When Domtar announced it would be shuttering a Vancouver Island pulp mill and laying off 350 workers, it came as little surprise to those who knew the company was losing millions of dollars despite cost-cutting measures by management and staff. What’s not widely known is that the company had been buying and transporting American pulp to the Cowichan Valley facility to keep it running after struggling to find enough material in Canada. “It’s cheaper and it’s more readily available and dependable, in terms of its supply,” said Domtar’s senior director of public affairs, Chris Stoicheff. “That should give an indication to British Columbians of where we’re at.” …The forestry sector has been urging the government to reform permitting and approvals processes and reduce red tape in order to make them more economically viable. Stoicheff says the opposite has been true, with companies going from weeks-long waits for harvesting permits to year-long waits.

• Related by Maryse Zeidler in CBC News: Crofton closure a shock, but not a surprise, to Cowichan Valley residents and businesses