Donald Trump has called the North American Free Trade Agreement the “worst trade deal ever negotiated.” If he were speaking on behalf of Canadian exporters or American consumers of softwood lumber, his point would have some validity. For more than 20 years, NAFTA has failed to deliver free trade in lumber. Instead, a system of…
One of the most enduring trade battles between Canada and the United States is once again heating up. The Softwood Lumber Agreement has expired, and with a protectionist president about to step into the White House, lobby groups south of the border are urging the U.S. government to take action. The fundamental difference between the…
The prospect of a reignited trade dispute with the United States over Canadian softwood lumber exports has British Columbia looking for new customers in China and India. Mike de Jong, B.C.’s Minister of Finance, said Tuesday that the United States remains B.C.’s largest market for softwood lumber exports at a value of $3.3 billion last…
BC’s Forestry Asia Trade Mission has shifted to China after spending a few days in Japan. The mission, led by Forests Minister Steve Thomson, is a continuation of strengthening and formalizing ties with multiple Asian markets, while pitching the exportation of softwood lumber. “China is a $1.2 Billion dollar market for us,” said Thomson via…
Cantimber Biotech says minimal complaints were submitted during the mill’s eight days of operation in early November.Cantimber underwent stack testing at the facility, near the corner of Harbour Road and Bruce Street, to check for potential chemicals in the volatile organic compounds (VOC) and to monitor emissions inside the building during full operation. A warm…
Want to help fight the spread of the mountain pine beetle, but aren’t sure where to start? Well, there’s an app for that. At the end of October, fRI Research launched a free smartphone application as a quick and easy way for people to report the presence of mountain pine beetle throughout the region. Once…
Catalyst Paper has fought its way out of what it considers an unfair duty on some of its paper entering the U.S. The company announced Nov. 21 that the U.S. Department of Commerce issued preliminary results in its expedited review of Catalyst, finding that Catalyst received a negligible amount of subsidies during the applicable period…
The owner of a Smithers-based business that uses cutting edge technology to get in-depth pictures of northern B.C. forests has plenty of kind words for Northern Development Initiative Trust. Without help from the NDIT’s forest innovation fund, Larry McCulloch of L.M. Forest Resource Solutions Ltd. says he would have had a much tougher time getting…
A third-generation sawmill west of Ottawa is spending $16.9 million to bring its facility up-to-date. Under the expansion project, Lavern Heideman & Sons Ltd. plans to modernize its infrastructure, purchase new equipment and consolidate some of its operations at its mill in Eganville, Ont.—not far from Pembroke, Ont. The project is expected to create 18…
From learning foundational map-and-compass skills to exploring the link between climate change and spruce bark beetles, students at the College of New Caledonia (CNC) spend a lot of time in the college’s 12,500 hectares of research forest. The two-year Natural Resources and Environmental Technology (NRET) diploma program is the only one in British Columbia with…