The provincial government and BC First Nations Forestry Council (BCFNFC) have entered into a new labour market partnership to bring aboriginal communities together with forestry employers. The B.C. government has provided more than $80,000 through the Sector Labour Market Partnership Program, to the BCFNFC to lead the First Nations Regional Forestry Opportunity Studies Engagement project….

Despite multiple legal setbacks before World Trade Organization and NAFTA tribunals, American softwood lumber producers are still calling for the imposition of limits and tariffs on Canadian imports, arguing that they represent unfair competition because they’re subsidized. If no new agreement is ratified by the deadline of Oct. 12, imports from Canada could be subject…

A landmark ruling in 2004 by the Supreme Court of Canada paved the way for the Haida Nation and other aboriginal groups to gain control over resources on their ancestral lands. For the Haida, that meant the richly timbered Haida Gwaii archipelago off the coast of British Columbia, formerly known as the Queen Charlotte Islands….

It’s been a whirlwind summer in the forests of Northern Ontario for a group of Indigenous youth, but they have a new and valuable skill set to show for it. Forty-six youth celebrated their graduation from the award-winning First Nations Natural Resources Youth Employment Program on Thursday afternoon with a ceremony at the Fort William First…

Forestry workers and environmentalists gathered in Port Alberni on Friday to call for a ban on log exports and for a transition to “sustainable” second-growth harvests. But an industry representative says a ban could destroy the coastal forest industry. Arnold Bercov, president of the Public and Private Workers of Canada, said raw-log exports have resulted…

Hopes of avoiding a new round of U.S. duties on imported softwood lumber are fading for companies like EACOM Timber Corporation which owns sawmills in Timmins and Gogama. “The American market is critical for us … the majority of our shipments are destined to the U.S.,” said Christine Leduc, EACOM’s director of public affairs. “If…

Lac Seul First Nation and Slate Falls First Nation have signed an agreement with Domtar, Weyerhaeuser, and seven independent loggers which supports resource extraction practices anticipated to benefit all parties. Lac Seul First Nation Chief Clifford Bull commented, “There are mechanisms in the agreement that benchmark opportunities and promote growth for all involved. Too often…

The Canadian Council of Forest Ministers (CCFM) met today in Dawson City, Yukon to renew its commitment to key challenges and opportunities for Canada’s forests and forest sector. During their meeting chaired by the Government of Yukon, the Council agreed to renew the Canadian Wildland Fire Strategy, and discussed the ways in which the forest…

Simmering tensions between B.C. and Quebec, and between large and small Canadian lumber producers, will frame formal Canada-U. S. negotiations to take place here next week. The internal conflict adds to the challenge facing the Trudeau government as it tries to put together a unified approach against an adversary that has often tried to exploit…