COFI 2025 Convention kicks off in Prince George

Day 1 of the BC Council of Forest Industries’ annual COFI Convention kicked off on April 3 at the Prince George Conference and Civic Centre in Prince George, B.C.

Themed, ““Where Do We Stand? Strategies for Competitiveness and Sustainability,” this year’s COFI Convention focuses on factors and innovations that can reshape the future of the forest sector in B.C.

Greg Stewart, president of the Sinclar Group Forest Products and Chair of the COFI Board of Directors, welcomed attendees to the convention and introduced Lheidli T’enneh First Nation Chief Dolleen Logan, who spoke to the crowd about the many challenges facing the forestry sector.

“Despite the growing challenges of the forestry sector, I’m encouraged to see so many familiar and new faces attending this week to learn about shared pathways,” Chief Logan told the crowd. “As a nation with deep roots in the forest sector, we’re constantly seeking new, innovative approaches to both the forest sector and the forest policy. It is no secret that the industry is facing its most challenging times in history, from increased costs at home to fluctuating and confusing policies directions.”

Chief Logan’s family has worked for many generations in the forestry sector, including her son, who due to a lack of employment certainty in the local forestry sector, needed to move to Saskatchewan to find work as a millwright.

“We have to find a way to keep our kids at home that love the forestry sector,” she told the crowd.

Chief Logan stated that B.C.’s forestry sector needs to be strategic in how it supports and creates profound change to the industry.

“There is a tremendous amount of work we can do right here to pivot our industry to fight for the workers that have built this province, our communities, and, like the Wood Innovation and Design Centre, continue to show how the wood construction can still lead the way.”

Chief Logan stressed the importance of partnerships and the forestry sector for the region. The Lheidli T’enneh First Nation has had a long mutual beneficial history of partnerships with forestry companies and biofuels companies, and those looking to innovate and think differently, Chief Logan stated.

“Shared prosperity means building the solutions in B.C. that allows our children and future generations to build a future on the same resources that build opportunities and futures,” she said.

Chief Logan also discussed the need for B.C.’s forestry sector to diversify away from its heavy dependence on the U.S. market.

“We have two ports. We can ship our wood to anywhere in the world,” she told the crowd.

City of Prince George Mayor Simon Yu also welcomed the crowd to Prince Geroge. Yu discussed the importance of the forestry sector to the region, and the need to create fibre certainty so companies operating in the region can invest further into keeping sawmills and other forest products plants running, and possibly, expand and open new mills.

“We need to be innovative and rethink wildfire management, harvesting, and most importantly, thinning,” he said.

Yu added that all the stakeholders in the room – industry, labour, government, First Nations – need to establish trust with each other, and focus on working with each other to find solutions to everyone’s challenges so the sector can grow a healthier value-added industry.

MLA of Prince George-Mackenzie Kiel Giddens also welcomed the crowd to the convention. Giddens stated that he wanted to see a forest sector that focused on sustainability and the environment but also had a strong focus on economic and socioeconomic sustainability.

“We need your help. We need your ideas, and I look forward to discussing these ideas with all of you over the next couple of days. Now, more than ever, we need resource champions who are willing to take on the partnerships and innovation needed for our prosperity and good family-supporting jobs right here in British Columbia,” he said.

Giddens stated that nearly 90 per cent of people living in British Columbia believe that the forestry sector is vital to the province’s economy, and that 78 per cent believe B.C.’s forest industry is among the world leaders in using sustainable and responsible forest practices.

“We have a really great base and success from the past, but it doesn’t mean that we can rest on our laurels,” he said. “Our success is the result of the hard work and the many contributions that everyone in the forest sector. We are at a crossroads today. Now is the time for all of us in the forest sector to work together to build on our past success and address the challenges we face today.”

New leadership
The final welcome address came from COFI’s new president and CEO Kim Haakstad, who began her speech by thanking former president and CEO Linda Coady for her hard work and dedication to B.C.’s forest sector.

“COFI is better off as an organization thanks to you,” Haakstad said to Coady, who was in the crowd. “You spent your time balancing economic and ecological values and championing strategies for wildfire resilience, forest health and efficient wood use. You’re a bridge builder. You brought together all the different forestry associations to have robust conversations about the challenges we’re facing and deepened our connections with groups like the BC First Nations Forestry Council. While working with the provincial government, you worked hard to get the commitment to a target harvest of 45 million cubic metres into the government’s election platform and Minister Parmar’s mandate letter. So, thank you for all of that.”

Haakstad comes to the association with 20 years of leadership experience serving as the Deputy Chief of Staff to the BC Premier, as well as working in North America’s agri-tech sector. She has also served on the board of B.C.’s DIGITAL Global Innovation Cluster.

“I’m excited by taking on and finding solutions to challenges, and I’m pleased to have joined COFI,” Haakstad told the crowd. “Times are tough, but that’s when we can make the most difference. For the last two months, I’ve been focused on learning and action, meeting with the members, and learning about their operations in the industry, and getting feedback on how COFI can better support their businesses.

Stay tuned for more coverage of the COFI 2025 Convention.