Castlegar’s mayor to lead Forestry Works for BC
Published 5:40 am Wednesday, September 16, 2026
|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready…
|
Castlegar’s outgoing mayor will be leading Forestry Works for BC (FWFBC), a provincial non-profit advocacy organization.
FWFBC calls itself a grassroots, non-partisan non-profit organization dedicated to improving public understanding of responsible forestry. Through education, storytelling and engagement, its goal is to connect British Columbians with the people and practices behind responsible forestry and create opportunities for informed, respectful conversations.
The organization announced that Maria McFaddin will take over as their executive director this month.
McFaddin will be tasked with building relationships and partnerships across the province, and strengthening public understanding of responsible forestry in British Columbia, according to the FWFBC announcement.
“McFaddin brings more than a decade of leadership experience in British Columbia, including four years as Mayor of Castlegar and four years on Castlegar City Council. A Kootenay native who grew up surrounded by forests, she has been a visible advocate for responsible forestry and its connection to wildfire resilience, housing, jobs and strong, sustainable communities,” said FWFBC.
“Forestry Works for BC is doing exactly the work our province needs – real stories, respectful conversation, and grassroots engagement that helps people understand what responsible forestry actually means,” said McFaddin. “I’m honoured to step into this role at a pivotal moment. Membership growth and public conversation is relationship work, and that’s the work I’ve been doing my whole career – asking people to commit, building coalitions and bringing communities together around shared priorities.”
FWFBC reports they are in a period of significant growth.
“Maria brings exactly the kind of leadership we need for the next stage of Forestry Works for BC,” said Ken Kalesnikoff, chair of the FWFBC Board of Directors. “She understands that meaningful change starts with relationships – with our members, businesses, communities and people across the province. We have built tremendous momentum this year, and Maria has the leadership, energy and ability to connect with people that will help us turn that momentum into a stronger organization and expand our reach across B.C.”