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Winnipeg Free Press
23 minutes ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
B.C.'s independent wood manufacturers decry retroactive U.S. softwood duties
VANCOUVER – British Columbia's independent wood product makers say hundreds of small- and medium-sized manufacturers may be forced to shut down in light of the latest decision from the United States to raise anti-dumping duties on Canadian softwood. The province's Independent Wood Processors Association says in a release that the U.S. Commerce Department's decision this week to raise duties also includes a requirement for Canadian companies to retroactively remit duties for products shipped to the United States since Jan.1, 2023. Association chair Andy Rielly says in a statement that the requirement to pay duties on products shipped in the last 31 months could not only force small B.C. producers to shut down, but may also threaten operators' personal assets as they may have to risk using their homes as collateral to secure bonds to pay. Rielly is urging the Canadian government to create support programs to make sure B.C.'s independent wood processors can keep workers employed and their companies running. The U.S. Commerce Department said earlier in the week it will raise anti-dumping duties on Canadian softwood to 20.56 per cent, drawing the ire of several B.C. industry groups such as the B.C. Council of Forest Industries and the B.C. Lumber Trade Council. The Independent Wood Processors Association says the the 'all-others' rate affecting its members will be raised from 14.4 per cent to 27.3 per cent, with the possibly of another increase 'in the coming weeks' potentially pushing the duties for their products to as high as 35 per cent. 'Until the Canadian government can negotiate a settlement to this long-festering dispute, we need a government support program to keep our workers employed,' Rielly says, adding an overall duty of 35-per-cent would force members to pay retroactive duties of 27 per cent on products already shipped. Monday Mornings The latest local business news and a lookahead to the coming week. Association executive director Brian Menzies describes independent wood product producers as 'collateral damage' in the trade war, and says the only hope they have of avoiding the hit is either 'a favourable appeal from the Canada-US-Mexico Agreement' or 'pursuing a bilateral negotiated resolution.' 'We should not face export taxes or quotas,' Menzies says. 'Our raw materials are not subsidized, and we are too small to 'dump' our products in the U.S. market. 'We acquire logs and lumber at 'arm's length' from various suppliers on the open market, just like claims made by members of the U.S. Lumber Coalition, and yet our Canadian companies along with U.S. consumers must pay these unfair and costly duties.' Prime Minister Mark Carney had previously said that a future U.S.-Canada trade deal could include softwood lumber quotas. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 26, 2025.
CTV News
23 minutes ago
- CTV News
Albertans lead the country at saving money
A new study shows that Albertans save more cash than any other province in the country. A recent report has found that Albertans top the country for banking cash for the future. The Desjardins Report revealed that the average Albertan saved nearly nine per cent of their disposable income between 2020 and 2023 -- the highest in Canada and well above the national average of under four per cent. Two factors are credited. Albertans had the most cash on hand to spent per household, around $110,000. And affordability in the province was among the best in the country. 'Housing in Alberta is deeply affordable compared to the rest of the country,' said Randall Bartlett, Desjardin's deputy chief economist. 'Obviously it's become less affordable in recent years,' he added, 'but still much more affordable than other parts of the country, particularly the big provinces of Ontario and B.C.' Desjardins is predicting those high savings rats will continue, especially as Alberta's households are among the youngest in the country -- and that demographic is known to save more than older age groups.
CTV News
an hour ago
- CTV News
Independent review of North Shore Wastewater Treatment Plant overruns on hold
The North Shore Wastewater Treatment Plant is seen during construction in Fall 2020. (Metro Vancouver) Metro Vancouver has put its independent review of the massively over-budget North Shore Wastewater Treatment Plant project on hold while it litigates the issue with the project's former contractor. The regional district announced the decision on Friday, saying it is 'not in the public interest' to continue the review while its lawsuit against Acciona Wastewater Solutions LP – and the company's counterclaim against Metro Vancouver – are before the courts. The litigation is currently scheduled to go to trial in March 2027. 'After careful consideration, the board has decided the public interest is best served by resolving the legal dispute with the previous contractor before undertaking the review,' said Burnaby Mayor Mike Hurley, chair of Metro Vancouver's Board of Directors, in a statement Friday. The board first launched the independent review process in June 2024, hiring retired judge John J.L. Hunter to 'develop the scope and terms of reference for the review and the process of selecting an independent, qualified reviewer,' Metro Vancouver's statement explains. Hunter has since died, and his role is now being filled by Randal Kaardal, a senior litigator at his company Hunter Litigation Chambers. Before his death, Hunter selected the MWGK Independent Review Team to conduct the review. In the Metro Vancouver statement, Kaardal said delaying the review until the conclusion of the court process will result in more information being available to the reviewer. 'The litigation is a public process, and once the dispute with the former contractor has been resolved, the Metro Vancouver board and the reviewer would be in a better position to complete a review on any outstanding questions,' Kaardal said. Metro Vancouver dismissed Acciona in October 2021, claiming that the company had 'abandoned' the project, a claim Acciona says is not true. The two sides are currently suing each other in B.C. Supreme Court, with Acciona alleging that Metro Vancouver has refused to pay it more than $100 million for work it completed on the site, and that the regional district made more than 1,000 requests for project modifications that led directly to the project's ballooning cost. For its part, Metro Vancouver says Acciona failed to meet project timelines and left it with 'no choice' but to cancel the contract. Acciona blames the delays on Metro Vancouver's 'flawed design' and 'interference' with the project. Originally budgeted at roughly $500 million and expected to be completed by 2020, the North Shore Wastewater Treatment Plant project is now moving forward with a different contractor at a cost of $3.86 billion – more than seven times the original budget. The anticipated completion date is now sometime in 2030.
