Region Archives: Canada East

MONTREAL – Resolute Forest Products Inc. announces the ratification of a four-year labor agreement with the Unifor union covering 1,000 employees working in eight of the company’s Quebec sawmills, following an agreement-in-principle reached on July 15. “We are pleased to have renewed the labor agreement with employees of this important business segment,” said Remi G. Lalonde, president and chief executive officer. “The collective agreement underscores their contribution to the company’s success and provides stability for our customers, communities and other partners.” The collective agreements ratified on July 22 cover hourly employees represented by Unifor at Resolute’s Comtois, Girardville, La Doré, Maniwaki, Mistassini, Normandin, Outardes and Saint-Thomas facilities. 

THUNDER BAY — Resolute Forest Products is once again turning heads to the Thunder Bay pulp and paper plant after their thermal energy project was awarded the 2022 Environment + Energy Leader Award.  The plant was recognized for combining technology, conservation measures and fuel switching to reduce annual greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.  Seth Kursman, vice-president of Resolute’s corporate communications, sustainability and government affairs, says the company is pleased to receive additional recognition for its sustainability leadership.  “Resolute has demonstrated sustainability leadership with (greenhouse gas) reductions in terms of mitigating climate change, in the areas of safety, our forestry practices, the transparency of our reporting, and in the relationships that we’ve developed with communities and Indigenous communities,” Kursman said.

Four more projects, totalling $6.2 million, have been approved by the trustees of the Forestry Innovation Transition Trust. To date, the Forestry Innovation Transition Trust has committed more than $25 million of the $50-million fund.

The funding includes:

• Research Nova Scotia will receive $4.1 million to support the implementation of the 2021 research agenda Bringing Focus to Forestry Research, developed for the Forestry Innovation Transition Trust
• the Christmas Tree Council of Nova Scotia will receive $1.1 million to support a tree improvement program
• the Verschuren Centre for Sustainability in Energy and the Environment will receive $698,500 for Phase 2 of its Bio-technology Acceleration Centre
• MTC Mass Timber Company Inc. will receive $325,000 for feasibility testing for commercial production of mass timber in the province.

Kruger Products has broken ground on a new $351.5-million tissue manufacturing plant in Sherbrooke, Que., bringing total investment by the company in the Estrie region since 2018 to nearly $1 billion. The plant is being built adjacent to one that was recently constructed in the Brompton Borough along the Saint-Francois River. The structure was finished just last year and inaugurated in June. Construction on the new plant will take place over the next two years and generate numerous construction jobs and direct employment in the plant itself. The project will deliver on the company’s vision to make Sherbrooke a major premium-quality tissue product manufacturing hub in North America. …Kruger Products is Canada’s leading manufacturer of tissue products for household, industrial and commercial use. Its parent company, Kruger Inc., is a fourth-generation family company headquartered in Montreal since 1904 that has facilities across Canada and the U.S.

…The Paper Excellence Group… announced on July 6 that it had reached an agreement to purchase Resolute for approximately $3.5 billion.  …Paper Excellence is owned by young entrepreneur Jackson Widjaja, whose grandfather, Eka Tjipta Widjaja, founded Indonesia’s Sinar Mas group and its subsidiary Asia Pulp and Paper. The younger Widjaja saw a flourishing market for pulp and paper in Asia and began investing in Canada in order to access its fibre supply… Fort William First Nation Chief Peter Collins said he hopes the sale will not impact his community’s rapport with Resolute… “It’s frustrating,” he said. “We’ve built such a good partnership with Resolute, [and] they didn’t think it was important enough to inform us of the possibility of the company being taken over.” ..When it comes to Resolute’s investment in forestry innovation, Peter Woodbridge (Woodbridge Associates) said he anticipates that Paper Excellence would “absolutely” continue on the same path.

Northern Pulp mill has announced that along with its consultants, the mill is conducting marine baseline studies in Pictou Harbour. These studies will help inform its proposed transformation and Environmental Assessment report for the Nova Scotia Department of Environment and Climate Change. The marine research conducted in Pictou Harbour, East River, Middle River and West River throughout 2022 will measure water flows, currents and tides, collect water samples for analysis and survey fish, fish habitat, aquaculture, vegetation and sediment. …The mill explained in a statement that the work undertaken for conducting the studies will be non-invasive and not interfere with commercial or Indigenous fisheries or marine traffic in the study area. Small boats may be seen in the area as they set up and begin monitoring. The mill management has been in touch with Pictou Landing First Nation, local authorities, lobster fishers and harbour users to notify them of this activity.

THUNDER BAY, ONT. — Resolute Forest Products Inc. is set to be in new hands after the Paper Excellence Group signed a deal to purchase the company valued at US$2.7 billion. …Resolute will complement Paper Excellence’s existing pulp, paper and packaging businesses while adding capabilities in lumber and tissue. Resolute owns or operates about 40 facilities, including power generation assets, in Canada and the U.S. It produces and markets a diverse range of products, including market pulp, tissue, wood products and papers. Thunder Bay’s plant, a leader in pulp and paper production, will play a significant role in the developing strategy. “Thunder Bay is an outstanding asset that we believe has a very bright future,” said Seth Kursman, vice-president of corporate communications, government affairs and sustainability with Resolute Forest Products. …Kursman says there are great opportunities ahead for Resolute and the Thunder Bay operations, which will ultimately be recognized on a global scale.

DRYDEN, Ontario — It looks like Dryden’s Domtar mill will be under a new set of ownership sometime next year after a convoluted deal between Paper Excellence, Resolute Forest Products and a still-to-be-determined third party company. Paper Excellence has signed a $2.7 billion deal to buy Resolute, which will continue to operate as a standalone entity. Resolute operates roughly 40 facilities in North America and would become a subsidiary of Domtar. …When Paper Excellence purchased Domtar in 2021, they were ordered by the Competition Bureau of Canada to sell a Domtar mill in Kamloops, BC, to address any potential ‘monopoly’ concerns in BC. Now, as Paper Excellence plans to acquire Resolute, Domtar plans to sell their mills in both Dryden and Espanola to a third-party company ahead of anticipated regulatory requirements related to the deal, which is expected to close in the first half of 2023. 

Tafisa Canada, a particleboard and decorative panel manufacturer, remains the manufacturer confirmed a total of $62 million in investments in its facilities in Lac-Mégantic, Quebec. After a $28 million investment, Tafisa officially inaugurated its new 70,000 sq. ft. plant and announced new investments of $34 million to expand its main plant. …To carry out this major project, Tafisa received the support Natural Resources Canada through its Investments in Forest Industry Transformation program, the Ministry of Forests, Wildlife and Parks within the framework of the Programme Innovation Bois Wood Innovation Programme, and the Town of Lac-Mégantic and Investissement Québec through its Essor Program. Tafisa is also expanding its main plant, a project that calls for additional investments of $34 million. The new production line will be in operation in the fall of 2023.

The fee forestry companies pay the New Brunswick government to harvest timber on Crown lands is set to go up by 30 per cent. It’s part of promised changes the province is making to its Crown timber royalty fee system, which are expected to result in an additional $50 million this fiscal year, said Minister Mike Holland. …”it will be part of a larger strategy to move towards legislation that creates fair market value and an upward adjustment based on commodity rates going forward.” The legislation is set to be passed this fall and implemented next April. …The legislation will also give the province the power to include additional “upward adjustments” based on commodity prices for lumber. …The New Brunswick Federation of Woodlot Owners  said they’re happy it’s finally come. …The New Brunswick Lumber Producers said they are disappointed by the lack of transparency and details.

MONTREAL – Unifor Council 4000 and Local 100 members issue a strong strike mandate ahead of July 11 deadline, as negotiations continue in Montreal.  “The strike vote result sends a clear message to the employer: The membership supports the bargaining committee, is firm in their demands, and is prepared to take action if needed,” said Scott Doherty, Executive Assistant to Unifor’s National President and lead negotiator.  “At this critical time, VIA Rail members deserve the best possible agreement, and that can only be won by working together, in solidarity.” From June 20 to July 1, 2022 both Unifor Council 4000 and Unifor Local 100 conducted strike votes with VIA Rail members across Canada.  The results for the vote were 99.4% in favour of strike action at Local 100 and 99.3 % in favour of strike action from Council 4000 members.

KINGSEY FALLS, QC – Cascades, a leader in eco-responsible recycling, packaging and hygiene solutions, once again demonstrates its leadership in responsible business practices by ranking 8th on the list of the Best 50 Corporate Citizens in Canada unveiled this morning by the media, research and financial information products company, Corporate Knights. …Through the years, a team of analysts has developed and refined a methodology for assessing a wide range of performance indicators. This year, 332 Canadian companies with revues superior to one billion dollars were among the organizations evaluated. Not only is Cascades ranked in 8th place, but it also stands out as a leader among its peers in the Packaging category (out of 35 companies evaluated) and is 1st place among its peers in the Containers & Packaging category of the Global Industry Classification Standard (out of 54 companies evaluated).

Graydon Smith

One of Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s new cabinet ministers faces a September court date over charges that he violated the province’s Endangered Species Act. …Graydon Smith, appointed Friday as minister of natural resources and forestry, was mayor of Bracebridge, Ont., for nearly 12 years until winning the riding of Parry Sound-Muskoka for the Progressive Conservatives in the provincial election. Smith is charged with harming or harassing Blanding’s turtles, designated by Ontario as a threatened species. The Town of Bracebridge itself and two senior municipal officials also face identical charges. The charges were brought by a local resident and have yet to be tested in court. …A lawyer for the Town of Bracebridge said Monday that she is confident the charges will be thrown out.