The devastating fires that are preventing 1,000 logging contractors from harvesting the trees for our factories will ultimately hurt the wallets of Quebecers, who risk having to pay more for their lumber, paper and packaging board.
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• Also read: Understand smog and particulate matter
“If operators don’t go into the forest, there is no timber being transported and therefore no lumber, no sawing and no by-products,” summarizes Jean-François Samray, CEO of the Conseil de Quebec Forest Industry (CIFQ).
“It’s burning in Quebec, it’s burning in the west, it’s burning in Ontario too, so [le bois] There will be less there, so the price will go up for the same demand,” he explains.
In the Journal, the CEO of melamine board manufacturer Uniboard, James Hogg, already claims to be feeling the effects.
“The activities of our Abitibi plant are starting to slow down. We are concerned that if this continues, there should be a fiber shortage within a few weeks,” says the man at the helm of the company, which last year invested $250 million in modernizing its Val-d’Or facility invested.
“There is definitely upward pressure. These industries are so closely related,” notes André Roy, President of the Union of Forest Producers of Southern Quebec.
In fact, at the Association of Construction and Housing Professionals of Quebec (APCHQ), we expect new home prices in Quebec to rise despite a slowdown in activity because Americans’ appetite for our wood in the residential sector has only just increased .
“In the next few months, house prices are likely to increase due to the price of lumber because a single-family home requires a lot,” said Paul Cardinal, director of economics at APCHQ.
- Listen to Yves Daoust’s business section as he talks about the rise in the price of wood QUB radio :
“We lose $100,000 a week”
At the Quebec Association of Forest Entrepreneurs (AQEF), the situation is serious. “We have 1,000 workers unemployed. It hurts. Some won’t survive,” fears his business partner Martin Bouchard.
Worse still, more and more stuck entrepreneurs are unable to repay their machine loans because they are no longer profitable.
“We’re losing $100,000 a week. I have 13 employees who have employment insurance,” laments Donald Fortin, owner of Forestier AD Fortin in Saint-Edmond-les-Plaines, Lac-Saint-Jean.
“I know some who started from scratch and could lose everything now. They just bought new equipment too,” says the man, who insists that large urban centers need the forest to live as much as regions do.
“We lost $250,000 in sales this month. That’s pretty big,” sighs Jacques Verrier, co-founder of the Inter-Nations Work Cooperative, which works north of the Gouin Reserve.
For Louis Bégin, President of the CSN Confederation of Manufacturing Industries, the concern is also felt among workers. “We want the government of Quebec to help us urgently,” he emphasizes.
Air Quality Index (AQI)
How high is the air quality index in your city and what health recommendations are derived from it?
Air Quality Index (AQI US)
101-150
Bad
sensitive people
AQI: GOOD
Great day to be active outside.
AQI: MODERATE
Some people may be particularly sensitive to particulate matter pollution
Particularly sensitive people: Consider reducing the duration and intensity of outdoor activities. Watch for symptoms such as coughing or shortness of breath. These are signs of slowing down.
All the others : Great day to be active outside.
AQI: BAD for
sensitive people
Sensitive groups include people with heart or lung diseases, the elderly, children and young people, minorities and field workers.
Sensitive groups: Reduce the duration and intensity of outdoor activities. It’s okay to be active outside, but take more breaks. Watch for symptoms such as coughing or shortness of breath.
People with heart disease: Symptoms such as palpitations, shortness of breath, or unusual tiredness can indicate a serious problem. If you have any of these symptoms, contact your doctor.
AQI: BAD
for each
Sensitive people: Avoid prolonged or strenuous outdoor activities. Consider moving or moving activities inward.*
All the others : Reduce the duration and intensity of activities. Take more breaks from outdoor activities.
*Note: If you don’t have air conditioning, it can be dangerous to stay indoors with the windows closed during extremely hot weather. If you’re hot, go to a place with air conditioning or check with your community to see if cooling centers are available in your community.
AQI: VERY BAD
Sensitive people: Avoid any physical activity outdoors. Postpone it to a time when the air quality is better or move activities indoors.*
All the others : Avoid prolonged or strenuous activities. Consider moving or moving activities inward.*
*Note: If you don’t have air conditioning, it can be dangerous to stay indoors with the windows closed during extremely hot weather. If you’re hot, go to a place with air conditioning or check with your community to see if cooling centers are available in your community.
AQI: CRITICAL
All the others : Avoid any physical activity outdoors.
Sensitive people: Stay indoors and maintain reduced activity levels. Follow these tips to keep particulate matter levels low indoors.*
*Note: If you don’t have air conditioning, it can be dangerous to stay indoors with the windows closed during extremely hot weather. If you’re hot, go to a place with air conditioning or check with your community to see if cooling centers are available in your community.
Affected fixed
At Resolute Forest Products, which employs 145 of these forestry subcontractors with a total of 950 employees, we want to come to their aid.
“We need a program to help them,” says Louis Bouchard, spokesman for the giant, which operates nearly 20 sawmills and paper mills in Quebec. He also hopes we can harvest the burnt wood in our forests as quickly as possible before it is eaten by insects.
- Listen to Marie Montpetit’s interview with Jean-François Samray, CEO of the Quebec Forest Industry Council QUB radio :
Only one Resolute sawmill is currently closed: that of Lebel-sur-Quévillon. In the worst case of the crisis, four had to stop their activities.
In Quebec, Resolute has 18 wood processing plants (saw, planing, kiln and secondary processing plants) and six pulp and paper plants.
– In collaboration with Julien McEvoy
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