Canfor plans to have fun when the Canada Winter Games come to Prince George in 2015. Canfor was first in line for tickets – and we bought $300,000 worth for the sporting events. Most will be used to bring high school students from our operating communities to high-profile events, like hockey and snowboarding.

We’re just posted our 12th Sustainability Report – it is our second report to the highly respected Global Reporting Initiative’s Sustainability Reporting Framework.

Yesterday was the second anniversary of the 2011 Tohoku earthquake off the coast of Japan – a natural disaster that devastated the country. 昨日は2011年の東北地方太平洋沖地震からちょうど2年目でした。恐ろしい自然の力が日本を襲い、大きな爪跡を残した日です。

Today, the Forest Practices Board of BC released an audit on one of our area-based forest tenures known as TFL 48, which lies about 30 kilometres east of Chetwynd.

Last week, I had the honour of celebrating Canfor’s 75th anniversary with our dedicated staff in Prince George. Few companies in this business reach their 75th anniversary, and I’m particularly proud that we’re standing here in the good shape we are.

While opening the morning newspaper isn’t always an uplifting affair, this week I was pleased to see Canfor’s name published in the Vancouver Sun as one of BC’s top employers.

One of the many things we have learned in the years that Canfor has been active in China is that our Asian customers have a lot of respect for our political leaders.

Canfor RED has never looked better than it does on the two magnificent decorated trees we contributed to Festival of Trees events in Vancouver and Prince George.

I was in Radium Hot Springs today to celebrate the official reopening of our state-of-the-art sawmill, joined by Forests Minister Steve Thomson, Radium Hot Springs Mayor Dee Conklin, Minister of Community, Sport and Cultural Development and Kootenay East MLA Bill Bennett, and USW Local president Doug Singer. I was also very pleased to be joined by Ktunaxa Nation Chair Kathryn Teneese and I’d like to thank her and her band members for their ongoing commitment to working with us in the Kootenay region.

One of the great things about my job is that I often get to compare notes with global leaders in the solid wood industry.

It’s our response to requests from customers who prefer lumber from forests in areas largely unaffected by the mountain pine beetle infestation because its offers the appearance benefits they need for specific applications.

I must confess I am rooting for Canfor’s Airplane House. We worked with a team of architecture and joinery students at BCIT, and we challenged the designers to find a way to feature our corporate history since we celebrate our 75th anniversary next year. The Airplane House represents Canfor’s start in the wood products business supplying wing lead edges for aircraft, including the World War Two mosquito bomber.