Forest Products Association of Canada / Association des produits forestiers du Canada
Registration:
13
of
86
(2010-06-14
to
2010-12-08)
Grant, Contribution or Other Financial Benefit
- Extending the funding for the Canada Wood Program, the North American Wood First Initiative, the Value-to-Wood program, and the LEAF initiative in order to help the industry expand and diversify markets.
- Obtain continuing contributions for FPInnovations, a not-for-profit forest research institute.
Policies or Program
- Canada’s involvement in international climate change negotiations under the United Nationals Framework on climate Change. The elements of discussion include – but not limited to - overall country commitments, land use and land use change and forestry (LULUCF), and impacts and adaptation.
- Creating greater competition in the rail sector so as to improve the efficiency of the rail transportation system in Canada.
- Discussing cconomic challenges affecting countries around the world; renewal of forest sector
- Effluent and Water Policy - Identifying government policy barriers to reducing water used by the pulp and paper industry and developing ways to overcome these barriers and improve industry performance.
- Expanding the eligibility criteria of Sustainable Development Technology Canada Next Gen Bio-fuels Fund to cover the full spectrum of bio-energy/bio-products opportunities.
- Extending the enhanced Employment Insurance work-sharing provisions and improving the process for renewing existing agreements.
- General review of all forest sector files and update on state of the industry to give public officials a better understanding of recent industry developments and key issues.
- Implementation of the Pulp and Paper Green Transformation Program timeline to ensure maximum effectiveness of this program to facilitate larger transformative projects.
- Industrial policy options in response to U.S. government subsidies to American-based competitors.
- Leveraging the federal tax system (Accelerated Capital Cost Allowance, Investment Tax Credits, etc) to encourage greater capital investment in the Canadian forest sector.
- Making all SR&ED credits refundable for all claimants in order to boost R&D spending in the industry.
- Participation in the Canadian Industry Program for Energy Conservation (CIPEC)
- The Softwood Lumber Agreement with a view to preserving market access for Canadian lumber producers.
Regulation
- Border Security - To minimize the cost and time truckloads and car loads of forest products spend at the Canada/U.S. border in compliance with U.S. Customs and border security regulations.
- Canadian Environmental Protection Act Chemical Management plans – understanding the government interpretations of CEPA and specific requirements for reporting industry uses of chemicals and other chemical related CEPA issues. Section 71 of CEPA requires industry to report uses of chemicals. The Forest Products Association of Canada needs to be aware of substances that are reported by the sector
- Fish Habitat and Effluent Policy (inland waters) - The Environmental Effects Monitoring (EEM) program is part of the pulp and paper effluent regulations. This is a very complex program that is always evolving and is currently moving from simply monitoring effects to investigation of causes of effects and investigation solutions. Industry must track this evolution to stay in compliance with the regulation.
- Motor Carrier/Road - To promote harmonization of vehicle weights and dimensions across Canada and throughout North America and to ensure that cargo securement regulations for transporting forest products are the same throughout North America so that a mill can load a trailer of forest products in Nova Scotia and know that it in compliance with all regulations across the Continent.
- Regulations and voluntary programs pertaining to greenhouse gas emissions under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999. The federal government as indicated that it will develop regulations under the authorities provided by CEPA, 1999. These forthcoming regulatory measures have the potential to affect the forest products industry. Elements of discussion include – but not necessarily limited to – caps on emissions or other regulatory instruments to limit emissions from industrial sources, renewable fuels, renewable energy and electricity, and carbon offsets.
- Regulatory Framework for Air Emissions: targets for the reduction of specific air pollutants from the pulp and paper and wood products sectors; and amendments to the Pulp and Paper Effluent Regulations. CEPA Section 71 consultations.