Canfor achieved an important distinction last month with the official confirmation that our Canal Flats and Elko sawmills are certified for Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Chain of Custody and Controlled Wood.

Last week, I was honoured to tell our Annual General Meeting about Canfor’s tremendous achievements over the last year. This was the first AGM for our executive team, and it gave me a chance to highlight just a few of the many contributions staff have made that will keep our company safe and productive – and drive our performance every day. I wanted the Board and shareholders to know we are well positioned to capitalize on the forest sector’s improving fortunes thanks to our exceptional team.

On the morning of April 20, 2012 the crane in the Grande Prairie sawmill log yard was taken down. Built in 1985, the giant crane at the Grande Prairie Sawmill has been a prominent feature of the Grande Prairie skyline for decades. The crane was used to move logs from the logyard to feed the mill, a job normally done by traditional ground based equipment unsuitable to the clay and silt soils of the Grande Prairie mill yard.

Canfor is pleased to release its 2011 Annual and Sustainability Reports. This will be our 11th report on our sustainability performance, this year’s report takes our commitment to transparency to a new level.

I was on hand yesterday with other members of Canfor’s executive and human resource teams to welcome our new Elko and Canal Flats divisions in the British Columbia East Kootenays into the company.

Canfor has launched a new corporate video today.

Canfor and BID Construction have been working on a proposal to convert portions of our former Rustad mill site into a trades training centre. We had the opportunity to present to Prince George City Council on March 5 and ask for their endorsement of the plan.

I had the pleasure of addressing delegates of the Northern BC Job Fair last night at the Four Seasons Hotel in Vancouver. The event, organized by theCanadian Manufacturers and Exporters, drew more than 750 job seekers.

I was pleased to deliver the keynote address at this year’s “Growing the North” conference in Grand Prairie, Alberta on February 22. Obviously, growing the north is one of Canfor’s key business priorities. We have operations in Northern Alberta, British Columbia, and Quebec and we are investing in our facilities and expanding our operations across the north.

Wayne Guthrie and I came back from a week in Japan earlier this month with a greater appreciation of why we must understand the unique needs of all customers – especially in international markets – so we can better meet them.

I joined Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver and West Fraser CEO Hank Ketcham today on a tour of the China-Canada Green Building Design Center in Langfang – one of China’s largest wood-frame buildings.

Today, I am in Beijing, joining Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s mission to China. The mission is an important initiative in further solidifying our trading relationship with China. Demonstrating Canada’s commitment to the Chinese market at the highest levels opens doors to Canadian businesses and builds on our reputation for reliability.

I’m Don Kayne, President and CEO of Canfor. Welcome to our new website, and my new blog. I’m going to use this space to talk about some of the new, interesting initiatives Canfor is working on. I’m hoping this will be a useful forum for Canfor staff, customers and partners to get a firsthand look at our presence in markets, some of the interesting trends we’re seeing, and new developments and projects on the horizon.

Canfor has been proudly supplying top quality building products to valued customers in Japan for more than three decades. Over the years, our business relationships have evolved into friendships - in Japan and around the world.