WPAC’s conference Building Canada Stronger: Navigating the Global Wood Pellet Transition was held September 22-23, 2026 in Victoria, British Columbia. Below are the presentations from the event.

Opening Plenary

WPAC Initiatives, Vaughan Bassett, WPAC President and Senior Vice President, Biomass Sales and Logistics, Drax Group

The View from Where I Sit, BC Forestry: Change, Resilience and Safety, Cherie Whelan, Chief Executive Officer, BC Forest Safety Council

Fostering a Safety Culture Across the Industry, Frank Wall, Operations Superintendent, Premium Pellet Ltd.

Emerging Competition & Market Dynamics

There were no presentations for this session.

Policy & Regulatory Outlook

Policy and Regulatory Outlook for the EU: What Should Canadian Pellet Producers Expect?, Manolis Karampinis, Director for Business Development & Membership, Bioenergy Europe

Status of Biomass Power Implementation Under FIT/FIP Scheme in Japan, Yasuhisa Okamoto, Managing Director, Drax Asia Japan

Supporting Canada’s Forest Sector Transformation, Greg Rampley, Director, Forest Innovation & Dynamics, Canadian Forest Service’s Pacific Forestry Centre

Let’s Create a World that Runs Entirely on Green Energy, Søren Alsing, Senior Director, Bioenergy, Head of Fuel & Biocarbon Supply, Ørsted 

Keynote

What is Built in Canada: Capital, Risk, and the Forest‑Based Bioeconomy, Don Roberts, President & CEO of Nawitka Capital Advisors Ltd.

Fibre Access & Supply Security

There were no presentations for this session.

Black Pellets & Next-Gen Fuels

Black Pellet Markets Will Grow Significantly, William Strauss, President and Founder, FutureMetrics

Unlocking Industry Decarbonization—Innovative Solutions for a Sustainable Future, Patrick Lapointe, Chief Commercial Officer, Airex Energy

Biocarbon Standards Update, Chris Wiberg, Vice President, Biomass Energy Lab 

European Market Lessons for Canada’s Biocarbon Opportunity, Paul Kalil, FLOYD BioEnergy

CHAR Technologies, Andrew White, Co-Founder and CEO, CHAR Technologies

BECCS, CDRs & Carbon Markets

BECCS, CDRs & Carbon Markets—Setting the Stage, Jamie Stephen, Managing Director, TorchLight Bioresources

Strengthening Canada’s Energy Resilience with Biomass: Heat, Industry, and Domestic Supply

There were no presentations for this session.

Industry Leadership Session: What We Do Next

There were no presentations for this session.