Western Forest Products CEO responds to Changes in the B.C. Manufacture Forest Products Regulations

Western Forest Products, President and CEO Don Demens, has responded to the British Columbia provincial government changes to the Manufacture Forest Products Regulations, which are scheduled to go into effect on September 30th, 2020. The new regulation includes the application of a tax on Western Red Cedar and Cypress exported from the Coast of British Columbia within 3,000 miles from British Columbia. The amount of the tax varies depending on the extent of processing applied to the lumber before it is exported. In his statement Demens said, “We are disappointed the Government has chosen to add additional regulatory burden and costs during a global pandemic to an industry that is already disproportionately impacted by the application of US softwood lumber duties.”