Despite international sanctions and economic hurdles, Canada’s fur trade is finding resilience through diversification and a growing base of younger consumers who value natural products

Jeff Turl
a day ago

• https://www.villagereport.ca/village-picks/new-generation-rediscovering-real-fur-as-fashion-choice-as-trappers-convention-kicks-off-in-north-bay-11719601

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1 / 3 The convention runs Friday and Saturday and admission is $10 per person, with kids under 12 free. It’s located at 1867 Bond Street (Off Gormanville Rd.).Supplied

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NORTH BAY – As the Fur Harvesters Auction Annual Trappers Convention kicks off in North Bay today, organizers say, despite some headwinds, they are seeing a renewed interest in the evolving landscape of Canada’s fur industry.

Doug Chiasson is the executive director of the Fur Institute of Canada, and is currently in North Bay for the convention.

He tells BayToday that right now, there’s certainly strong interest.

“We’re especially seeing it on things like bobcats and prices on marten. These things vary with time as trends come and go in different places around the world, with different tastes. But certainly, we’re seeing things like cats, things like wild mink and marten have a lot of very strong interest right now.”

That change is being driven by the global fur market as tastes in the fashion world shift.

“There are folks who are coming back to fur after the big anti-fur pushes from anti-fur organizations in the past,” explains Chiasson. “There’s a whole new generation of fur consumers that sees fur as a natural, sustainable, and biodegradable product. And they’re not as interested in listening to the misinformation and disinformation from the PETAs of the world.”

Chiasson says trappers have been fighting a war against 40 years of misinformation.

“I was talking to folks this week, talking about how they’re uneasy about wearing their fur coats out and about because they’re worried someone’s going to throw rotten eggs on them or throw a can of paint on them. A long time ago, that was happening, and we’re seeing a whole new generation of consumers, millennials and Gen. Z. That propaganda from the anti-fur groups just hasn’t affected them the same way. For them, they like fur because it’s sustainable. After all, it’s something that’ll last for 50, 60, 70 years, instead of a synthetic or a fake fur that is going to end up in a landfill, breaking down into microplastics and ending up in people’s drinking water.”

But there are still issues affecting the fur market. One of those is tariffs.

“Yes, we’re certainly seeing some impacts from tariffs. For the most part, we are avoiding the worst of the impacts of tariffs by having a globally diversified trade and strong demand from around the world. But we are still feeling the impact of sanctions. The sanctions that have been applied as a result of the war in Ukraine have cut us off basically completely from the Russian market. And certainly, the ongoing hostilities in Ukraine have significantly decreased the market available to us in Ukraine as well.”

Another issue for the industry is the rising cost of fuel and equipment eating into trappers’ profits. Chiasson says trappers are feeling the squeeze.

“The reality of trapping is that it requires a pickup truck and a snow machine or a pickup truck and a quad, and all those are running on gas or diesel. So, when fuel prices are high, that takes a bite out of the trapper. And, especially for trappers here in northern Ontario, most of whom are trapping on large, remote trap lines. They’re not just trapping in their own backyard. They could be miles and miles and miles in the backcountry, so every cent rise in gas price is another cent out of their pocket.”

And like us all, climate change is having an impact on the industry, but not necessarily on a broad animal level, like population or species-level impacts. Instead it is making getting to the remote traplines more difficult.

“Certainly, with later freeze-ups or thinner ice on lakes, that can make life more difficult and more dangerous for trappers. If they’re not able to get into their lines on solid ice, or it’s in the backcountry and they need snow to be able to get a snow machine in, and there’s not enough snow. All of that affects trappers. And then at the other end of the equation are consumers. The reality is, the reason fur is so sought after is that fur is warm. But if everywhere is warm, it’s a bit of a less of a value proposition for the consumer to buy fur of animals from northern climates that have thick fur and create a very warm fur garment.”

Looking forward, Chiasson feels another challenge will be father time, as with many resource production industries, like forestry, fisheries, and others, are seeing a gradual increase in the average age of their workers.

“But, you know, I’ve also met some very passionate, very interested young trappers that I’m sure will be trapping for another 40 years. And if we can make sure that fur prices keep rising, people will invest in buying equipment to get involved in trapping, I’m confident that we’ll have more young trappers joining our ranks.”

See: Fur Harvesters Annual Convention continues Saturday

And: Trappers play an important role in wildlife conservation

The convention runs Friday and Saturday, and admission is $10 per person, with kids under 12 free. It’s located at 1867 Bond Street (Off Gormanville Rd.).

“Bring the whole family, and find out what Canada’s oldest land-based industry is all about,” says Chiasson. “There are displays here from trappers, trapping supply manufacturers and providers, and lots of demonstrations going on inside the auction house here. Anybody is more than welcome to come down.

“We’d encourage folks to come on down and come see what’s going on here at the auction house, and encourage folks, if they want to be able to show their support for trappers and support for traditional ways of life here in northern Ontario, the best way is to buy fur.”

She runs the farm with her husband, actor Thomas Sadoski and their kids: daughter Nina, 8, and son Thomas, 5

By 

Charlotte Phillipp

Published on January 8, 2026 03:55PM EST

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NEED TO KNOW

• Amanda Seyfried is opening up about her life on her farm
• The actress owns a farm in upstate New York, where she and her family care for horses, chickens, cats, goats, donkeys, ducks and dogs
• She runs the farm with her husband, actor Thomas Sadoski and their kids: daughter Nina, 8, and son Thomas, 5

Amanda Seyfried is opening up about life on her farm.

During an interview with Vogue published on Thursday, Jan. 8, the Testament of Ann Lee star, 40, spoke about her farm in upstate New York, where she and her family care for horses, chickens, cats, goats, donkeys, ducks and dogs.

“When I say it’s a rescue, it’s fully a rescue—it’s my dream,” Seyfried said, opening up about the farm — registered as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit — she shares with her husband, actor Thomas Sadoski and their kids: daughter Nina, 8, and son Thomas, 5.

According to Seyfried, their family is assisted by a caretaker who lives nearby, and they care for so many breeds of chickens that “people just give us chickens,” she joked.

The property is also home to several pond ducks and barn ducks, although Seyfried is candid about the grim realities of farm life — “One of them got eaten the other night—it was probably a fox,” she shared.

Seyfried and Sadoski also care for donated goats, cats, including several that were recently saved from the ASPCA.

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“One [cat] is so old and decrepit that he just has diarrhea all the time, but he still purrs when he eats,” she shared.

The families pony, donkey, and six horses “usually come with problems, or they’re really old, or they’re lame, or whatever,” Seyfried explained, adding that she occasionally rides but “never will get comfortable on a horse.”

“I just hug them, on my own feet,” she quipped.

As for their longtime pets, the couple have a beloved 16-year-old Australian shepherd–border collie named Finn, who Seyfried described as “a big guy and brilliant, brilliant, and he still runs like an a——.”

The Housemaid actress has been open in the past about her decision to leave New York City behind for upstate.

Speaking with Forbes in 2024, she shared that the decision wasn’t informed by having kids, as she moved upstate “long before I had a family.”

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“Staying here was the best decision for privacy, peace and nature,” she added.

Her farmhouse in the Catskills region exudes tranquility and the rural location allows her to tackle “the high-energy of press events and life on-set” when she is working in show business, she told the outlet.

“It offers a more balanced life than the city does,” she continued, adding that the move was “essential for my mental health.”

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During an appearance on The Kelly Clarkson Show in 2022, she recounted one harrowing farm-life incident in which she, Sadoski and their kids had to bring her two young kids to sleep in their horse barn when one of their generators during a “huge” ice storm.

“The problem is if there’s wind and ice, everything gets shut down. Nobody gets power. We have two generators, I am a lucky person. And our one generator blew two weeks ago with a huge ice storm, you couldn’t even leave your house,” she explained.

“I have two small kids and in the middle of the night, we had no heat. We ended up having to walk outside in 5-degree weather to the barn and sleep there because the generator runs for that, it runs for the horse barn and the extra guest barn.”

“It was one of those things where it’s like this is what you do,” she explained. “This is what you give up, you sacrifice these things when nature happens.”

Samantha Neely

USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida

Jan. 6, 2026, 10:59 a.m. ET

• Nearly 20 swans were found dead at Orlando’s Lake Eola within a month, with bird flu confirmed as the cause.
• City officials are disinfecting the park, have posted warning signs, and are advising visitors to avoid contact with birds.

Within a month, nearly 20 swans were found dead over the course of a week in Orlando’s Lake Eola, with city officials now confirming bird flu is the cause.

Two dead swans were initially found on Dec. 23, and the number had grown to 19 by Jan. 5. The Orlando Sentinel reported that all the deceased swans were Royal Mutes, noting that a report published last year by the British Trust for Ornithology found that Mutes were particularly susceptible to avian flu.

According to a city news release, avian influenza is responsible for the deaths. A previous outbreak of bird flu killed four of the park’s swans in 2024, as well as 11 other birds around the lake.

Where is Lake Eola?

Lake Eola Park is located in the heart of Downtown Orlando. https://www.google.com/maps/embed?pb=!1m18!1m12!1m3!1d10058.248284236744!2d-81.372778!3d28.54361055!2m3!1f0!2f0!3f0!3m2!1i1024!2i768!4f13.1!3m3!1m2!1s0x88e77ae34d79ceeb%3A0xe5ebfa3195f24aec!2sLake%20Eola%20Park!5e1!3m2!1sen!2sus!4v1767104545972!5m2!1sen!2sus

How many birds died in total at Lake Eola?

As of Jan. 6, 21 birds have died, which the Sentinel reported includes an anhinga and an ibis.

What are officials doing about the Lake Eola swan deaths?

Before getting the necropsy results, city officials said they were treating the situation as the “worst-case scenario” and handling the deceased birds in accordance with safety protocols and PPE. They have confirmed that they will continue disinfecting parts of the park and have already placed signage informing visitors about the outbreak.

“The city is taking all necessary precautions as recommended by Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), as well as local veterinarians, to keep our community safe and limit the spread of Avian Influenza,” the City of Orlando said in a statement.

City officials were advised to let the virus run its course and allow the flock to build immunity, which could take roughly a month.

What is bird flu?

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that bird flu is caused by avian influenza A viruses (H5N1) that typically spread among birds. It occurs naturally among wild aquatic birds.

It’s very contagious among birds, and the risk of bird flu increases in the fall and winter as migratory birds carrying the virus move around the country. The virus is shared by infected birds’ saliva, nasal secretions, and feces. It’s also spread through contact with contaminated surfaces.

There are two types of H5N1: Low Pathogenic Avian Influenza and Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza.

Can humans get bird flu?

The risk to the public from bird flu is rare, according to the CDC. If they do, it’s most often through direct unprotected contact with infected birds or other infected animals.

Eye redness has been the predominant symptom among recent U.S. cases of bird flu. Symptoms are similar to those of the common flu, including fever, chills, body aches, sore throat, eye irritation, and fatigue, according to the CDC. 

No person-to-person bird flu transmission has been reported.

City officials advised visitors to take the following precautions when visiting Lake Eola Park:

• Avoid direct contact with birds and only observe them from a distance.
• Do not feed birds.
• Avoid contact with any bird excrement.
• Remove your shoes before entering your home and clean them off if contamination is suspected.