This weekend, Ryerson’s Department of Architectural Science, in partnership with Moses Structural Engineers, will host TimberFever – an intense design and construction competition. Based on a reality television model, students will have just 36 hours to build a wooden structure – from the time they receive their mission until completion. The challenge, designed to promote…
Northern Pulp has released a study which they hope clears the air about the economic value of the mill to Pictou County, and the province. But some say the mill’s environmental impact has created an issue of trust with the community, especially the Pictou Landing First Nation. The economic study found Northern Pulp is responsible…
In Alberta’s $4-billion a year forest products industry, concerns about the ending next month of the Canada-United States softwood lumber agreement have never been higher. “If you look at the significant challenges facing Alberta’s forest sector, if Item 1 is the mountain pine beetle, Item 2 is the future of the softwood lumber agreement,” Paul Whittaker, president and…
Softwood lumber prices (in US $) have fallen throughout a majority of the main markets in the world during the 2Q/15 because of weaker demand, ample supply throughout the distribution chain and a strengthening US dollar. The biggest declines have occurred in the US, Canada and the Nordic countries, while the drop in import prices…
The Canada-U.S. Softwood Lumber Agreement (SLA) expires on October 12, nine years after it was last renewed. When it does, Canadian lumber producers will have an advantage in the American market because the duties they now pay will be gone and they will be getting $0.25 on the dollar more for their lumber, thanks to…
Note to Nova Scotia Power: don’t burn green wood or wood left out in the rain. And don’t sign contracts with an affiliated company that dings you for energy you didn’t use. Along with revealing such remarkable management practices, new evidence confirms the per-megawatt cost of burning biomass at the utility’s power plant in Point Tupper…
Wood pellets have become a favourite for those who shy away from electricity or fuel to heat their home. But they’re becoming harder to find. “My advice is to get them while you can, as soon as you can,” said Home Hardware employee Daniel Anstis. “People have been buying them in August.” In the last few…
The Canada-United States Softwood Lumber Agreement (SLA) will likely expire next month and enter a one-year standstill period, said British Columbia’s Minister of Forests, Lands and Natural Resources Operations. Steve Thomson made the comments while visiting staff at the ministry’s office in Dawson Creek. “Our current position is consistent with the industry position, which is…
The Nova Scotia government is looking for someone who can study the pulp mill waste treatment plant in Boat Harbour. The province has issued a request for proposal for a hydrogeological study and a geotechnical and contaminant assessment. Labi Kousoulis, minister of internal services, says the assessments and test will help planners better understand surface and groundwater…
Canada’s softwood lumber trade agreement with the U.S. expires one week before the Oct. 19 federal election, yet almost no one seems to be talking this long-contentious issue. We ignore it at Western Canada’s peril. Not having a softwood lumber agreement leaves Canada vulnerable to punishing tariffs at the whim of the protectionist U.S. industry….