Region Archives: Canada East

→

Business & Politics

Unifor ‘pushing and advocating’ for laid-off Irving Paper workers

By Isabelle Leger
CBC News
February 25, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada East

Unifor says it won’t stop fighting for unionized paper mill workers receiving layoff notices this week from J.D. Irving Ltd. Jennifer Murray, Atlantic regional director of Unifor, said 100 of the 140 people laid off from Irving’s Saint John paper mill workforce are Unifor members. …Workers of these specialized jobs were notified Monday they would be laid off officially within 45 days, said Murray. …Murray said JDI was in discussion with Unifor regarding rising energy costs. Unifor had several meetings with the provincial government to find strategies to protect these jobs. …So far, JDI has said there may be opportunities for some of these workers to be put in positions elsewhere within the company. …Unifor had a meeting with Natural Resources Minister John Herron Tuesday on strategies to bolster the forestry industry in the province.

Read More

With massive mill layoffs, the other shoe drops on NB Power

The Editorial Board
The Telegraph-Journal
February 25, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada East

It was only a matter of time before the folly of NB Power’s mismanagement would hit New Brunswickers where it hurts the most: their jobs. Irving Paper announced layoffs for about half its employees, 140 people, on Monday. The company was frank about the reason: uncompetitive power rates. There is no reason to think this is some kind of corporate bluster. New Brunswickers have seen for themselves what’s happened to their power bills. …Since the turn of the century, it has been clear NB Power was on a very bad financial path. That’s principally the fault of the utility executives and the board. …As NB Power tries to squeeze the lemon even tighter, it will drive more companies to either downsize, leave the province, or shut down altogether. J.D. Irving, Limited, the parent company of Irving Paper, understands this well.

Read More

Irving Paper lays off nearly half its workers, blames New Brunswick’s ‘uncompetitive’ electricity rates

By Sam Farley
CBC News New Brunswick
February 24, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada East

J.D. Irving announced that it will permanently reduce operations at its Saint John paper plant, laying off 140 workers. Workers at Irving Paper were informed Monday morning that the layoffs will take effect immediately, according to a release from the company, which listed the plant’s total workforce at 310 employees. …”As New Brunswick manufacturers face more and more significant headwinds, it is becoming increasingly difficult to shoulder the impact of soaring electricity costs and remain competitive in an international market,” said Irving Pulp and Paper VP Mark Mosher in a statement. The move comes after J.D. Irving advocated last fall at the Electricity and Utilities Board hearing against changes to the way N.B. Power calculates charges. At the hearing, N.B. Power argued the move was a self-serving attempt by JDI to escape expenses the company wants others to pay for.

In related coverage:

Read More

Finance & Economics

Stella-Jones reports Q4, 2024 net income of $52 million

By Stella-Jones Inc.
GlobeNewswire
February 27, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: Canada, Canada East

MONTREAL — Stella-Jones announced financial results for its fourth quarter and year ended December 31, 2024. Sales for the fourth quarter of 2024 amounted to $730 million, up 6% from sales of $688 million for the same period in 2023. …Net income for the period amounted to $52 million compared with $56 million in the corresponding period of 2023. …Sales for the year ended December 31, 2024 reached $3,469 million, up 5%, versus sales of $3,319 million in 2023. Net income in 2024 was $319 million, compared to net income of $326 million in 2023. Despite the lower net income, earnings per share in 2024 was higher at $5.66 versus $5.62 in 2023 due to the continued repurchase of shares. …Eric Vachon, CEO of Stella-Jones, “We achieved solid results in our infrastructure product categories, even in the face of softer market demand. We acquired new customers, maintained our expanded EBITDA margin of over 18%, and delivered strong operating cashflows.”

Read More

Cascades reports Q4, 2024 net loss of $13 million

By Cascades Inc.
Cision Newswire
February 20, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: Canada, Canada East

KINGSEY FALLS, Quebec — Cascades reported its unaudited financial results for the three-month period and fiscal year ended December 31, 2024. Q4 2024 Highlights include: Sales of $1,211 million (compared with $1,201 million in Q3 2024 and $1,138 million in Q4 2023); net loss of $13 million (compared to earnings of $1 million in Q3, 2023 and net loss of $57 million in Q4, 202). …On an adjusted basis, the Corporation posted net earnings of $25 million in the fourth quarter of 2024, compared to net earnings of $5 million in the same period of 2023. On an annual basis, Cascades reported full year 2024 sales of $4,701 million (compared with $4,638 million in 2023), Operating income of $95 million (compared with $40 million in 2023); Net loss per common share of ($0.31) (compared with ($0.76) in 2023).

Read More

Goodfellow reports Q4, 2024 net earnings of $2.4 million

By Goodfellow Inc.
Globe Newswire
February 19, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: Canada, Canada East

DELSON, Quebec — Goodfellow announced its financial results. For the fourth quarter ended November 30, 2024, the Company reported net earnings of $2.4 million or $0.29 per share compared to net earnings of $2.1 million or $0.25 per share a year ago. Consolidated sales for the three months ended November 30, 2024 were $124.2 million compared to $125.4 million last year. For the fiscal year ended November 30, 2024, the Company reported net earnings of $13.4 million or $1.58 per share compared to net earnings of $14.7 million or $1.72 per share a year ago. Consolidated sales for the fiscal year ended November 30, 2024 were $509.5 million compared to $512.8 million last year.

Read More

Wood, Paper & Green Building

Eco Guardian Announces Upcoming Sustainable Packaging Manufacturing Facility in Ontario

Cision Newswire
February 25, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada, Canada East

Eco Guardian, a leading innovator in sustainable packaging solutions is proud to announce the upcoming opening of its state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Ontario, set to be fully operational in Q4 2025. This strategic expansion enhances Eco Guardian’s ability to produce high-quality, compostable, and recyclable paper cups and bowls in Canada, reducing dependency on foreign imports and reinforcing the ‘Made in Canada’ movement… Eco Guardian’s facility will produce 100% compostable and recyclable paper products, meeting the highest environmental standards. The company is committed to reducing carbon footprints by leveraging sustainable raw materials, cutting-edge manufacturing processes, and responsible sourcing practices.

Read More

Forestry

This sap-sucking bug could wreak havoc on Hamilton’s forests

By David A. Galbraith, Royal Botanical Gardens
The Hamilton Spectator
February 26, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada East

I’m writing to raise awareness of a newer challenge to our area’s forests. In 2023, Royal Botanical Gardens staff found that some eastern hemlock trees around Cootes Paradise showed the fuzzy telltale signs of a new threat: hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA). Hemlock woolly adelgid is a sap-sucking bug first detected in Hamilton in the early 2020s. The individual insects are just two millimetres long and are spread by birds. With climate change, recent warmer winters (on average) help them to survive. The arrival of the hemlock woolly adelgid means that eastern hemlock may join the sad list of magnificent trees in southern Ontario already seriously affected by invasive insects and diseases, like white ash, American elm and American chestnut. …Eastern hemlocks are important trees that create deep shade and habitat for birds and other animals. 

Read More

Tree diversity is the key to forest survival

By Zack Metcalfe
The National Observer
February 21, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada East

NEW BRUNSWICK — Anthony Taylor is an associate professor with the University of New Brunswick specializing in the relationship between forestry and climate. He demonstrated the link between tree diversity and carbon sequestration in a 2023 paper published in the journal Nature, comparing these two metrics on 406 sample plots across the country. …Taylor has been expanding his research into the domains of drought and wildfires, both of which will become more common in coming decades. Here too, he’s found the diversity of trees in a given forest is a good indicator of how well they’ll weather a warming world, not only absorbing carbon, but holding onto it. …Maintaining a natural blend of coniferous and deciduous species in Maritime forests, therefore, would mean sequestering more carbon and suppressing more wildfires, but as Taylor outlined, regional forest management practices have been pushing in the opposite direction for decades.

Read More

Thunder Bay Fire Rescue ready for 2025 wildfire season

By Matt Prokopchuk
The Thunder Bay News Watch
February 19, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada East

THUNDER BAY — Thunder Bay’s fire chief says the local service is taking steps to be as prepared as possible for a wildfire on the city’s doorstep, as the region is likely to become increasingly susceptible to forest fires. David Paxton said with disastrous wildfires over the past decade, it’s something fire departments are taking seriously. …Paxton said that means the department is actively reviewing its capabilities around things like value protection, where firefighters identify and use heavy sprinklers and other specialized equipment to attempt to defend critical infrastructure against an encroaching fire. …Referring to lessons the local department can take from high-profile disasters, Paxton said clear messaging and communication, as well as early awareness and preparedness, are key.

Read More

Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy

Liberal bill would require considering wood heat for Nova Scotia public buildings

By Michael Gorman
CBC News
February 25, 2025
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: Canada, Canada East

Liberal House leader Iain Rankin says a bill his party tabled last week at Province House would create new markets for the forestry industry while helping to heat public buildings with something other than oil. The Wood Chip Heating Systems in Public Buildings Act would require Nova Scotia government officials to consider wood heat systems in all new public buildings or in cases of major retrofits, including for schools and hospitals. In an interview last week, Rankin said there would be multiple benefits to the initiative. “For the climate, because it is a renewable resource. It could be a cost savings to the province because of the volatility of oil prices — so it’s displacing oil — and it creates a good economic advantage to areas of the province that are predominantly rural.”

Read More

Growing climate change adaptation in Canada’s forestry sector

By Jordan Ross
University of Winnepeg
February 19, 2025
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: Canada, Canada East

Bullock and Lamoureux

A research team at The University of Winnipeg has secured federal funding to help small businesses in Canada’s forestry sector adapt to a changing climate in ways that make financial, logistical, and environmental sense. Project Lead Dr. Ryan Bullock and Senior Research Associate Bryanne Lamoureux are overseeing the three-year research project, entitled “Maximizing Pathways to Forest Sector Adaptation by Reducing Barriers for Small Enterprise.”.. Forestry might bring to mind big names like Weyerhaeuser, but small and micro-sized companies account for 99 per cent of Canada’s forestry enterprises, making them the “front line” for implementing adaptation strategies, Lamoureux said… Lamoureux listed several aspects of forestry and logging that could unlock workable solutions with the right research behind them. “What if we take the mill to the woods?”

Read More

Forest History & Archives

Old Mill Heritage Centre to celebrate 100th anniversary

By Tom Sasvari
The Manitoulin Expositor
February 19, 2025
Category: Forest History & Archives
Region: Canada, Canada East

With the Old Mill in Kagawong celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, museum curator Rick Nelson said a couple of events will take place to commemorate this milestone. The museum board is also endeavoring to have a tabletop pictorial book on the history of the building published. “The Old Mill is celebrating its 100th golden anniversary this year and we are making plans for several celebrations to take place,” said Mr. Nelson… Construction of the two-storey pulp mill in Kagawong began in the spring of 1925. At that time, it would have been the only pulp mill on Manitoulin Island. By December of that year the first pulp was produced, ground from spruce and shipped by boat to Wisconsin to be made into paper for Sears-Roebuck catalogues. Spruce was abundently available and was needed to give the Sears-Roebuck catalogue pages a shiny finish.

Read More

→