Category Archives: Business & Politics

Business & Politics

HUB International launches exclusive HUB Forestry Select Insurance

By Hub International Limited
Cision Newswire
June 11, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada

CHICAGO — Hub International Limited (HUB), a leading global insurance brokerage and financial services firm, announced the launch of HUB Forestry Select Insurance, a comprehensive solution designed to protect and reduce liability risks for Canada’s forestry industry. This specialized solution offers streamlined underwriting, competitive pricing and reliable claims support for forestry contractors, sawmills, manufacturers and businesses managing access roads or powerline clearing. Business owners in the forestry and wood products industry face daily risks such as fire, equipment breakdown, liability and cargo loss. HUB Forestry Select Insurance offers tailored insurance protection and program stability, and industry experts who provide proactive risk management and customized coverage for businesses of all sizes. “Our goal is to support the forestry industry with an insurance solution that not only delivers meaningful value but also fosters long-term business resilience,” said Marc Chouinard, HUB National Practice Lead, Agribusiness Canada.

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Prime Minister Carney convenes the Incident Response Group to address wildfire situation

By Prime Minister Mark Carney
Government of Canada
June 8, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada

Mark Carney

Today, the Prime Minister, Mark Carney, convened the Incident Response Group with ministers and senior officials to address the ongoing 2025 wildfire situation affecting many parts of the country. The group was briefed on efforts to respond to the fires and support evacuations. This includes the mobilization of Canadian Armed Forces personnel to assist with the evacuation of Sandy Lake First Nation in Ontario. The Prime Minister emphasized the close contact between various arms of the federal government, premiers, and the Canadian Armed Forces. All orders of government remain engaged, including with Indigenous leadership. Prime Minister Carney and the group thanked all first responders and officials on the ground, and reiterated that the federal government stands ready to mobilize additional support wherever needed and in all aspects. 

Related coverage from the Canadian Press in CTV News: Ottawa sending support from armed forces amid northern Ontario wildfire evacuations

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US Lumber Coalition Comments on National Association of Home Builders FoxBusiness Statement

The US Lumber Coalition
June 4, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, United States

The NAHB has a long-established policy priority of working with Canada to promote unfettered access to the US market for unfairly traded Canadian lumber. …In a recent FoxBusiness report highlighting falling lumber prices… CEO of the NAHB, again indicated a desire to ensure continued access to Canadian lumber imports by stating that “we need to make sure that we have a reliable, affordable source of lumber.” “It is no secret that Canada engages in harmful unfair trade practices,” stated Andrew Miller of Stimson Lumber Company, adding “yet NAHB continues to advocate for the importation of injurious unfairly traded Canadian lumber while paying lip service to the idea of fair and balanced trade. …”It is ironic that NAHB and Canada are pushing the theme that US consumers pay for the duties, yet they are spending upwards of $50 million dollars a year fighting against the imposition of antidumping and anti-subsidy duties,” said Zoltan van Heyningen.

Related coverage in Mortgage Professional America: Experts split over lumber market’s role in housing slump

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West Fraser Credit Facility and Term Loan Renewals Increase Liquidity

West Fraser Timber Co. Ltd.
June 2, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, United States

VANCOUVER, BC — West Fraser Timber announced it has entered into a syndicated credit agreement providing for the renewal of its $1 billion credit facility and extension of the facility’s maturity from July 2028 to May 2030. The renewed credit facility is undrawn and is made available on substantially the same terms and conditions as the Company’s existing credit facility. Additionally, the Company has increased and extended its existing $200 million term loan maturing July 2025. The new term loan is for $300 million and matures May 2028.  “We exited the first quarter of 2025 with more than $1.4 billion of available liquidity, and with this renewed credit facility and expanded term loan we have further strengthened West Fraser’s near-term liquidity and financial flexibility,” said Sean McLaren, President and CEO, West Fraser.

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First Ministers’ statement on building a strong Canadian economy and advancing major projects

Office of the Prime Minister of Canada
June 2, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada

“Today, Canada’s First Ministers met in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, to build a stronger, more competitive, and more resilient Canadian economy… “This is a first step in implementing a broader set of reforms to overhaul the project assessment process. A significantly improved, streamlined project assessment process is necessary for Canada to grow its economy to become the strongest in the G7 and a global energy superpower. “First Ministers are committed to immediately begin to address project approval and permitting efficiency and timelines for all projects. Premiers welcomed the Prime Minister’s commitment to ensuring all federal assessment decisions are rendered within two years, beginning with projects of national interest. First Ministers also agreed to work toward efficiently and effectively implementing ‘one project, one review’ with the goal of a single assessment for all projects, in a manner that respects federal, provincial, and territorial jurisdiction, enhancing co-ordination activities on permitting and eliminating duplication.

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Trump’s tariffs to remain in effect after appeals court grants stay

By Dietrich Knauth and Sarah Marsh
Reuters
May 30, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, United States

A federal appeals court temporarily reinstated the most sweeping of President Trump’s tariffs, a day after a US trade court ruled that Trump had exceeded his authority in imposing the duties and ordered an immediate block on them. The United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington said it was pausing the lower court’s ruling to consider the government’s appeal. Wednesday’s surprise ruling by the US Court of International Trade had threatened Trump’s Liberation Day tariffs and additional tariffs on goods from Canada, Mexico and China. The trade court ruled that the Constitution gave Congress, not the president, the power to levy taxes and tariffs, and that the president had exceeded his authority by invoking the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. …Trump administration officials had said they were undeterred by the trade court’s ruling, saying they expected either to prevail on appeal or employ other presidential powers to ensure the tariffs go into effect.

Related coveraged in:

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How to win a trade war: Canada, Trump and a delicate dance in asymmetric warfare

By Andreas Schotter, Adam Waterous, Jack Mintz, Munir Sheikh & Ian Robertson
The Globe and Mail
May 30, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, United States

Canada continues to stare down the barrel of the American trade war. The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement faces its first big review in 2026. This country remains in a uniquely high-stakes moment. …This will, and will always be, an uneven fight. Canada is 40 million people and only the world’s ninth largest economy. A middle power is going up against the world’s richest and most powerful country. How exactly is it even possible for Canada to win in this asymmetric trade war? Crucially, this conflict isn’t just about steel, soybeans or softwood lumber – it’s about narrative and power. …US President Trump frames trade deficits as proof that the US is “losing”:

  • Give Trump some face-saving concessions that look like a win for him
  • Use oil, Canada’s unique economic hard power
  • Play defence: Reform our corporate tax regime
  • Northern gambit: Arctic crisis for trade leverage

[to access the full story a Globe and Mail subscription is required]

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Trump tariffs suffer staggering setback in U.S. court

By Alexander Panetta
CBC News
May 28, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, United States

A U.S. court delivered a sharp rebuke of President Donald Trump’s trade policy on Wednesday, declaring he abused his authority and striking down many of his tariffs — at least for now. The upshot for trading partners, including Canada: Certain specific tariffs on steel and aluminum remain in place, but gone, for now, are sweeping levies on entire countries. The order by the Manhattan-based U.S. Court of International Trade quashes Trump’s 10 per cent across-the-board tariff on most nations and his declaration of a fentanyl emergency to impose 25 per cent tariffs on numerous Canadian and Mexican goods. The White House vowed to fight back with every available tool. This means an immediate appeal and Trump possibly turning to different legal weapons to fight his trade wars. Nevertheless, this decision made history.

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Fifty-five workers to be laid off at Chemainus Sawmill

By Justin Baumgardner
My Cowichan Valley Now
June 9, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

CHEMAINUS, BC — Fifty-five workers are scheduled to be laid off after a shortage of viable logs has forced production at the Chemainus Sawmill starting this month. According to North Cowichan mayor Rob Douglas, Western Forest Products has informed the municipality they intend to start curtailment of the jobs on Jun. 18. “The company has indicated the reason for the shutdown is due to their inability to find a viable supply of fiber,” Douglas says. “We don’t have a date as to when Western Forest Products is going to resume operations at the Chemainus Mill, but we hope it’s very short term.” …“I have reached out to the forest minister (Ravi Parmar),” he says. …Delays in permits and cutting fiber is a long-standing issue in BC, which has led to shutdowns and impacting production, but Douglas says he has been reassured by Parmar that the province is addressing the issue.

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West Fraser celebrates 50 years in Slave Lake, Alberta

The Lakeside Leader
June 8, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

SLAVE LAKE, Alberta — On Saturday, May 24, West Fraser’s Slave Lake Veneer plant celebrated its 50th anniversary with the community of Slave Lake. Several hundred community members, elected officials, Indigenous leaders, employees and retirees joined the company for a day of festivities, including lunch, bouncy castles, face painting and an opportunity to learn more about the history of Slave Lake Veneer’s operations. These directly employ 150 local residents, mostly in the mill, but also in the woodlands department, as well hundreds of more with contractors that supply the operation. …West Fraser acquired Slave Lake Veneer in 1999, as part of its acquisition of Zeidler Forest Products. At the time, the mill operated as both a veneer plant and a stud mill. In 2016, all lumber production was transferred to the newly-acquired sawmill in High Prairie. Today, veneer output is almost 13 times higher than when the plant opened in 1973.

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Sinclar Group Forest Products founders recognized with lifetime achievement award

By Ted Clarke
The Prince George Citizen
June 7, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

Bob Stewart & Ivan Andersen

 In 1962, Bob Stewart and Ivan Andersen became business partners as lumber wholesalers after years of working in the Sinclair Mills planer mill northeast of Prince George. …In the late 1960s Stewart and Andersen expanded their operations to lumber manufacturing when they teamed up with Apollo Forest Products in Fort St. James and the L&M Lumber in Vanderhoof, and in 1971 they opened the Nechako Lumber planer mill in Vanderhoof. Their continued success led to purchases of two Prince George sawmills — Lakeland Mills in 1973 and The Pas Lumber Company in 1987. …Stewart died in 2003, followed by Andersen in 2011 and on May 5, 2025 in a ceremony in Vancouver they were inducted into the Business Laureate BC Hall of Fame. The award recognizes the lifetime achievements of outstanding BC business leaders whose efforts have shaped our province and country. Sinclar president Greg Stewart says the principles of running a third-generation family business established by his grandfather Bob and Ivan Andersen continue to guide the company’s daily operations. 

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Yu wants Prince George to factor into provincial, federal economic plans

By Colin Slark
The Prince George Citizen
June 5, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

Simon Yu

With BC Premier David Eby currently on a trade mission to Asia and Prime Minister Mark Carney looking to establish an east-west energy corridor, Prince George Mayor Simon Yu has hopes that his city will be part of the provincial and federal government’s plans to diversify the Canadian economy. Yu said it was great to see the premier head to Asia to visit some of the province’s biggest customers. …“We are looking forward to the premier perhaps re-establishing a BC trade mission in Asia in a much broader, prominent way,” he said. The mayor said he was also hoping that the premier promotes BC’s timber industry while in Asia. While the US will always be one of our biggest customers despite the ongoing trade disputes with the Trump Administration, Yu said having secondary customers in Asia would help stabilize the supply chain.

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As Liberals push prefab, B.C. researcher touts new construction methods

By Jami Makan
Business in Vancouver
June 4, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

As Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Liberal government plans billions in financing for builders of prefabricated homes, one expert says it’s a “significant amount of money” and “a very healthy kick-start” for the industry. The federal government’s Build Canada Homes (BCH) plan promises, among other things, more than $25 billion in financing to “innovative prefabricated home builders in Canada,” according to the Liberals’ website. Ramping up prefabrication could result in cheaper, faster and better-quality homes, said Tony Yang, professor of structural and earthquake engineering at University of British Columbia. “We are building too slowly right now,” he said. “We are lacking skilled workers on site.” The goal of prefab is to shift manufacturing from construction sites, which he called relatively inefficient, onto production lines that operate more quickly through repetition. 

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B.C. port foremen’s union and employers ratify 4-year deal

By Chuck Chiang
The Canadian Press in CBC News
June 4, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada West

Maritime employers in British Columbia and the union representing port foremen say they have ratified a new four-year collective agreement, after a dispute that saw workers locked out of container terminals last year. The British Columbia Maritime Employers Association and the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Ship and Dock Foremen Local 514 said in a joint statement that the new collective agreement extends from April 1, 2023, to March 31, 2027. …It is the second major labour deal for Canada’s West Coast ports that will be in place until March 2027, after an earlier agreement with thousands of port workers that was signed in August 2023 following a strike. The details of the new deal with supervisors have not been released, and neither the employers association nor the union representing roughly 700 supervisors immediately responded to requests for comment. They had been without a deal since the last accord expired in March 2023.

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Province, First Nations take next step to grow economy through partnerships, planning, conservation in northwestern B.C.

By Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship
Government of British Columbia
June 3, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada West

In partnership with the Province, the Tahltan, Taku River Tlingit, Kaska Dena, Gitanyow and Nisga’a Nations are kicking off land-use planning in the northwestern corner of B.C., engaging with industry, community and other partners to implement world-leading land-use plans that will provide greater certainty for investors, First Nations and communities alike. Last week, Premier David Eby outlined government’s vision for building prosperity centred on the pillars of economic growth, reconciliation and conservation in northwestern B.C. The vision includes partnering with First Nations to achieve large-scale conservation and strengthen reconciliation envisioned by the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA). …To that end, over the next year, the Province, Tahltan, Taku River Tlingit, Kaska Dena, Gitanyow and Nisga’a Nations will undertake expedited, inclusive land-use planning and essential stakeholder and public engagement. 

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KPMG buys assets of insolvent Victoria tech firm Llamazoo for $1.45M

By Michael John Lo
Sunshine Coast Reporter
June 3, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada West

KPMG in Canada has acquired the assets and remaining workers of a Victoria tech firm that went bankrupt and laid off most of its staff last year following a downturn in the tech market. B.C. Supreme Court approved the accounting firm’s $1.45-million purchase of LlamaZOO on May 20. Founded by Charles Lavigne and Kevin Oke in 2014, LlamaZOO provided real-time 3D visualizations for the forestry, mining, and oil and gas industry to map out their projects, cutting down on the amount of travel needed to maintain remote work sites. One of their flagship products, Timberops, was used to plan forest cut blocks and road-survey operations through topographic visualizations. The software, based on a century’s worth of logging operation data, allows users to see what a mountain might look like if the trees on its slopes were logged or kept growing.

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Local MLAs, Teegee weigh in on premier’s trade mission

By Colin Slark
Prince George Citizen
June 3, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada West

As Premier David Eby and a British Columbia delegation tours Japan, South Korea and Malaysia, Prince George’s opposition MLAs say the trip is “damage control” for his government’s previous policies as well as the reception to the recently passed bills 14 and 15. Eby and a delegation left for a 10-day trip to Japan, South Korea and Malaysia on Saturday, May 31. One notable absence from the trip is British Columbia Assembly of First Nations Regional Chief Terry Teegee, who said in a Friday, May 30 media release that he could not participate in a mission launched by a government that passed legislation trampling First Nations’ rights. Reached by phone on Monday, June 2, Prince George-North Cariboo, Prince George-Valemount and Prince George-Mackenzie Conservative MLAs Sheldon Clare, Rosalyn Bird and Kiel Giddens said the NDP are trying to make up for having closed British Columbia’s independent trade offices in Asia over the last eight years.

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Powell River mayor proposes upping foresty’s allowable cut

By Paul Galinski
Powell River Peak
May 27, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

Ron Woznow

City of Powell River Council voted to defer a Union of British Columbia Municipalities (UBCM) resolution proposed by mayor Ron Woznow until more research can be done. At the May 22 council meeting, Woznow read his resolution that recommended UBCM call upon the ministry of forests to take immediate steps to secure at least 45 million cubic metres of economically viable fibre for the 2025 calendar year, and that the ministry continue to increase access to economically viable fibre by five million cubic metres each year until achieving the annual allowable cut totals set by the chief forester. Woznow said the economic benefits of forestry in British Columbia are well known. …Councillor Cindy Elliott said on April 24, she went to Western Forest Products’ public advisory group meeting and lots of good information came out. She said she believes Woznow was trying to address the current undercut in the province.

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Provincial Government Announces Support for West Coast Truss Manufacturer

By Industry, Energy and Technology
Government of Newfoundland and Labrador
June 9, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada East

An investment by the Provincial Government will support a Deer Lake-based company as it expands and upgrades its production of roof and floor trusses. The Honourable Steve Crocker, Minister of Industry, Energy and Technology, today announced a $240,000 loan from the Business Investment Program for Western Woodworks Incorporated. Western Woodworks Incorporated is a roof and floor truss manufacturing company that also sells engineered wood products and steel beams for residential, commercial, and agricultural projects of all sizes. The company is investing in new manufacturing equipment to expand and modernize its truss manufacturing production line in response to increased demand for its products. The loan will help the company leverage more than $1 million from other sources to complete the upgrades. The new equipment will increase efficiency, improve product quality, and reduce labor-intensive processes.

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Kruger Products inaugurates new tissue plant in Sherbrooke, Québec

Kruger Inc.
June 9, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada East

SHERBROOKE, Québec — Kruger Products inaugurated its new LDC (light dry crepe) tissue plant in Sherbrooke, constructed on a site adjacent to its TAD plant. The construction of this new facility was part of a large-scale $377.5-million expansion project that included the construction of a double-wide tissue machine featuring LDC technology, as well as the installation of two new converting lines: a facial tissue line in the new plant and a bathroom tissue line in the TAD plant. The project created 205 direct jobs, increasing the number of new jobs at the Sherbrooke Operational Centre to 378 since 2020. …All told, this major project represents a historic investment of nearly $1 billion in the region since 2018 to create a major tissue product manufacturing hub in North America. This expansion project was supported by Investissement Québec, agent for the Government of Québec, who provided $165 million in loans.

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Lumber producer Remabec cuts 1,000 jobs in Quebec, citing tariffs

By Mathieu Dion
Bloomberg News in the Financial Post
June 5, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada East

One of Canada’s lumber producers, Groupe Rémabec, will temporarily lay off most of its workers as the industry faces rising US duties and weakening demand. The manufacturing division, Arbec Forest Products, is shutting down indefinitely, leading to more than 1,000 immediate job cuts. The number may reach 1,400 in the coming weeks, according to a company statement that blamed “persistent imbalances in both access to the resource and international markets.” Groupe Rémabec employs about 2,000 people and is headquartered in La Tuque, Quebec, about 300 kilometers north of Montreal. President Trump’s administration is poised to more than double the duties on Canadian softwood lumber.  …Rémabec said, with Arbec’s deposits representing an “astronomical amount.” …Rémabec also said a “feeling of exasperation is widespread” in the Quebec forestry industry over regulations that have created “an increasingly unstable ecosystem, without predictability or coherence.” The Quebec government has been trying to modernize its forestry legislation.

Related coverage in the Globe & Mail: Groupe Rémabec scales back operation

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‘We reject your bill:’ First Nations heads urge Quebec to scrap forestry reform bill

By Morgan Lowrie
Canadian Press
June 3, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada East

QUÉBEC – Representatives of the Assembly of First Nations Quebec-Labrador urged a provincial legislature committee on Tuesday to abandon a forestry reform bill that would reserve large swaths of the province’s forests for logging.  AFNQL Chief Francis Verreault-Paul and three other leaders called on the government to work with them to develop a new bill from scratch because they say Bill 97 does not respect First Nations’ ancestral rights. The proposed legislation would divide the province’s public forest land into three zones: conservation zones, multi-purpose zones and forest development zones where the forestry industry is prioritized. …The bill tabled this spring by Natural Resources Minister Maïté Blanchette Vézina specifies that activities that “restrict the carrying out of forest development activities” would be prohibited in the development zones, as would the implementation of conservation measures.

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Wood importers group meets with Vietnamese delegation

By Rich Christianson
The Woodworking Network
June 10, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States

WASHINGTON — Representatives of the International Wood Products Association (IWPA) met June 7 with a delegation from Vietnam’s Administration of Forestry to discuss sustainable trade in wood products. They explored opportunities to deepen cooperation and advance the shared goal of promoting legal and sustainable timber trade. The discussions included an exchange of policy updates, trade priorities, and areas for future cooperation. Ashley Amidon, CEO of the IWPA, delivered a presentation offering insight into recent developments in U.S. trade policy and underscoring the importance of responsible sourcing and transparent supply chains. Dr. Tran Quang Bao, director general of the Vietnam Administration of Forestry, highlighted the Vietnamese government’s recent efforts to promote legal and sustainable trade, including the implementation of a Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) with the EU, a timber agreement with the US and preparations for the EU recent regulation on deforestation free (EUDR).

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Lessons in Forest Service regs await nominee

E&E News
June 4, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States

The Trump administration’s nominee to oversee the Forest Service may soon be faced with navigating the agency’s environmental regulations from both sides: as an affected property owner and as the boss of the employees enforcing them. Mike Boren, the Trump administration’s pick for undersecretary for natural resources and environment, will likely have to work through the Forest Service’s environmental procedures to resolve a disagreement about a geothermal stream that one of his ranches in Idaho tapped for heating purposes, if he’s confirmed by the Senate. That’s the assessment of current and former Forest Service employees who described the rules to POLITICO’s E&E News, granted anonymity because they’re not authorized to speak with reporters or still work with the agency in other capacities.

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Will recent mergers in the global pulp and paper industry partly offset trade tensions?

By Simon Matthis
PulpaperNews.com
June 5, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, International

While the pulp and paper industry is inherently local—particularly in terms of production and sourcing of raw materials—trade is fundamentally cross-border and international. As a result, the sector is highly exposed to trade barriers and tensions, such as those created by the tariff policies introduced during the Trump administration. Tariffs are expected to put significant pressure on transportation and logistics—sectors that are intrinsically linked to the pulp and paper industry. This strain is partly mitigated by the fact that many pulp and paper companies have made substantial investments in overseas production capacity. Recent mergers in the industry, such as the Smurfit Kappa–WestRock merger and the International Paper–DS Smith merger, are also likely to offset some of the negative impacts of tariffs. These newly formed giants now operate production facilities in both Europe and the US. …This consolidation trend may render the pulp and paper industry more resilient. 

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Senate considers Michael Boren to lead Forest Service, despite clashing with agency

By Julia Jacobo
ABC News 13
June 3, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States

President Donald Trump’s nominee to oversee the U.S. Forest Service has a history of clashing with the very agency that he soon could be leading. On Tuesday afternoon, the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry began the confirmation hearing for Michael Boren, an investment consultant, Idaho ranch owner and founder of a billion-dollar tech company. A bipartisan committee will assess Boren’s qualifications and vote on his nomination. …Boren, 62, has had disagreements with the U.S. Forest Service in recent years. …When introducing Boren to the committee, Sen. James Risch, R-Ida., addressed the reports of the disputes between the nominee and the Forest Service, saying that people who own “inholding” land — or privately owned land situated within the boundary of publicly owned or protected area that are common west of the Mississippi River — typically come into conflict with the federal government.

Related coverage in the New York Times (subscription only) by Hiroko Tabuchi: He Built an Airstrip on Protected Land. Now He’s in Line to Lead the Forest Service.

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Lumber Liquidators hits the comeback trail

Hardware + Building Supply Dealer
June 3, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States

Lumber Liquidators is back in business—and looking to grow. In May, the company opened a new store in Franklin, Tenn., which is its first expansion since transitioning from LL Flooring back to original Lumber Liquidators moniker. LL Flooring declared bankruptcy in 2024 but was purchased by Miami-based F9 Investments, opening the door to a potential resurgence. “This new store opening is proof positive that Lumber Liquidators is back and better than ever. We’re proud to be a trusted name in the industry, and we’re going to continue showing why we’re the best in the flooring business,” said Jason Delves, President and CEO of Lumber Liquidators in a press release. Last September, F9 Investments, which is led by Lumber Liquidators founder Thomas Sullivan, acquired 219 LL Flooring stores, along with inventory in those stores and the company’s distribution center in Sandston, Virginia.

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Coalition continues push for U.S. lumber reliance

Hardware + Building Supply Dealer
May 28, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States

The U.S. Lumber Coalition, a nationwide alliance of softwood lumber dealers, continues to rail against what it views as “unfair Canadian trade practices” that dilute demand, production and competition in the country. Last week, it sent out a release seeking to counter CNBC’s recent coverage that featured builders’ anxiety tying imminent price increases to tariffs and elevated duties—as well as broader concerns about the nation’s ability to produce enough domestically-sourced lumber should imports cease or slow down. The NAHB, which has been resolutely against any tariffs or duties that might increase the price of building materials, takes the view that “Price increases to lumber can cause a huge disruption for home builders. And lack of certainty adds complexity to the home-building process.”

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Impending duty hikes on Canada lumber should help mills here

By Chris Peterson
Hungry Horse News
June 4, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: US West

Duties placed on Canadian lumber entering the U.S. could eventually help markets here, a local mill manager is saying, but they are still a few months out. There’s a misconception that recent tariffs announced against Canadian goods extended to lumber products, F.H. Stoltze Land and Lumber vice president and general manager Paul McKenzie said Monday. The U.S.-Canada lumber market is governed under a separate and oft disputed softwood agreement that places duties on Canadian lumber. The duties are supposed to keep Canadians from dumping government subsidized lumbers onto U.S. markets. They currently amount to about 14% combined. By August or September, they’re expected to climb to 34%, McKenzie noted. That will be helpful to us,” McKenzie said. Stoltze has operated its independent mill in Columbia Falls, Montana over 100 years. McKenzie said Canadians are currently dumping their products into the U.S. ahead of the hike in duties. 

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International Paper to Explore Building a New State-of-the-Art Sustainable Packaging Facility in Salt Lake City, Utah

By International Paper
PR Newswire
June 3, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, US West

MEMPHIS, Tennissee — International Paper announced the strategic exploration of a new sustainable packaging facility in Salt Lake City, Utah. The exploration of a prospective new facility is part of International Paper’s strategic growth plans to expand manufacturing capabilities in the US. The company is eyeing Utah to increase its footprint in the region and better serve customers by meeting the growing demand for high-quality, sustainable packaging. This announcement comes shortly after the company celebrated the groundbreaking of a new state-of-the-art sustainable packaging facility in Waterloo, Iowa. …”This exploration would be a new market for IP and an opportunity to better serve existing customers in the region,” said John Berry, Packaging Group West.

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Swiss Krono Group to acquire Collins Pine Company’s Klamath Falls facilities in Oregon

The Collins Pine Company
May 30, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, US West

KLAMATH FALLS, Oregon – The Swiss Krono Group has entered into an agreement to acquire Collins Pine Company’s particleboard and engineered wood siding manufacturing facilities located in Klamath Falls, Oregon. This acquisition marks a strategic expansion for Swiss Krono in North America, complementing its existing operations in Barnwell, South Carolina, and building its presence in the Western United States. The decision by Collins to divest the Klamath Falls facilities supports the company’s strategic focus on its core business of timberlands management and softwood and hardwood lumber manufacturing. The transaction is subject to customary regulatory approvals and closing conditions. Financial terms of the deal will not be disclosed. …Collins Pine Company, founded in 1855, is family-owned with over 370,000 acres of FSC certified land in California, Oregon, and Pennsylvania. 

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Timberlab Plans Millersburg, Oregon, Manufacturing Operations

Area Development
May 27, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, US West

Timberlab Inc, a subsidiary of Swinerton Incorporated and provider of holistic mass timber systems, plans to establish operations in Millersburg, Oregon. The approximately $117 million project is expected to create 100 jobs. The investment will include the construction of a 190,000-square-foot cross-laminated timber manufacturing facility, located on 33.51 acres, which will produce 7 to 9 million square feet of CLT annually. Operations are scheduled for 2027. “This facility groundbreaking is happening at a pivotal moment. Over the last 18 months, Oregon mills have been closing and jobs have been lost,” said Chris Evans, Timberlab president. “The firm is committed to investing in rural economies, as proven by its investment in two GLT facilities and a sawmill and planing mill, all in rural Oregon. …“Today’s groundbreaking marks an exciting step forward in the growth of Oregon’s mass timber industry – a revolutionary technology key to our shared goal of building a sustainable, low-carbon future,” noted Governor Tina Kotek.

Timberlab Press Release: Timberlab breaks ground on state-of-the-art CLT facility in Oregon

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Crews respond to fire at Pixelle Specialty Solutions in York County, Pennsylvania

By Joshua Feldstein
Fox News 43
June 9, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, US East

YORK COUNTY, Pennsylvania — A fire occurred at Pixelle Specialty Solutions, a paper mill in Spring Grove Borough, York County, at about 3 a.m., on Monday, June 9. An officer with York County Regional Police confirmed that there are no injuries associated with the fire, and that the facility was minimally staffed, but everyone was evacuated. The incident is now in the cleanup phase of the investigation, but is no longer active, according to police. Ross Bushnell, President & CEO, issued a statement about the incident. …”Early this morning, a small fire occurred at Pixelle’s Spring Grove facility. Our team responded quickly and followed established safety protocols, containing the fire before emergency crews arrived. Multiple local departments responded, and all cleared the scene by 5 a.m.  

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Domtar awaits permits to kickstart anaerobic digester project

By Allison Winters
The TimesNews
June 4, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, US East

KINGSPORT, Tennessee — It could be the third or fourth quarter of 2026 before an anaerobic digester is completed to help with odor mitigation at the Kingsport mill, Domtar officials shared Tuesday. Charlie Floyd, VP of strategic capital projects for Domtar, and Bonnie Depew, environmental manager at Domtar’s Kingsport mill, presented updates about Project Bandit to the Kingsport Economic Development Board. Floyd said the biggest holdup is waiting on permits from the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation. TDEC has already asked for two extensions to review the permit application, state records show. …His hope is for the permit to be in the hands of Domtar by the end of the month. Over 80% of the equipment for the anaerobic digester has been purchased, according to Floyd. …At the height of construction, Floyd said there will be around 150 contractors on site to help build the digester and associated equipment.

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BlueLinx Announces Expansion of Distribution Partnership with LP Building Solutions

By BlueLinx
The Financial Times
June 2, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, US East

ATLANTA — BlueLinx and Louisiana-Pacific announces the expansion of their distribution partnership to Springfield, Missouri. The expanded collaboration will include LP’s renowned Siding Solutions brands and prefinished solutions, namely LP® SmartSide® Trim & Siding and LP® SmartSide® ExpertFinish® Trim & Siding. This strategic move expands BlueLinx’s stocking footprint of LP® SmartSide® to 19 locations, spanning five of BlueLinx’s regions across the United States.

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South Carolina paper mill with stinking past also had toxic mercury discharges

By Sammy Fretwell
The State
May 30, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, US East

YORK COUNTY — South Carolina’s New Indy paper mill… releases more of a powerful neurotoxin into the air than any other major paper plant in the country, a new report says. The amount of mercury leaving New Indy’s York County plant is detailed in a study that examines air pollution at the nation’s largest 185 paper and pulp mills. A major finding is that many paper mills aren’t fully reporting the amount of greenhouse gases they release into the air because of a loophole in federal law. The report says they are burning fuels that release too much air pollution. But the report also provides insight about the discharge of mercury. The study, conducted by the Environmental Integrity Project, calls New Indy’s plant “the worst polluter in the nation’’ for mercury at paper mills, as well as for zinc, another type of metallic waste.

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Softwood to take centre stage at International Softwood Conference in Norway

By Stephen Powney
The Timber Trades Journal
June 10, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: International

Timber industry consultant Stephen Sabine will give a UK market outlook at the International Softwood Conference (ISC) in Norway later this year. Mr Sabine, of JAM Timber Consulting and formerly a director of Consolidated Timber Holdings will highlight market dynamics in the UK covering softwood. …The conference part takes place on October 23. The European Organisation of the Sawmilling Industry and European Timber Trade Federation will cover European softwood developments from both a producer and user perspective. Paul Jannke, FEA, will explain the market in the US and Canada, while Fredrik Westling of Forssell Timber will tell delegates about the softwood sector in Japan. Setra’s Olle Berg will cover the Chinese market. …For more information visit ISC2025.

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EU targets Chinese plywood in latest defence of domestic industries

By Andy Bounds
The Financial Times
June 10, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: International

The EU has imposed anti-dumping duties on Chinese plywood imports, just a few days after Beijing tried to ease trade tensions between the two. The provisional levies of up to 62.4% follow a surge in imports of hardwood plywood over the past three years that had damaged domestic producers, the European Commission said. The Greenwood Consortium of EU producers, which brought a complaint against Chinese competitors last year, said it welcomed the move but argued for “definitive duties to be even higher than these provisional levels” when the commission makes a final decision later this year. Brussels has also taken the unusual step of monitoring imports of softwood plywood, which is not subject to duties, after allegations that Chinese exporters were disguising hardwood products in anticipation of the levies. …“The alleged practice consisted of placing very thin outer layers of softwood veneer on top of the hardwood plywood face veneer.

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New EU deforestation rules progress, despite New Zealand opposition

By Monique Steele
The New Zealand Herald
June 5, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: International

New Zealand exporters sending wood, beef and leather products to the European Union will soon have to comply with new rules that aim to reduce deforestation in the supply chain. New Zealand government officials and industry opposed the approach to anti-deforestation taken by the incoming European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR). This was due to increased compliance costs exporters would face in proving their products had not contributed to the loss of trees. …For New Zealand, this will affect the $213 million export trade. Exporters of wood products – a trade to Europe valued at around $100 million – would be required to provide traceability processes to show that their products did not contribute to deforestation, too. …The Wood Processors and Manufacturers’ Association’s Mark Ross, said a working group with forest growers, wood processors, and the Government had been set up to work through some issues, such as geolocation requirements.

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UPM invests over 10 million euros in UPM Tervasaari mill in Finland

UPM Specialty Papers
May 28, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: International

UPM Specialty Papers will invest over 10 million euros in the modernization of UPM Tervasaari mill in Valkeakoski, Finland. The investment will allow UPM Specialty Papers to boost capacity and improve production stability in its highly specialized products, such as glassines and flexible packaging papers. …“This investment underscores our commitment to serving customers in the label, tape and industrial value chains as well as packaging,” highlights Tomi Lonka, Senior Vice President, Global Specialty Papers, UPM Specialty Papers. The modernization project includes the paper machine drying section rebuild and related steam system upgrade. The project is expected to be completed at the end of 2026. In recent years UPM has also invested approximately 20 million euros in boosting the energy efficiency of UPM Tervasaari mill. For example, in 2023, a new electric boiler was installed.

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