The year 2016 proved to be a tumultuous time in the forest industry in Merritt. The Tolko Industries mill was shut down in December, a decision which left more than 200 people scrambling to find employment in a matter of months. The mill’s closure — coupled with a major fire at the Diacarbon wood pellet plant…
The Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement (CBFA), one of the most ignominious deals in Canadian business history, is being quietly euthanized. Last week, its Ottawa-based secretariat was closed, without fanfare or eulogy. However, most of the agreement’s signatories seem as reluctant to admit its demise as they have been to acknowledge its true nature. According to…
A decade after billions of mountain pine beetles chewed their way through British Columbia’s lodgepole pine forest, the Interior timber supply has begun a dramatic drop. “These cut reductions are starting to happen, and they are going to be real,” Albert Nussbaum, director of forest analysis and inventory for the B.C. Ministry of Forests, Lands…
Biofuels could be the right solution at the right time for Northern Ontario. That’s the message that a delegation of companies from Finland brought to various area businesses, government agencies, and municipalities including at least one First Nation during a visit to Thunder Bay. “We’re promoting the European know-how,” said Matti Virkkunen, a research scientist…
To slow the spread of emerald ash borer into new parts of Canada, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is expanding areas regulated to control emerald ash borer to include the city of Thunder Bay in Ontario, as well as the Municipalités Régionales de Comtés of Joliette and D’Autray in Quebec. It is prohibited to…
Premier Christy Clark says there may be a “ray of hope” for B.C.’s softwood lumber industry, as negotiations for a new trade agreement with the United States threaten to turn into a legal battle. The provincial and federal governments have been negotiating with the U.S. to try and finalize a new softwood lumber trade agreement…
A lawyer for J.D. Irving, Limited has entered not guilty pleas to each of 15 pollution charges under the federal Fisheries Act related to alleged pollution from the pulp mill in Saint John. Charles Whelly told the court the trial will likely take about six weeks. He declined to comment outside the courtroom. The charges allege…
As leaders from government, industry and First Nations gather in Prince George for the 14th annual Natural Resources Forum, it’s worth taking a fresh look at the important role natural resources play in B.C.’s economy, today and in the future. 1. B.C.’s natural resources are diverse, and effective stewardship means they’ll continue to support sustainable…
New U.S. duties on lumber imports will leave Canada with excess production that could be difficult to sell. Russ Taylor, president of International Wood Markets Group Inc., said lumber shipments to the U.S. will likely drop by 15% next year. The new duties will come into effect on May 4 following the expiration of the…
Catalyst Paper has gone dark. The B.C. paper company announced Friday, January 27, that it is no longer a publicly trade company. Following recapitalization with its three major shareholders, the company – which formally was listed under the stock symbol CYT – is now privately owned by Oaktree Capital Management, Mudrick Capital Management, LP and…