered habitats for many rare bats and snakes. The MapleCross Nature Reserve at Hope Bay will preserve these precious ecosystems, ensuring a natural haven where wildlife can thrive.

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Study shows lightly regulated logging threatens forests and wildlife

By Patrick Quinn
Canadian Press
March 12, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada East

As a new study declares major changes are needed to protect biodiversity and wildlife in Quebec’s boreal forests, the Cree and other First Nations are increasingly resistant to forestry activities in the region. In the scientific journal Land, researchers analyzed data over 40 years to show the cumulative impacts of commercial logging. Intact old-growth forests most crucial to caribou and other species were found to be dwindling to “a vast scatter of patches” across “a highly anthropically disturbed forest.” While the industry promotes its sustainable practices, plantation efforts focus on “commercially desirable” trees that maximize wood production. …At a “Future of the Forest” roundtable with the Ministère des Ressources naturelles et des Forêts (MRNF) on February 15, Kebaowek Chief Lance Haymond alleged that MRNF consultations are “superficial” with decisions made unilaterally.

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Canada and Ontario commit to significant collaboration on shared nature conservation goals

By Environment and Climate Change Canada
Cision Newswire
March 11, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada East

TINY, ON — Canada and Ontario are working together to protect and conserve biodiversity, habitat, and species at risk in Ontario by expanding and establishing new protected areas. Protecting and conserving species at risk, and their habitat, requires collaboration. The Governments of Canada and Ontario are working together to protect environmentally sensitive land throughout the province. The Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Canada and the Ontario Ministry of Environment announced an investment of nearly $10 million over three years to support the expansion of protected areas in the province. The agreement will see the addition of new—or expansion of existing—protected areas, including provincial parks and conservation reserves across Ontario. Canada’s investment is made through the Enhanced Nature Legacy program and contributes to Canada’s goal of protecting 30 percent of land and water in Canada by 2030. 

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Fleming College Expands Forestry Programs

Kawartha 411 News
March 11, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada East

KAWARTHA LAKES, ONTARIO -Two new and unique Forestry programs at Fleming College are preparing students for careers in a growing industry. Fleming’s new Forestry Equipment Operator certificate is the only one of its kind offered in Ontario. This 15-week course provides students with introductory training in heavy forestry equipment operation, forestry principles and proper safety techniques. The course also focuses on preventive maintenance, minor repairs, forest fire preparedness, forestry operations and harvest systems. Applied learning is a big part of Fleming’s Forestry Techniques program. This two-semester course teaches the skills to conduct field work and forest management operations in the Great Lakes/St. Lawrence and Boreal Forest regions. Students graduate ready to move directly into the workforce. Fleming has also reworked its Forestry Technician-Adaptive Practices program that includes a paid co-op, providing students with networking opportunities as they meet and work alongside professionals within the forestry industry.

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A five-year battle comes to an end in Ontario

By Fatima Syed
The Narwhal
March 9, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada East

In 2019, I broke the news that the Doug Ford government would weaken the role of the conservation authorities that have protected Ontario watersheds for nearly 80 years. …This tension played out for five years. In that time, conservation authorities tried to work with the government to address its concerns while still protecting watersheds, but Ontario kept reducing their powers. …As you’ll read in my latest story, Ontario’s minister of natural resources will soon be able to overrule conservation authority permit denials, or the conditions they put in place to protect the environment. Developers can ask the minister to review denials and permits, and challenge the studies used to justify those. It will be easier to build docks and other small structures, even in places prone to floods, and the distance between development and sensitive shorelines and wetlands has been reduced. These changes take effect April 1, but they aren’t a joke. 

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‘It’s scary’: Crew leader demands changes to wildland fire program

By Alex Flood
The Soo Today
March 10, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada East

The ministry’s Aviation, Forest Fire and Emergency Services program has begun hiring crews in Ontario for this year’s upcoming fight against forest fires – nearly one month before the season technically begins. …But as recruitment and retention issues remain atop the biggest concerns for OPSEU – the union which represents fire rangers – veteran workers within the program don’t feel they’re prepared to adequately defend communities from inevitable blazes. …Former employees of the program joined Noah Freedman, a ninth-year forest fire crew leader, along with OPSEU president JP Hornick at Queen’s Park last week to share their disappointment with the “Ford government’s disregard for forest firefighters’ health and safety.” Their frustrations include inadequate health and safety training, lack of compensation for work-related illnesses and diseases, and “ineffective” protection methods like using bandanas and dry cloths to cover their mouths while in action. 

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Quebec plans to set aside Mount Kaaikop territory as wildlife reserve

By Stephane Blais
Canadian Press in CTV News Montreal
March 6, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada East

Quebec plans to turn the Mount Kaaikop territory into a reserve after a group of residents spent a decade in relentless pursuit of protecting the territory at the junction of the Laurentians and Lanaudière regions. The government’s announcement on Wednesday is the culmination of years of struggle to protect Mount Kaaikop for Claude Samson, president of the Mount Kaaikop Conservation Coalition. “We’re entering our 12th year of activism to preserve this territory,” Samson told The Canadian Press. In 2014, his citizens’ group won its case in Superior Court when a judge ordered the Ministry of Natural Resources to suspend its logging authorization. Since that ruling, the coalition says it has invested over $85,000, mostly in studies, to document the ecological value of the area, with a view to eventually turning it into a conservation project.

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Quebec forest fire agency issues first warning of the season — its earliest ever

By Olivia O’Malley
CTV News
March 8, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada East

QUEBEC — With the snow melting and the ground beginning to dry, Quebec’s forest fire protection agency is already on watch, issuing its first warnings on Thursday. The province experienced the worst forest fire season in 2023, and authorities fear another major wildfire season. The SOPFEU (Societe de protection des forets contre le feu) danger warnings were the earliest the agency has issued them in its history. “It’s very, very, early,” said Isabelle Gariepy. While spring is not peak wildfire season, SOPFEU said it can often be more dangerous than summer. …This year, SOPFEU is anticipating another busy season. “We know that we have an early spring, so usually when we have already spring, the amount of fire is bigger,” said Gariepy. Meteorologists say above-normal temperatures over the winter are expected to continue through the spring.

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Union says region still short on forest firefighters

By Randy Thoms
Kenora Online
March 7, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada East

The official start of the forest fire season in northwestern Ontario is less than a month away, but the union representing forest firefighters says the region does not have the personnel it needs. According to the Ontario Public Services Employees Union, the Ministry of Natural Resources’ Fort Frances fire district has six of ten fire crews in place. There are six of ten in the Kenora fire district, seven of 15 ready in the Red Lake fire district, and four of 18 set in the Geraldton fire district. Noah Freedman, a crew leader and a local vice president, attributes it to the ongoing health concerns being raised about the job. “People are definitely interested in the job. The problem is who wants to soak in carcinogenic emissions without being recognized that those carcinogens can give you cancer,” says Freedman.

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Borealization of New Brunswick’s forest revisited

By Lawrence Wuest, Ecologist
Coop Media New Brunswick
March 6, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada East

In 2018, a forestry industry/academia dustup occurred after a CBC interview with University of New Brunswick forestry professor Tom Beckley. Beckley referred to “borealization” of New Brunswick’s forests caused by industrial forestry practices, some private woodlot management practices, and government policy. …In light of the recent announcement of a new provincial forest management strategy by Mike Holland, Minister of Natural Resources, this history of debate about “borealization” is particularly poignant. …Given that climate change indicates a growing affinity of New Brunswick forests to the mixed-wood Acadian forest type, and given that it has been documented that hardwood forests provide a more proficient foundation for turning the forest resource into employment via expanded wood processing, it behooves the New Brunswick government to reverse the trend toward borealization, to embrace a more ecologically driven forest strategy and to become more transparent in its annual “State of the Forest” reporting.

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Corner Brook paper mill asking to cut timber near city water supply

By Arlette Lazarenko
CBC News
March 6, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada East

Corner Brook Pulp and Paper has asked for permission to cut wood near the city’s water supply, prompting the mayor to assure the public that such requests undergo a stringent approval process. Corner Brook Mayor Jim Parsons says requests to perform work near the watershed go through the city’s watershed management committee. …There are different zones that make up the 11,000-hectare lake. Some zones are strictly forbidden to access, and some are more accessible but governed by safety protocols. Those guidelines are available to the public online, the mayor says. The watershed management committee — which is composed of representatives from council, environment, energy and mining industries, residents of Corner Brook and nearby towns that use the water supply, and the province — is reviewing the request to ensure it follows protocol.

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Ontario bracing for climate change to ‘express itself’ in ‘new and unique’ ways

By Isaac Callan and Colin D’Mello
Global News
March 6, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada East

An unusually warm start to the year and less snowfall than normal have Ontario preparing for a potentially difficult summer as climate change shows itself in “new and unique” ways across the province. At the end of February, the Ontario government warned people to put away bird feeders and protect outdoor food waste as black bears began coming out of hibernation early. …The warm weather that marked much of the start of 2024 is set to continue, according to Global News’ Chief Meteorologist Anthony Farnell. …The warm weather comes after a difficult 2023 firefighting season, marked by smoke that drifted thousands of kilometres across North America, reaching cities in the United States. Wildland forest firefighters, who have struggled for years with recruitment and retention issues, are in the midst of a campaign calling for concessions from the Ontario government.

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Bourgouin and northern MPPs urge province to help forest firefighters

By Denis Puska
My Timmins Now
February 29, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada East

Guy Bourgouin

A group of northern Ontario New Democrat MPPs want the province to address urgent safety issues for forest firefighters prior to the start of the 2024 fire season. Mushkegowuk James Bay MPP Guy Bourgouin says they want the forest rangers to be included in Bill 149 and have the same protection and classification as other firefighters. “We know that they are young people because it’s hard work, and they are getting paid $25 an hour to jump off helicopters to go into the swamps, to go into the hard terrain and firefight,” he said. “And they are exposed to smoke that could later on give them cancer.” Bourgouin says they’ll be pressing the Ministry of Labour for clarification on the issue. “So we pushed questions today, and the Ministry of Labour answered yes they will,” But they said yes. Yes to what,” he said. “They didn’t go into detail. We’re going to follow up probably tomorrow and asked to clarify this on what it means by yes.”

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Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy

Brian Mulroney ‘got’ the issue of climate change, long before others did

By Donald Wright political science professor, University of New Brunswick
The Ottawa Citizen
March 18, 2024
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: Canada, Canada East

Brian Mulroney

Brian Mulroney, whose state funeral is Saturday, is rightly remembered for his leadership on acid rain, yet he also took climate change seriously. Put simply, he got it when most world leaders didn’t, and some still don’t, or at least one doesn’t. Indeed, Mulroney was one of only two heads of state to attend the first World Conference on the Changing Atmosphere. Held in Toronto in June 1988, the conference brought together more than 300 scientists and policymakers from over 40 countries. That the conference — later dubbed the “Woodstock of climatology” — was hosted by Canada was Mulroney’s doing. It reflected his environmentalism and confirmed his belief in Canada as a middle power and helpful fixer on the global stage. Welcoming delegates to the World Conference on the Changing Atmosphere, Mulroney didn’t mince his words. It “is not just about the atmosphere, it is not just about the environment, it is about the future of the planet itself.”

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CHAR Tech and Lake Nipigon Forest Management Inc. Sign Partnership Agreement

By CHAR Technologies Ltd.
Globe Newswire
March 13, 2024
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: Canada, Canada East

THUNDER BAY, Ontario — CHAR Technologies, a leader in sustainable energy solutions, is proud to announce the formalization of a partnership agreement with the First Nations co-operative Lake Nipigon Forest Management Inc., marking a significant milestone for both parties as they advance forestry sustainability programs in Northern Ontario. The partnership, Lake Nipigon Forest Sustainable Energy Solutions, builds upon the foundation laid by the Memorandum of Understanding signed in April 2023. LNFMI is a forest management co-operative comprised of four local First Nation Communities who hold the Sustainable Forest License on the Lake Nipigon Forest… The Partnership will continue advancing development of the jointly-owned facility modeled after CHAR Tech’s flagship facility in Thorold, Ontario. The project is projected to annually produce 500,000 gigajoules of Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) and 10,000 tonnes of biocarbon and begin operations by 2026.

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Government of Canada invests $15 Million in Clean Fuels Projects in the Niagara Region and Across Canada

By Natural Resources Canada
Cision Newswire
March 8, 2024
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: Canada, Canada East

THOROLD, ON — The Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, announced a federal investment of $15 million to support six clean fuels projects across Canada, including $10 million for two projects in the Niagara region. The investments include: Over $5 million to CHAR Technologies to support FEED studies that will enable CHAR to replicate their first-of-its-kind woody-biomass-to-renewable-energy facility in Thorold, Ontario in other parts of Canada. Supported by an existing investment of $5 million from NRCan, CHAR is finalizing its construction of its clean fuels production facility in Thorold, which will convert woody biomass to renewable energy like RNG and biocarbon. The new NRCan funding will enable CHAR Technologies to replicate this work at four new facilities in Kirkland Lake, Ontario; Drayton Valley, Alberta; and Saint Félicien and La Salle, Quebec and create a distributed network of low-carbon fuels production facilities across three provinces in Canada.

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Cellulose nanocrystals developed at McGill stand to create opportunities in Quebec’s forestry sector

The McGill Reporter
March 5, 2024
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: Canada, Canada East

TEMISCAMING, Quebec — Researchers at a McGill University chemistry lab led by Professor Mark Andrews may not have imagined that their work on cellulose nanocrystals would end up creating economic opportunity in the northwestern Quebec region of Abitibi-Témiscamingue. Their quest to get cellulose nanocrystals to yield vibrant iridescent colours led to the founding in 2016 of Anomera. Today, the company’s range of cellulose nanocrystal products, which are created from wood pulp and wood waste, have an array of environmentally friendly applications, ranging from replacing microplastics in cosmetics to reducing the carbon footprint of products like concrete. Two years ago, Anomera opened a $30 million manufacturing facility in Témiscaming. At present, it provides jobs for nine people in the region, with another 15 employees at the company’s offices and laboratories in downtown Montreal. More importantly, Anomera provides an innovative and sustainable path to diversify Quebec’s forestry products sector.

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$500K helping Timmins forestry company reduce reliance on natural gas

By Maija Hoggett
Timmins Today
March 2, 2024
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: Canada, Canada East

TIMMINS, Ontario — A local business feeling the pinch of the carbon tax will be able to reduce its reliance on natural gas with seed money from the province. Forestry Service is getting $500,600 to create a compost heat recovery system, which will allow the second-generation forestry company in Timmins to heat one of its buildings and sell some of the compost. The funding is one of 12 projects in the northeast getting a cut of $6.1 million through the third phase of the Ontario forest biomass program. …The projects announced this week, said Minister Graydon Smith, are a “diverse range of research, innovation, and modernization initiatives that will help develop the potential of Ontario’s forest biomass resources.” …The project will reduce the operation’s reliance on natural gas, extend its season in the greenhouse, and potentially allow them to sell the compost generated locally. 

Additional coverage in My Kaphearst Now: Forestry biomass projects get $60-million over three years from provincial government fund

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Ontario Makes Historic Investment to Expand Forest Sector Innovation

By Natural Resources and Forestry
The Government of Ontario
March 1, 2024
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: Canada, Canada East

TIMMINS – The Government of Ontario is making an historic investment of $60 million in the Forest Biomass Program. Over the next three years, the program will make targeted investments in forest sector initiatives to develop the economic potential and environmental benefits of underutilized wood and mill by-products, known as forest biomass. “This new Forest Biomass Program funding will grow businesses, strengthen communities and put workers to work,” said Graydon Smith, Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry. “We are investing in the technology, the people and the expertise that drive our forest sector into the future – and together, we are achieving our government’s plan for forest sector prosperity.” The announcement of additional funding follows the Forest Biomass Program’s third phase of investment, which committed more than $6.1 million to 12 research, innovation and modernization initiatives.

Additional coverage from the Ontario Forest Industries Association: Ontario Forest Industries Association Applauds Government’s $60 Million Investment in Forest Biomass Program

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Forest History & Archives

The Simcoe County Forest — A Century of Growth and Renewal

Orillia Matters
February 28, 2024
Category: Forest History & Archives
Region: Canada, Canada East

The Orillia Museum of Art and History Speaker Series hosted Graeme Davis, registered professional forester, County of Simcoe, to speak about The Simcoe County Forest — A Century of Growth and Renewal. He shared what has been done over the last century to restore a landscape once devastated by logging and forest clearing practices to the vibrantly reforested Simcoe County Forest we have today, now Ontario’s largest community forest. Way back, this land was covered in stands of massive, stately white pine. Those who came to log the white pine forests claimed there was enough pine to last at least 700 years. There were over 200 sawmills in the county and railways to ship the pine during the heyday of logging. By the late 1800s [the] white pine forests were gone. The pine had been felled, cut and shipped on boats to England to be used as masts for British Navy ships.

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