Tension surrounding the latest softwood lumber showdown between Canada and the United States is not just limited to the lumber industries in the two nations. As Canada’s lumber companies brace for the expected announcement Tuesday of new import tariffs on Canadian softwood heading into the United States, internal battles within the Canadian industry may prove…
U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross stood beside Donald Trump as the U.S. president called Canada’s actions against American trade interests “a disgrace.” “That also includes what’s happening along our northern border states with Canada, having to do with lumber and timber,” he said, a vague snark that swivelled heads on both sides of the border. The testy trade in two-by-fours wasn’t expected…
The company operating a train that derailed and killed three people in a northern Vancouver Island community stopped business Friday out of respect for the families of the victims. Two people were killed Thursday in Woss, B.C., and RCMP Cpl. Tammy Douglas confirmed Friday that a third victim died after being transported to hospital. Police…
A union representing logging workers says mechanical failure, not human error, is being blamed for the forestry train derailment in Woss that killed three people and injured two. The train, carrying a large load of logs, somehow rolled away from the reload yard and collided into a rubber-tired backhoe and railway maintenance car where the…
B.C. Liberal Leader Christy Clark blitzed through the Cariboo region Friday, trying to reassure sawmill workers that their jobs will be safe, even though a nasty trade battle is brewing with the United States. The U.S. is expected to announce early next week whether duties will be imposed on Canadian softwood lumber. “We’re going to…
The provincial government is asserting its support for the New Brunswick softwood lumber industry the week before a preliminary determination is expected from the United States Department of Commerce on their countervailing duty investigations of imports of certain softwood lumber products from Canada. Preliminary antidumping duty determinations are due later in June. “Our government was…
It’s a long-standing call of unions and industrial planners in Canada that the key to future prosperity is to export fewer natural resources by keeping them in Canada for processing and then shipping exports with more “value added.” Forestry products are a regular target for this vision, where government fiat would displace market forces in…
Northern Ontario is leaking workers and people. If nothing is done, that could easily turn into a flood, the Northern Policy Institute warns. In a release, the Northern Policy Institute said the North will be short 75,000 workers and 150,000 people by the year 2041, even after allowing for the expected growth in the region’s…
To mark Canada’s 150th birthday, we are counting down to Canada Day with profiles of 150 noteworthy British Columbians. The emergence of B.C.’s forest industry as a culture-defining economic behemoth that dominated the political and social landscape, begins with a man who went from hoeing potatoes to corporate colossus. Harvey Reginald “H.R.” MacMillan was born on…
Domtar’s celebration of International Earth Day starts early, with a weeklong emphasis leading up to the worldwide day on April 22. We call it Earth Week, and we’ll spend it focusing on the natural gifts of our planet and giving back to our communities. This year, like many before it, Earth Week will be full of opportunities for…