Canadian Biomass • Summer 2024 • 2024 WPAC Show Guide

It gives me great pleasure to invite you to join us at the Wood Pellet Association of Canada’s 2024 Annual Conference in Victoria, British Columbia. This year, we will gather from Sept. 17-18 at the Delta Hotels Victoria Ocean Pointe Resort in Victoria’s picturesque inner harbour.

Across Canada and around the globe, there’s an electrification revolution. Powering the shift from fossil fuels to clean, renewable and responsible energy will require new innovations and solutions. Biomass and wood pellets have a critical role to play in the transition to a greener and brighter future.

Each year, our conference attracts a global audience of nearly 200 participants. We expect another year of record attendance from pellet producers, customers, First Nations and government officials, policy makers and regulators at every level, researchers, safety specialists, logistics personnel, and equipment manufacturers.

• Drivers, opportunities and challenges behind the green industrial revolution.

• The role of biomass in electrification with leading examples from the U.K., Asia, New Brunswick and remote and rural communities across Canada.

• Solving the climate crisis with today’s technology with Bob McDonald, CBC Radio’s host of the award-winning science program Quirks & Quarks.

• The latest safety initiatives in Canada; as well as sharing key learnings from safety incidents in Japan.

• The role of biomass in forest health and climate change, and new tools for traceability in the EUDR.

Don’t forget our pre-conference activities on Sept. 16. Join us for a game of golf at Bear Mountain Resort. Alternatively, we invite you to participate in our workshop, where we will hear from First Nations involved in Canada’s forest sector to understand how our industry can support their goals for their communities and develop climatefriendly solutions for future generations.

Don’t forget to sign up for the post-conference tour and learn about British Columbia’s coastal forest industry: its history and how it’s transforming to meet the needs of new markets and future generations. Highlights include the Indigenous-owned Malahat Skywalk, a tour of working forests and discussions around First Nations partnerships, new approaches to old growth forests, and carbon credit initiatives. The tour wraps up with a stroll among the towering 800-year-old trees in Cathedral Grove.

I’d like to acknowledge that none of this could happen without our sponsors and extend a huge thank you for your support. It’s not too late to become a conference sponsor. Please contact Rebecca Lewis at rlewis@ annexbusinessmedia.com.

All the best, Gordon Murray Executive Director Wood Pellet Association of Canada

Workshop: Indigenous Perspectives on the Role of Biomass in Building Better Partnerships, Stronger Communities & Tackling Climate Change

Moderator: Vaughan Bassett, Senior Vice- President, Biomass Sales and Logistics, Drax Group

Moderator: Vaughan Bassett, Senior Vice- President, Sales and Logistics, Drax Group

Moderator: Bill Laturnus, Senior Safety Advisor, British Columbia Forest Safety Council

John Swaan, the grandfather of wood pellets and FutureMetrics pellet expert, will serve his world-famous pellet-smoked ribs.

Take a scenic drive from Victoria to Parksville, ending in Nanaimo. Learn about BC’s coastal forest industry. Tour a working forest and learn about co-management with First Nations. Discuss old growth forest initiatives and the potential for carbon credits. Visit Cathedral Grove. *Agenda is subject to change