BC relies heavily on coal and lumber exports but an economist tells us that could be threatened because of the devaluation of China’s currency. Lumber sales can be offset by more purchasing from the US right now but China is one of the biggest consumer of BC’s metallurgical coal. The commodity is already struggling on…
Without the logging industry, Campbell River may not have grown into the city it is today. It owes particular thanks to the International Timber Company – better known as the Elk River Timber Company (ERT) – which established its presence in the region in 1906. During its boom years between 1929 and 1953, it employed…
A massive human-caused wildfire between Mesachie Lake and Port Renfrew has the Cowichan Valley once again covered in a smoky haze, with the Cowichan Lake area particularly hard-hit. The fire near Lizard Lake was first spotted early Wednesday morning, and despite the efforts of firefighters, grew quickly throughout the day and into Thursday. Even the…
Water use restrictions, inland fishing closures and a close watch on the warming Fraser River continue as drought conditions extend into a fourth month in B.C. The Fraser River discharge at Hope measured 31 per cent lower than normal Aug. 10, with the temperature at 19.2 C, one degree higher than average. The Canada-U.S. Fraser…
Three Nova Scotia families are being recognized for their management of woodlands. The Woodland Owners of the Year are: • Martha Brown, eastern region and overall provincial winner • Norman, Gary and Brian Melanson, western region • Mike Oulton and family, central region “This award recognizes their commitment to innovative and skilled woodlot management that…
Following a trial, McKenzie Lumber Inc. has been found guilty and sentenced to a fine of $48,000 after a worker’s arm was crushed by an industrial log-sawing machine. On March 12, 2013, workers were on the McKenzie Lumber Inc. worksite at 120 Mills Road in Hudson, Ontario (near Sioux Lookout), using an industrial saw machine…
A case of Dutch Elm Disease in the city’s Queen Elizabeth neighbourhood appears to be an isolated case after nine trees in the vicinity tested negative for the wilting disease. “We’re pretty lucky,” said Michelle Chartier, the city’s superintendent of forestry and pest management. “That was kind of a relief to have no more positive…
It has taken more than four decades, but a new statue should appear on the Quebec shore of the Ottawa River next year commemorating the late tycoon Garfield Weston’s role in the pulp and paper industry in the National Capital Region. And worry not: it won’t cost taxpayers a dime. Weston, who died in 1978, became president of George…
They’re so tiny you can hardly see them but these little wasps may be the answer to saving the ash tree population in Ontario. The federal government has approved the controlled release of two nearly identical species of wasp that feed on the eggs and larva of the emerald ash borer. The wasps do not have stingers and are around the size…
(Editor’s note: The following is an open letter to Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne regarding Resolute Forest Products and its role in Canada’s boreal forest.) UNIFOR is Canada’s largest private-sector union, with more than 305,000 members across the country, working in every major sector of the Canadian economy. The United Steelworkers is the largest private-sector union…