Jay Allan Sanderson

09/25/2026

I’m deeply grateful to have been a contributor to the newly published Canadian Wood Council report, "Expanding Secondary Market Opportunities for Recovered Wood"—and City of Edmonton - Local Government is positioned right at the centre of this national movement.

After a multi-year, multi-stakeholder collaboration through Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) Federal Interdepartmental Working Group for Circular Economy in C&D waste, the needle is finally starting to move.

Canada’s construction ecosystem has a timely opportunity to reduce embodied carbon and landfill waste by expanding the reuse and reprocessing of wood recovered from construction, renovation, and demolition activities. This landmark report examines the infrastructure, regulatory, economic, and operational constraints limiting market growth—and identifies coordinated actions to address them.

Why this matters for Edmonton:
For our local architects, infill developers, demolition contractors, and city builders, this isn't just national theory. Turn to Appendix G in the report to see how Northmark Materials is bringing these exact national frameworks to life right here in our backyard with our upcoming Edmonton Integrated Hub.

The report highlights near-term product opportunities capable of absorbing reclaimed wood quickly. It delivers practical guidance on grading and testing, centralized processing hubs, policy sequencing, pilot projects, supplier directories, and spatial/equipment requirements.

Whether you're looking to specify reclaimed materials on your next local build or find higher-value diversion for demolition wood, this report is a roadmap for where our city's building sector is headed.

👇 Follow the link to the Canadian Wood Council website to read and download this informative recent publication.

https://cwc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/ExpandingSecondaryMarketOppportunites-RecoveredConstructionRenovationDemolitionWoodReport.pdf

09/22/2026

Big Strides in Canada’s Circular Economy for the Built Environment!

Canada’s first-generation buildings are reaching end-of-life. Every week, thousands of tons of high-grade historic timber are sent to landfills simply because the industry hasn't had the infrastructure to process and grade it at scale.

That shift starts now. After a multi-year collaboration through Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC)'s Circular Economy working group for construction and demolition waste, we are thrilled to announce that Northmark Materials has officially signed an MOU with Circular Construction Canada (CCC)!

Our Edmonton Integrated Hub is being featured as 1 of 4 primary National Demonstration Projects for wood reuse in Canada.

While single deconstruction projects prove what’s possible, Northmark provides the missing link: scalable commercialization. Through our Specification-Grade Recovered Lumber (SRL™) framework, we turn unstandardized waste into a reliable, specification-governed material for architectural, commercial, and manufacturing applications.

Over the next two years, alongside CCC, Generate Canada, and the Telfer School of Management, real-world data from our operations will directly inform Canada's national Wood Reuse Industry Guide and policy briefs.

Stay tuned as we commission our first industrial hub right here in Edmonton, Alberta!



👉 Learn about the national initiative: https://circularconstructioncanada.ca/resources/policy-briefs-guide-supporting-the-reuse-of-wood/

08/26/2026

I am honoured to announce that I have been invited to serve as a Judge for Recycling Council of Alberta’s Rs of Excellence Awards this year! ♻️

Pictured here is a massive milestone in our journey: the RCA Award we received last fall. I love that this award was manufactured by Calgary's own ChopValue crafted entirely from recycled chopsticks (and glass). It is the perfect physical representation of the economy we are all working to build.

Receiving this on behalf of Backroads Reclamation was a profound validation of our mission. Now, as the President of Northmark Materials, I have the distinct privilege of stepping onto the other side of the table to help evaluate and recognize the next wave of innovators.
Here is the best part: Nominations for the Rs of Excellence Awards are officially open to the public!

We want to spotlight the people doing the heavy lifting. If you know of a business, a municipality, a not for profit or an individual making incredible strides in sustainability and waste reduction, please tag them below, share this post with them, and encourage them to apply.

Let's inspire more companies and individuals to step up and reshape the future of our province. I can’t wait to see the incredible solutions Alberta's leaders are bringing to the table this year!

Find out more and apply here!
⬇️

https://recycle.ab.ca/rsexcellence/

. Jay Sanderson

07/30/2026

I have over 300 authentic rustic fence posts recovered from the Palisades Fence at historic Fort Edmonton Park. Must go quickly to the right home.
$1.50/foot
$1.25/foot (after 100 feet)
$1.75/foot (over 12')

These are NOT mass-produced. Installed in the late 1960s, these posts have hand-hewn marks, rugged texture, and original notches clearly visible—bringing incredible, unmatched character and local heritage to your project.
These look great as is with the rustic grey or pressure wash and sand to brighten them up.

Inspire Your Creativity! Perfect For:
-Driveway Gateposts & Entrance
-Arbors, Pergolas, & Gazebo Corner Posts
-Unique Fire Pit Conversation Areas & Furniture
-Custom Table Legs & Bar Counters

SPECS:
Quantity: 330+ posts
Diameter: Average 5"-7"
Lengths: Average 7'-10' (Range from 2ft to 18ft) Less than 10 of the long ones

Note: Local species - Jack Pine / Tamarack / Spruce.

Local Pickup only in Strathcona County.

05/18/2026

WOOD, WOOD AND MORE WOOD!
We are having a moving sale!
This local reclaimed wood is terrific for yard projects or furniture builds.
Awesome character. Up to 20’ long!
Priced to move! Bring your truck/trailer!
Call 780-640-6826

county

https://www.facebook.com/share/14QsLj9FttN/

04/18/2026

Grateful for the opportunity to take the stage and pitch the vision for Northmark Materials Ltd. at the 13th Startup TNT business showcase here in .

The local entrepreneurial community is incredibly vibrant, and it was fantastic to connect with so many founders taking unique and innovative approaches to their industries.

Thank you to the Startup TNT team for hosting such a top-tier event, and to everyone who came out to support the builders in this ecosystem. We are excited about the connections we made and the road ahead for Northmark Materials.

For those who couldn't make it in person, the event was live-streamed and is now up on YouTube.
Watch the full showcase here ⬇️
Find Northmark at 52:42
https://www.youtube.com/live/Lr7yTeGBrss?t=3129...

7 likes. "Pitch Night at the Edmonton Summit Spring 2026 - April 16, 2026"

04/01/2026

There is an undeniable and growing energy surrounding construction and demolition (C&D) waste in Canada - and the urgency to do better has never been clearer.

With CRD waste in Canada estimated at a staggering 9 million tonnes annually, we are at a critical tipping point. We can no longer afford to treat valuable materials as liabilities. It is time to treat them as the supply-chain assets they are.
I am incredibly grateful to have been part of the Federal Interdepartmental Working Group for Circular Economy - C&D Waste. A massive thank you to Catherine Kerr and Zubaidah Ramdzan at Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) for their relentless work, leadership, and dedication to pushing this initiative forward.

I also want to extend a sincere thank you to Peter Moonen 🇨🇦 and the team at the Canadian Wood Council. I am honored that Northmark Materials Ltd. was highlighted in your final industry report as a model for building industrial infrastructure for material recovery. Being recognized for our work in Edmonton, Alberta to convert post-demolition lumber into specification-grade, non-structural wood products is a huge validation of our mission.

Building a circular economy isn't a solo endeavour, it requires an entire ecosystem.
Kirk J Bentham and I would also like to send a shoutout to Gil Yaron the team Light House for their companion research mapping the SMEs driving this market forward. I also want to recognize fellow innovators in the trenches doing the heavy lifting of deconstruction and salvage, like Meredith Moore at Ouroboros Deconstruction and Erick Serpas Ventura VEMA Deconstruction. It is inspiring to be in such great company.

Thanks also to Emissions Reduction Alberta (ERA) City of Edmonton Infill Development in Edmonton Association (IDEA) and Recycling Council of Alberta for your continued support.

The transition to a circular built environment requires coordinated action, specialized processing infrastructure, and, most importantly, collaboration. I am thrilled to be a part of this movement and look forward to building more strong partnerships along the way to scale these solutions.

Let’s get to work!

There is an undeniable and growing energy surrounding construction and demolition (C&D) waste in Canada - and the urgency to do better has never been clearer. With CRD waste in Canada estimated at a staggering 9 million tonnes annually, we are at a critical tipping point. We can no longer afford to....

03/08/2026

This is one of the last (and biggest) custom cutting jobs done from our small scale shop as Backroads Reclamation in the fall of 2025!

This is all thin sliced character material cut from the material recovered from Northlands Park Horse Stables in Edmonton.

What remains after the character is removed is brand new, extremely stable material for reuse anywhere!
Wood is wonderful!
What a view! ❤️

02/21/2026

High-value lumber is typically lost during demolition because the industry has lacked the standardized procedures and processing capacity to recover it at scale.

I recently joined Liz Kovach on the Across the Yard podcast to discuss how Northmark Materials Ltd. is addressing this gap. We talked about replacing improvisation with industrial systems and how Specification-Grade Recovered Lumber (SRL™) provides a predictable material class for the construction supply chain.

Thanks to Liz and the team at Supply-Build Canada for the conversation and support. You can listen to the full episode here on Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/episode/6Gj2qWRpmhBaS3N7F9QND1?si=gPMRGePHRKWSEb9Id_K3Cw
Jay Sanderson

🎙️ Have you ever wondered what happens to the wood from demolished homes?

What if much of it could be recovered and put back into use?

Liz Kovach sits down with Jay Sanderson, President & Operations Lead at Northmark Materials Ltd., to talk about how reclaimed wood is being salvaged and reintroduced into the supply chain. They discuss:
• How the reclaimed wood process works
• The role of advocacy in driving industry change
• Making reclaimed materials more accessible locally
• Where reclaimed wood can be used — from siding to flooring
And much more.

If you care about reducing lumber waste, increasing material efficiency, or finding innovative ways to build smarter, this one’s worth your time.

Tune in for an insightful conversation on reducing lumber waste and giving quality materials a second life. → https://bit.ly/the-second-life-of-lumber

📅 Season 4, Episode 13

01/31/2026

There is a lot to consider when talking about Infill Development!

Here’s 11 hot topics to listen in on with advocates from across the industry.
The In Development Podcast.
Infill Edmonton: IDEA

The IDEA community is made up of smart, passionate and knowledgable individuals. In 2025, our In Development podcast had the pleasure of hosting 12 dynamic guests from across the development industry. This translated into 11 episodes, and 548 minutes of insightful dialogue (albeit many more minutes unedited)! The episodes ranged in topics: from infill design, to transportation in our city, to infill in politics, and so much more.

No plans this weekend? Take a moment to revisit your favourite episode from the past year, or check out one you may have missed at: https://open.spotify.com/show/30Ie7GAyeo3gP2GENzxz0x 💡