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Logger poles resurrected for Fall Fair Alberni Region, Page 3
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Monday, June 29, 2015
ECONOMY
Alberni forestry needs raw logs Local industry lacks sawmill investments
» Emergency
ERIC PLUMMER ALBERNI VALLEY TIMES
A multi-unit residential building aflame Friday morning on Pierce Road and Chapman Avenue. No one was injured. Firefighters and RCMP determined the cause of the fire was an electrical arc fault. [JERRY FEVENS FOR THE TIMES]
Beaver Creek property burns; firefighters from 3 departments battle multi-unit blaze ALBERNI VALLEY TIMES
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Firefighters were on scene early Friday morning to tackle a structure fire on Pierce Road. The building was situated among tinder dry forest. [KRISTI DOBSON, TIMES]
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irefighters from three of Port Alberni’s departments were called in Friday morning to tackle a multi-unit residential fire in Beaver Creek. The call came in at 6:25 a.m. of a structure fire on the corner of Pierce Road and Chapman Avenue. The two-storey structure was fully ablaze when fire crews arrived. Twenty-five firefighters from the Port Alberni, Beaver Creek and Sproat Lake departments were able to extinguish the blaze and no injuries were reported. Fire damage was contained
to the front two units with a third unit at the rear left undamaged. The fire risked spreading to surrounding tinder dry trees. By about 2 p.m., the property was turned back to the property owner and firefighters left the scene. The fire was investigated with the assistance of the RCMP and the cause was found to be an electrical arc fault. News@avtimes.net 250-723-8171 » We want to hear from you. Send comments on this story to letters@avtimes.net. Letters must include daytime phone number and hometown.
Vintage E&N rail coach undergoing restoration
Young ducks tended to until released in wild
A small crew of volunteers are working at restoring an old rail coach that once carried passengers up and down Vancouver Island. » Alberni Region, 3
A group of eight young wood ducks were brought to the North Island Wildlife Recovery Centre after they were found with no parents. » Community, 9
Private investment in sawmills has focused on the east side of Vancouver Island, leaving Port Alberni’s once-mighty forestry industry reliant on the shipment of raw logs to keep the local economy afloat. This month Western Forest Products announced a $28-million investment in its Duke Point sawmill in Nanaimo, an upgrade that brings automatic grading technology to the facility to boost productivity and cut manufacturing costs. Another $2 million in improvements are underway for WFP Ladysmith and Chemainus sawmills. Western Forest Products is by far Vancouver Island’s largest lumber manufacturer, with seven sawmills on the Island, including two in the Alberni Valley. So far the company’s $125-million capital plan, launched in 2011, has set aside $6.7 million to advance the Alberni Pacific Division sawmill, but additional investments are headed to other communities. In 2013 a $38-million project began to improve the Sultair sawmill in Ladysmith, with another upgrade in the works for WFP’s Cowichan Bay facility. According to the company’s production numbers from 2014, manufacturing in WFP’s two Ladysmith mills eclipsed the Alberni Valley volumes – which totalled 179 million board feet of lumber – by nearly 98 million board feet. WFP’s Chemainus mill produced 114 million, while the Duke Point facility and Nanaimo Sawmill Division, which closed in December 2014, manufactured 48 million board feet. The company’s operations in the Capital City are set to increase from their ongoing investments. “Our harvesting strategies and continued demand for our western red cedar and specialty lumber products allows us to make the needed strategic capital investment at this time,” stated WFP chair Lee Doney in a statement released by the province. “Forestry plays a vital role in Vancouver Island’s diverse economy,” added Premier Christy Clark in the government release. “Western Forest Products is ensuring jobs stay right here in Nanaimo – jobs people can depend on to raise a family.” See TIMBER, Page 3
Inside today Weather 2 What’s On 2
Alberni Region 3 Opinion 4
ALBERNI VALLEY TIMES VOLUME 66, NUMBER 123
Sports 5 Scoreboard 6
Comics 7 Classifieds 8
Community 9 Alberni Album 10
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