Pulp and Paper Canada

LinkedIn photo. Toronto-headquartered Constellation Software’s MAJIQ business, which provides manufacturing execution and enterprise software for the pulp and paper industry, has promoted David Pawelke to president. He succeeds Steve Latham, who has retired. Pawelke’s experience spans pulp and paper manufacturing, industrial software and executive leadership.

Canada’s forest products sector is exploring advanced biofuels as a market for its forest residuals, particularly sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs). ARC Bio, a joint venture (JV) between Bioénergie AECN and Alder Renewables, has successfully demonstrated a method to produce SAFs from Canadian forest residues at its pilot facility in Port-Cartier, Que. The pilot project used Alder Renewables’ technology to convert biocrude into jet-range fuel.

Rayonier Advanced Materials (RYAM) has stopped production at its paperboard plant in Témiscaming, Que., as the company had announced in August. The closure of the pulp and paper mill, which the company said is due to U.S. tariffs making its business unsustainable, affects some 425 jobs. The mill dates back to 1919 and was the largest job provider in its town, with employees from both Québec and nearby Ontario.

Ongoing volatility in Canada-U.S. trade talks highlights the need for Canada to address internal challenges, says FPAC, as the country faces significant issues related to infrastructure and productivity that hinder growth, particularly in the forest sector. It can cost up to seven times as much to transport domestic forest products by rail in Canada compared to overseas shipping. The Forest Sector Transformation Taskforce Report outlined steps for the sector to enhance competitiveness and growth.

Port Hawkesbury Paper (PHP) is on track to bring the Goose Harbour Lake Wind Farm online by the end of 2026, according to its recently released annual sustainability report. Construction crews broke ground on the wind farm in 2025 and the first shipment of turbine towers reached the project site in February 2026, ahead of schedule. The first phase comprises 24 turbines, each with an 118-m hub height and an anti-icing system designed for cold climates, to provide generation capacity of 168 MW.

Photo courtesy Sappi North America. Sappi North America‘s vice-president (VP) of manufacturing, Kirk Ross, is set to become president and CEO on Jan. 1, 2027. He will succeed Mike Haws, who is retiring, after a handover period. The company operates four pulp and paper mills in North America, including one Canadian facility in Matane, Que., that has produced bleached chemi-thermo mechanical pulp (BCTMP) for more than 20 years for use in graphic papers, paperboard, linerboard and specialty papers.

Photo courtesy Pulp Moulded Products. The Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario) is providing nearly $26 million through the Regional Tariff Response Initiative (RTRI) to support 31 businesses and organizations, including Pulp Moulded Products, in the face of ongoing pressures and trade uncertainties. The overall investment is intended to help organizations purchase new technologies, increase their production capabilities and strengthen their economic resilience.

Photo courtesy Domtar. The British Columbia government is collaborating with Domtar to reopen the Howe Sound mill in Port Mellon by mid-October. The mill’s previously announced indefinite idling would have affected around 400 employees. The mill and the Bayview Fibre chipping facility were to be idled due to difficult market conditions. Unifor representatives expressed optimism about the new effort to keep the mill open.

William Strauss, president and founder of FutureMetrics. Photo: Andrew Snook. The Wood Pellet Association of Canada’s (WPAC‘s) annual conference, which took place from Sept. 21 to 23 in Victoria, included a panel discussion of black pellet projects and initiatives.

LinkedIn photo. Emmanuel Rapendy has joined BTG, a Voith company that provides process measurement and optimization technologies to the global pulp and paper industry, as chair and CEO, effective today. Rapendy has more than 20 years’ international leadership experience in the specialty chemicals and process industries. He joins BTG from Sulzer, where he served as global head of the polymer and crystallization business unit within the chemtech division.