MONTRÉAL, RICHMOND, BC, and FORT MILL, SC – Domtar, a leading North American manufacturer of diversified forest products, released its new Sustainability Strategy, a comprehensive plan that aligns the company’s priorities with key sustainability objectives and stakeholder interests. The Strategy includes performance metrics and benchmarks to track progress through 2030, with a focus on the company’s woodlands and manufacturing operations across Canada and the United States. It will also serve as the framework for Domtar’s first integrated Sustainability Report, covering all three business units (Paper & Packaging, Pulp & Tissue and Wood Products), which will be released later this year. “Domtar has a long history of excellence in sustainability. We said we would maintain the highest levels of environmental stewardship and sustainability performance, and today we’re unveiling how we intend to deliver,” said John D. Williams, Non-Executive Chairman of the Management Board of Domtar.
A meeting between the leaders of Canada and the US is not usually considered a high-stakes showdown, but here was newly elected Prime Minister Mark Carney making his first visit to the Oval Office to see President Donald Trump, who has spent months musing about turning America’s northern neighbor into the 51st state. …The interaction offered a glimpse into how Trump has transformed Oval Office meetings from brief and bland encounters into precarious affairs. …His approach can be thrilling for supporters and destabilizing for diplomats accustomed to a more deliberative approach to international relations. … It appears that Carney struck the right balance, at least in Trump’s mind. An invitation to the Oval Office has long been the height of international prestige. …Now, they’re raucous episodes in a foreign policy reality show, starring Trump. While the president can be a gracious host, he openly complains about visitors’ countries.
The rapid response of firefighters and workers at Pioneer Log Homes east of Williams Lake to prevent a log pile fire from spreading to other piles in the yard is being credited for saving the construction site from being destroyed. The fire on the west side of the building site at 1527 Old Cariboo Highway 97 (Mile 153) was reported to the 150 Mile House Volunteer Fire Department just after noon Monday and after a mutual aid request fire crews from City of Williams Lake and volunteer departments in Miocene and Wildwood were also dispatched to the scene. They spent nearly half a day dousing the burning logs until the fire was fully extinguished at about 11:30 p.m. Monday. No estimate has been determined on the cost of the logs lost in the fire, which was confined to one large pile covering an area estimated at one hectare.
A high-stakes meeting between Prime Minister Mark Carney and United States President Donald Trump on Tuesday is being closely watched by politicians in Victoria. Ravi Kahlon, minister of housing and municipal affairs, said the province is being pragmatic… “We’re not expecting an agreement, and we’re also realistic that any agreement made with President Trump can be changed with a tweet the next day,” Kahlon said Tuesday. …Kahlon says the key for B.C. is to rely on its resources and to increase diversified trade with other countries. …Adding that breaking down interprovincial trade barriers will also help. …Meanwhile, B.C.’s forestry minister, Ravi Parmar, says Carney needs to prioritize B.C’s softwood lumber industry during his talk with Trump. …Western Canadian director for the United Steelworkers, Scott Lunny, tells 1130 NewsRadio that if the goal for the Trump administration is to rewrite the free trade agreement, we should “quit the nonsense and get on with that.”
As the next step in its plan to protect Ontario workers in the face of tariffs and economic uncertainty, the provincial government is expanding its Skills Development Fund (SDF) by nearly $1 billion over the next three years, for a total of $2.5 billion. This funding will help train and reskill Ontario workers, including those directly impacted by layoffs resulting from tariffs and ensure they have the necessary support to find good-paying jobs and help strengthen Ontario’s economy. “We’re already seeing the impact of President Trump’s tariffs and the economic uncertainty he has created on Ontario workers,” said Premier Doug Ford. “Today’s announcement of a further $1 billion in SDF funding is just the latest step in our plan to protect Ontario by investing in workers and making sure they have the support they need to succeed, no matter what comes our way.”
WASHINGTON, DC — The American Kitchen Cabinet Alliance (AKCA) recently submitted formal comments as part of the Section 232 investigation on Timber, Lumber and Derivatives (including cabinets). Unfairly traded cabinet imports many of them sold at prices that are often over 60% below that of the domestic market are flooding into the US. …“American cabinet manufacturing plants cannot compete with foreign countries flooding the market with unfairly traded cabinets which has resulted in an estimated $6.5 billion in lost revenue to the domestic industry over the last five years,” remarked Perry Miller, President of Kountry Wood Products. “Foreign imports primarily from Cambodia, Malaysia, Mexico, Thailand, Vietnam that are heavily subsidized are destroying American cabinet jobs. …“The domestic cabinet industry is on the brink of collapse. “We are asking for a Section 232 tariff of at least 60%, to level the playing field and stop the cheating as we seek to protect over 250,000 American jobs.”
New York — Some of the last cargo ships carrying Chinese goods without crippling tariffs are arriving at US ports. Come next week, that will change. Cargo on ships from China loaded after April 9 will carry with them the 145% tariff President Donald Trump slapped on goods from that nation last month. Next week there will be fewer ships carrying less cargo. For many importers, it is too expensive to do business with China. Yet China is still one of America’s most important trading partners. It’s where we get most of our clothes, footwear, electronics and microchips, which power appliances, thermostats and anything else that beeps. …Forty-five percent of supply chain leaders expect they’ll pass the higher cost from tariffs down to their customers, according to a new survey by Gartner, a corporate research firm. …With fewer cargo ships expected at US ports, local economies will suffer immediately, Gene Seroka, executive director of the Port of Los Angeles said.
BINGEN, Washington — A plywood mill in the southern Washington city of Bingen will close next month and lay off all 81 workers, the plant’s operator said Thursday. The SDS facility has been operating — with occasional stoppages — since 1949. It uses older equipment, according to Wilkins, Kaiser & Olsen, which was part of a consortium of firms that acquired the mill in 2021. “Regrettably, the long-term challenges and the magnitude of the required investment render continued operation unsustainable,” the mill’s operators said. An adjacent stud mill, planer mill and marine facility will continue operating. Bingen is a small city just across the Columbia River from Hood River. WKO and an affiliated business, Mt. Hood Forest Products, are adding 60 full-time positions to increase their output by 35%. The firms said they will consider hiring some of the laid-off workers.
A federal judge in Jackson, Mississippi, issued an order April 28 allowing a lawsuit by a newspaper publisher and lumber company against the Mississippi River Commission (MRC) to proceed. The lawsuit alleges a lack of transparency in meetings. The suit was originally filed in September 2024. Emmerich Newspapers Inc., which publishes dozens of publications across Mississippi, Louisiana and Arkansas, sued the MRC over what it claimed were secret meetings where proper records were not kept and the public was not notified or admitted. Emmerich was joined as plaintiff by a lumber company that manages hundreds of acres alongside the Mississippi River. The lumber company claims the Corps of Engineers’ decisions on flood control, informed by advice from the MRC, adversely affect its properties. The judge’s decision allows the lawsuit to proceed without ruling on the merits of the allegations.
