Resolute Forest Products has received a one-year extension to secure confirmation from an independent auditor that it is using responsible forestry management practices in an area of Quebec’s Lac-St-Jean region. The Quebec-based company’s says the auditor, the Rainforest Alliance which suspected its certification in late 2013, has accepted a joint request for an extension from…
With wildfires threatening towns and villages across northern Saskatchewan, the mayor of La Loche is criticizing the provincial government for not fighting them more aggressively. There have been more than 520 forest fires so far this year, about three times as many the same time last year. They have forced more 5,000 people to leave their homes due to heavy smoke and the proximity…
The Alberta government is warning that the weather is pushing the threat of wildfires in forested areas to extreme levels. The problem is continued hot, dry conditions and expected winds of up to 50 km/h. The province said Thursday wildfires that start under these conditions can grow very large, very quickly and are very difficult to put out….
The city of Prince George is calling on the province to release 800 million dollars in funding that was promised to communities across BC impacted by Pine Beetles. While a significant amount of money has been recieved, council says it is drying up when it is needed most. “Through our Omineca Beetle Action Coalition, we’ve…
With fast-track approval by the U.S. Congress, President Obama moves ahead with one of his most important initiatives of this second term: the negotiation of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). For Canada, a successful conclusion of the TPP will mean access to markets with 792 million people and $28.2 trillion in GDP, 40 per cent of…
A first-of-its-kind commercial-scale manufacturing facility for new grades of northern bleached softwood kraft (NBSK) pulp is planned for Domtar’s mill in Dryden, Ont. The project has received $2 million from the IFIT program, and is described as “modified softwood pulp fibre for high-performance composites.” Domtar will develop and commercialize a portfolio of new, premium-value grades…
How important are natural resources to the Quebec economy? Does developing our mines, forests and hydroelectric power lead to greater prosperity? Or should we turn instead to a knowledge-based economy rather than betting on the hewing of wood and drawing of water? Those are some of the questions raised by the second in a series…
It’s hoped that the development could someday help reduce the environmental impact from America’s growing volume of discarded electronics. The flexible and transparent circuit also can be used in wearables and “smart” textiles. Consumers in the United States threw away 2.37 million tons of electronics in 2009, the most recent year for which data are…
Canfor is a Canadian-based lumber company which provides integrated lumber-based products, primarily softwoods, to the US and Canadian markets. The company owns assets in British Columbia, Alberta and the US, primarily in the Southeastern states. Most of their sales go to a diversified set of end-markets and retailers including Home Depot and Lowe’s as well…
Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall says the province’s firefighting budget has been depleted, but crews will keep working in the north, where flames and smoke have forced at least 3,000 people from their homes. Evacuations started late last week in about a dozen communities around La Loche and La Ronge, which Wall tried to fly into…