It stands 18 storeys tall and is now the tallest wood building in the world. University of British Columbia’s Brock Commons student residence is the first mass wood, steel and concrete hybrid project taller than 14 storeys in the world. It will provide additional housing for students, and, the provincial government hopes, will show new applications for…
Nova Scotia’s natural resources minister says the province will not place restrictions on the amount of clearcutting private woodlot owners can do on their land. “That’s up to the private landowners as to how they harvest their property,” Lloyd Hines said following the weekly cabinet meeting Thursday in Halifax. “Clearcutting is a recognized technique that…
While the rise of protectionism dominated the discussions among world leaders during the latest G20 summit, aViewpoint published today by the MEI shows among other things that the tariff barriers imposed on Canadian softwood lumber threaten nearly 22,000 jobs throughout the country. The tariffs applied following the latest deal allowed American producers to register additional net…
Despite multiple legal setbacks before World Trade Organization and NAFTA tribunals, American softwood lumber producers are still calling for the imposition of limits and tariffs on Canadian imports, arguing that they represent unfair competition because they’re subsidized. If no new agreement is ratified by the deadline of Oct. 12, imports from Canada could be subject…
Bill Gates has thrown his weight behind a small U.S. firm that hopes to licence its innovative biomass energy technology in Alberta and worldwide. The billionaire co-founder of Microsoft, who has backed several other U.S. biofuel startups over the years, is the lead investor in a $14-million-US financing round announced Thursday by Pennsylvania-based Renmatix. The private company’s…
Gull Bay First Nation member have voted in favour of an $8-million settlement offer from the federal government. The settlement relates to a timber royalties claim dating back to the 1800’s. The band says it was never paid for timber and other resources taken from the land meant for them in the Robinson Treaty. “I think it sets…
Last week, a Saint John businessman put forward a revolutionary idea — to relocate the J.D. Irving pulp mill somewhere outside city limits, so the area can blossom into a tourist destination rivalling Niagara Falls. “The city has an image problem,” said Mark Kensington, who’s leasing the iconic Reversing Falls restaurant, “and a solution would…
The long-awaited wood pellet mill in Enterprise is another step closer to reality. Aurora Wood Pellets has issued a request for proposals to have someone harvest the wood from the future site of the mill. Hay River Mayor Brad Mapes has been working on this plan for six years, and is the principal shareholder in…
Canada’s International Trade Minister is warning it may not be possible for Canadian and American officials to settle a looming softwood-lumber battle before an October deadline – after which Washington is free to slap duties on timber from Canada. “This is a notoriously, historically tough and complicated issue to resolve,” Chrystia Freeland told media in…
West Central Alberta has so far been able to manage the infestation of mountain pine beetles (MPB), but many areas in Alberta were not as lucky. Approximately 8,000 trees have been controlled – harvested or burned – in the Rocky Mountain House and Calgary forest areas since 2006, but only 646 had to be controlled…