Council has authorized city staff to enter into a professional services agreement for the completion of a Forest Management Plan for city-owned forest lands. The agreement is with RW. Gray Consulting Ltd, and is up to a maximum value of $13,500, which will be funded out of the city’s Fire Hazardous Fuel Fund Reserve. Coun….
The Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement doesn’t resolve Canada’s long-running dispute with the United States over softwood lumber, or remove restrictions on log exports from B.C. Prime Minister Stephen Harper said Friday the Canadian government would like to renew the Canada-U.S. softwood agreement, expired as of Thanksgiving Day. It’s a side deal outside the North American Free…
Earlier this month, the University of British Columbia announced that construction on its new student residence was set to begin. No ordinary residence, the 18-story building will be constructed using wood. Upon completion, it will be the tallest wood building in the world. But an 18-story building, made of wood? Isn’t wood flammable? And can…
The BC Lumber Trade Council is urging the federal government to engage with the U.S. government to determine a way forward following the expiration of the Canada-U.S. Softwood Lumber Agreement. The agreement has been in effect since 2006 and expires on October 12, 2015. The agreement includes a standstill provision that precludes the U.S. from…
BC companies that want to be big in Japan are expecting the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) to provide a boost. “It would be difficult for us to see how Canada could not have signed this because otherwise our competitors would have had an advantage,” said Christina Burridge, executive director at the BC Seafood Alliance. “Japan is the…
There was a flurry of excitement in the B.C. legislature last week, as Delta South independent MLA Vicki Huntington released documents suggesting that a multinational manufacturing company continued to buy up B.C. farms for carbon offsets after they said last June they would stop. False alarm, as it turns out. Agriculture Minister Norm Letnick clarified…
The softwood lumber agreement between Canada and the United States expires Monday, and British Columbia is signalling that reaffirming lumber trade stability between the two countries must become a top priority of the new government in Ottawa following the federal election. B.C. Premier Christy Clark said the importance of a renewed lumber deal between Canada and…
B.C.’s drought this past summer is expected to eventually kill many trees, but a forest pathologist said it might not be apparent which trees until the spring. Stefan Zeglen with the Ministry of Forest, Lands and Natural Resources in Nanaimo said a significant number of trees are expected to die over the next year because…
The program ‘Opening Doors’ featuring Aboriginal door carving is opening doors to a new generation of young Aboriginal artists embracing the culture and storytelling nature of traditional BC Aboriginal art. On October 5, FPInnovations and Emily Carr University of Art + Design hosted a gala for the celebration of Opening Doors – an exhibition of…
Creepy crawlers are causing conundrums in Armstrong. Since 2014, the city has seen an increase in western tent caterpillar and fall webworm infestations. Staff has been receiving numerous inquiries on the eradication and prevention of their nests. Both insects typically hatch once a year. “These insects have similar properties to one another and can be…