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!
your registration can be transferred to our next event date or refunded.
Schedule
Monday Sept. 19 |
WPAC Opening ReceptionJoin 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 ManagersENplus® 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 PelletsSpeakers:
|
8:50 am to 10:15 am |
The Gateway to New PossibilitiesModerator: Gordon Murray, Executive Director, Wood Pellet Association of CanadaSpeaker: Dr. Jamie Stephen, Managing Director, TorchLight Bioresources
Topics covered include:
|
10:15 am to 10:45 am |
Coffee Break |
10:45 am to 12:05 pm |
Stronger Communities and Local Economic DevelopmentModerator: Gregg Koehler, Sales Manager, Sinclar Group/Premium Pellet Ltd.Speakers:
Topics covered include:
|
12:05 pm to 1:30 pm |
LunchLunch in exhibition area |
1:30 pm to 2:40 pm |
Setting the Record StraightModerator: Diane Nicholls, Vice-President, Sustainability, DraxSpeakers:
Topics covered include:
|
2:40 pm to 3:10 pm |
Coffee BreakNetworking in exhibition area |
3:10 pm to 4:50 pm |
Biomass and Climate Change MitigationModerator: Jamie Stephen, Managing Director, TorchLight Bioresources Speakers:
Topics include:
|
5:00 pm to 7:00 pm |
Wood Pellet Barbecue and Sponsor ReceptionJohn 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 SaferModerator: Scott Bax, Chair, Wood Pellet Association Canada Safety Committee Speakers:
Topics include:
|
10:00 am to 10:30 am |
Coffee BreakNetworking in exhibition area |
10:30 am to 11:40 am |
Keynote Presentation: Getting Comfortable with the SpotlightModerator:
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 AdjournmentGordon Murray, WPAC: Summary and Wrap-upConference 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.