British Columbia will be the only province expected to post growth of better than 3 per cent over the next two years. According to The Conference Board of Canada’s latest Provincial Outlook, real GDP is forecast to grow 3.1 per cent this year and 3.6 per cent in 2016. “The bright outlook for the province…
Hardwood has been relied upon by designers and builders for centuries as a proven and flexible building material across architecture, furniture and interior design projects. However, the increasing international demand for tropical hardwood has led to the destruction of rainforests in countries such as Brazil and Indonesia, contributing to climate change. Contractors, architects and builders…
B.C. forest products exports grew in the first 10 months of the year, compared to sales year-to-date up to October 2014. Statistics Canada reports that solid wood product sales were up three per cent and pulp and paper products were up 2.3 per cent. The only major commodity with lower sales was logs, down by…
WorkSafeBC has handed out nearly double the amount of fines for industry safety infractions this year and 2014 over the previous two years, part of a new approach to use penalties as deterrents. In 2014, 433 penalties were issued totalling $6 million. As of last week, already 509 penalties have been handed in 2015 out…
A new student residence under construction on the University of British Columbia campus will be one of the tallest wood buildings in the world. UBC says the 18-storey structure builds on the university’s commitment to sustainability and innovation. The eco-friendly structure will stand 53 metres tall and house more than 400 students after its completion,…
A project more than seven years in the making took a major step forward Wednesday, as the board of the Kootenai Forest Stakeholders Coalition adopted forest management guidelines they hope will serve as a model for collaborative land management practices on the forest. The coalition, comprised of representatives from industry, conservation groups, recreation enthusiasts, business…
Conservationists who want the government to take action on climate change by protecting British Columbia’s old-growth forests say they’ve measured a near-record-size red cedar in the central Walbran Valley. The Ancient Forest Alliance said the tree that it calls the Tolkien Giant is the ninth-widest western red cedar in the province, according to a list…
In a last-minute decision, the Environmental and Social Impact Review Committee (COMEX) has agreed to postpone the public hearing on the construction of forest access roads that would impact the Broadback Forest, one of the last remaining wilderness areas in Quebec’s boreal forest. This decision was requested by the Chief of the Cree First Nation…
Employees, elected representatives, community leaders joined company executives today at the Domtar pulp mill in Kamloops to mark the mill’s 50(th) year of operations. The operation began in 1965, when a new and innovative concept for utilizing waste materials from regional sawmilling operations was developed. Sawmill residuals or waste in the form of sawdust and…
What a great day to celebrate history! Sixty years ago, the Ketchum brothers started West Fraser Mills. On Nov. 28, 1955, the temperature in Quesnel was a cloudy and foggy -1 C. Chetwynd, known then as Little Prairie, was just starting to set down its roots. Twenty-four years later, in 1979, the brothers decided to…