Jeff Sheilds

The ups and downs of the U.S. softwood lumber dispute have created a crippling decade of uncertainty for BC companies, particularly the value-added manufacturing sector in the Chilliwack area. The Independent Wood Processors Association (IWPA) has put out a release analyzing the recent preliminary U.S. softwood lumber ruling now under review, calling it more evidence “the dispute has become a broken process” penalizing both businesses and consumers on both sides of the border, without bringing either side closer to resolution. …What’s at stake locally? There may be a couple of logging companies, but there are about a dozen wood manufacturing outfits in and around Chilliwack, such as Visscher Lumber, Yarrow Wood, Woodtone, and more, with hundreds of jobs on the line. Chilliwack Coun. Jeff Shields, who is also the CFO of Visscher Lumber, said whether or not there’s a legitimate basis for these duties, the value-added sector should viewed separately from the timber-harvesting companies.