Unlocking a World of Possibilities


WHAT’S IT ABOUT?

The Wood Pellet Association of Canada Conference and AGM is Canada’s largest gathering of the Canadian wood pellet industry.

Each year, the event attracts hundreds of wood pellet, biomass and bioenergy professionals from across the country, as well the U.S., Europe and Asia, to discuss the issues that are having an impact on the industry here in Canada.

The WPAC Conference and AGM is your opportunity to learn about the most important issues from industry experts around the globe.

 

 


WHY ATTEND?

This year’s theme is The Power of Pellets: Unlocking a World of Possibilities. The time has come for our sector to harness our collective energy and take center stage in the bioeconomy conversation. Today our sector has earned national and global respect for the important role of wood pellets in tackling climate change while providing responsible, renewable clean energy both domestically and nationally.

Topics covered include:

  • new ideas and emerging themes arising from the growing bioeconomy;
  • the role of the pellet sector in supporting forest health and ecosystems;
  • innovative approaches to addressing domestic energy needs with examples from the Arctic and Maritime regions;
  • tackling the carbon controversy – from carbon pricing to the carbon debt to climate change; and
  • shifting from safety research to action, an in-depth look at the learnings from implementation and what’s next for our sector.

WHO SHOULD ATTEND?

  • Anyone involved, or interested in, the Canadian wood pellet industry, including current biomass industry executives, educators, researchers, government officials, logistics personnel and equipment manufacturers.

We hope you’ll join us in September!

Attend WPAC AGM & Conference
Get ready to discover new technologies and solutions

Register to Attend


Should provincial guidelines not allow for social gatherings at the time of the event,
your registration can be transferred to our next event date or refunded.

Schedule


Monday Sept. 19

WPAC Opening Reception

Join us between 6:30 and 8:30pm for a few drinks and snacks as we welcome everyone back to a live, in-person event!

WPAC Golf Tournament – details and registration coming soon!
9:00am - 3:30pm

Workshop: ENplus® Training for Quality Managers 

ENplus® is the world-leading certification program for wood pellet quality with over 1200 certified companies and is essential for organizations who wish to market their product to the European pellet heating markets.  The Wood Pellet Association of Canada is the national licenser for ENplus®.

WPAC is organizing a training course for Quality Managers on September 19, 2022, the day before WPAC’s annual conference.  The workshop will be led by Dr. Fahimeh Yazdan Panah of the Wood Pellet Association of Canada and Julie Griffiths with Shaw Renewables.

The training is intended for quality managers employed by ENplus® certified companies and will also be of interest to companies who are interested in becoming certified so they can export to the European heating markets.

All ENplus® Quality Managers are required to take an annual training program.  This will be the only live Canadian ENplus® training workshop in 2022 and will cover issues related to requirements for the entities participating in the entire supply chain, from the receipt of raw material, through the production of ENplus® pellets to the delivery to the end-user.

Registration Fee:  $150 CAD - covers room rental, coffee, lunch, and transportation to and from UBC.
9:00am - 9:30am

Registration and coffee
9:30am - 10:45am

Basics of wood pellet quality management, competing quality certification programs.
10:45am - 10:55am

Coffee break
10:55am - 11:30am

Role of quality managers, conformity assessments
11:30am - 12:00pm

Experience as a certified producer
12:00pm - 12:30pm

Lunch
12:30pm - 1:00pm

Travel to UBC
1:00pm - 3:00pm

Tour UBC wood pellet laboratory, view testing equipment, tour biomass heating plant.
7:30 am to 8:30 am

Breakfast and registration
8:30 am to 8:50 am

Unlocking the World of Pellets

Speakers:
  • Gordon Murray, Executive Director, Wood Pellet Association of Canada
  • Vaughan Bassett, President, Wood Pellet Association of Canada
  • A representative from Natural Resources Canada, Government of Canada
The wood pellet sector sits at the cusp of realizing its truest potential. Join us for this kick off session as we set the stage for two days of challenging and stimulating discussion about the future of pellets.
8:50 am to 10:15 am

The Gateway to New Possibilities

Moderator: Gordon Murray, Executive Director, Wood Pellet Association of Canada

Speaker: Dr. Jamie Stephen, Managing Director, TorchLight Bioresources
Panellists:
  • Vaughan Bassett, Drax
  • Gregg Koehler, Premium Pellet Ltd
  • Gustavo Oliveira, Ministry of Forests Innovation, Bioeconomy and Indigenous Opportunities Branch
The opportunities for wood pellets are endless. Policy makers, regulators and politicians are only just beginning to understand the potential of pellets in the bioeconomy, reducing energy poverty and new uses for bioenergy. Join us for this thought-provoking session as we explore the art of the possible and turn to industry leaders and government officials for their perspectives on what the future holds for our sector.

Topics covered include:
  • Video: Power of Pellets: Building Strong Communities Together
  • Wood Pellets as a Foundation of a Low Carbon Economy
  • Advancing British Columbia's bioeconomy
  • Panel: Industry and Government: Responding to the Challenge.
10:15 am to 10:45 am

Coffee Break
10:45 am to 12:05 pm

Stronger Communities and Local Economic Development

Moderator: Gregg Koehler, Sales Manager, Sinclar Group/Premium Pellet Ltd.

Speakers:
  • Roger Keery, President, Skeena Sawmills Ltd.
  • Diane Collins, Kitsumkalum Economic Development Group
  • Jonathan Levesque, Biomass Solutions Biomasse
  • Paula Cook, Senior Energy Engineer, Public Works, Government of Nova Scotia
Once thought to be just a solution to beehive burners; communities are now looking at pellets as a local economic driver: creating jobs, supporting community resiliency and providing new alternatives for clean energy. Join community heroes who are making their communities stronger by investing in the wood pellet sector.

Topics covered include:
  • Video - Power of Pellets: Building Strong Communities Together
  • Skeena Bioenergy and Kitsumkalum Economic Development Group: Working together in Northwest British Columbia
  • Bioheat Strategy for Atlantic Canada
  • Eliminating furnace oil to reduce GHG emissions from Nova Scotia government buildings
 
12:05 pm to 1:30 pm

Lunch

Lunch in exhibition area
1:30 pm to 2:40 pm

Setting the Record Straight

Moderator: Diane Nicholls, Vice-President, Sustainability, Drax

Speakers:
  • Karen Brandt, Senior Consultant, Brandt Strategy Inc.
  • Steve Kozuki, Executive Director, Forest Enhancement Society of BC
WPAC members believe there is no jurisdiction on earth better positioned and more committed than Canada to advancing new renewable energy alternatives and driving the bioeconomy. It's time to set the record straight on misinformation and highlight WPAC's commitment to improve forest health, ensuring the best use of the forest and forest products, all the while reducing environmental impacts.

Topics covered include:
  • Video: Power of Pellets: Responsible Sourcing
  • What do we stand for?
  • The art of the possible
  • Advancing wildfire resiliency and low-value fibre utilization in British Columbia
2:40 pm to 3:10 pm

Coffee Break

Networking in exhibition area
3:10 pm to 4:50 pm

Biomass and Climate Change Mitigation

Moderator: Jamie Stephen, Managing Director, TorchLight Bioresources Speakers:
  • Gary Bull, Professor Faculty of Forestry, University of British Columbia
  • William Strauss, President, FutureMetrics
  • Fahimeh Yazdan Panah, Director of Research and Technical Development, Wood Pellet Association of Canada
  • A representative from Drax
Join us for a lively discussion as we discuss the role of biomass in climate change mitigation. These world-leading experts will highlight the opportunities for our sector while challenging us to address both the science, the communications gaps and the investment needed to take pellets to the next level.

Topics include:
  • Video: Power of Pellets: Contributing to a Low-Carbon Economy
  • Sustainable forest management contributions to climate change mitigation
  • Carbon sequestration in managed forests and dispelling the myth of carbon debt
  • On the path to becoming a negative emissions company: BECCS at Drax
  • Potential for biofuels and wind assist to reduce ocean shipping emissions
  • Moderated panel discussion
5:00 pm to 7:00 pm

Wood Pellet Barbecue and Sponsor Reception

John Swaan, the grandfather of wood pellets and FutureMetrics pellet expert, will be cooking his world-famous pellet-smoked ribs.
7:30 am to 8:30 am

Breakfast and networking
8:30 am to 9:50 am

Making our Industry Safer

Moderator: Scott Bax, Chair, Wood Pellet Association Canada Safety Committee Speakers:
  • Bill Laturnus, Senior Safety Advisor, BC Forest Safety Council
  • Jeff Mycroft, Regional Sales Manager, Fike Canada
  • Kayleigh Rayner-Brown, Principal, Obex Risk
  • Mike Tasker, Occupational Safety Officer, WorkSafeBC
In 2021, WPAC members released their sustainability commitment. Chief among the 10 goals, is the recognition that nothing is possible without the people who power our sector. That's why we place the highest priority on the employee health and safety and continue to invest in new ways to deliver on our safety commitment. Join us fora exploration of the world-leading initiatives our sector has committed to and the learnings along the way.

Topics include:
  • Video: The Power of Pellets: Wood Pellet Safety in Canada
  • WPAC’s commitment to safety
  • Safe operation of belt dryers
  • Advancing process safety management in wood pellet production
  • Steps toward a safer wood pellet industry
10:00 am to 10:30 am

Coffee Break

Networking in exhibition area
10:30 am to 11:40 am

Keynote Presentation: Getting Comfortable with the Spotlight

Moderator:
  • Vaughan Bassett, President, Wood Pellet Association of Canada
  • Vaughn Palmer, Vancouver Sun Political Columnist
Our members find themselves at interesting time – a small player in the forest sector that turns wood “waste” into bioenergy, providing an outlet for the sawmill sector, reducing slash burning, displacing fossil fuels, and helping customers around the world meet climate targets. What’s not to love? Despite this, we find ourselves suddenly at the centre of environmental campaigns, social licence discussions, and evolving forest policy decisions.

We've invited respected journalist Vaughn Palmer for his perspectives. Vaughn’s hard-hitting columns have seen him cover the feats and follies of B.C.’s premiers for almost 40 years. An award-winning journalist, Palmer is the Vancouver Sun’s provincial political columnist, based in Victoria. Palmer is a regular commentator on radio station CKNW in Vancouver. Palmer is the recipient of the Bruce Hutchison Lifetime Achievement Award from the Jack Webster foundation, a co-winner of the Jack Webster award for reporting, and a recipient of the Hyman Solomon award for excellence in public policy journalism from the Canadian Public Policy Forum. Since 1984, Palmer has examined an extensive range of issues, personalities and scandals that have come to define B.C.’s political scene.
11:40 am

Wrap-up and Adjournment

Gordon Murray, WPAC: Summary and Wrap-up

Conference adjourns

Venue

Vancouver Marriott Pinnacle Downtown Hotel

 

Vancouver Marriott Pinnacle Downtown Hotel
Vancouver Marriott Pinnacle Downtown Hotel welcomes you to British Columbia with style, substance and award-winning hospitality. You’ll find this venue in Coal Harbour, in the very heart of the city center; Rogers Arena, Stanley Park and the cruise ship terminal are moments away, as is the Vancouver Convention Centre.

Accommodations

Hotel WPAC group rates are now available! Be sure to secure your hotel room at the conference hotel by making your room reservation online at https://book.passkey.com/e/50275017

Group rate only available until August 22, 2022!

Book now to secure your room at a significantly discounted rate and guarantee you’ll have a spot to stay at the conference hotel.

Sponsors

Gold Sponsor
Silver Sponsor
Reception Sponsor
Media Sponsor