The B.C. government has unveiled a new information toolkit that will encourage architects and engineers to design and build with wood, particularly in commercial and public facilities.
The kit includes information on B.C. wood species, solid and engineered wood products, case studies on award-winning wood structures, and guides to B.C. building and finishing products.
The toolkit includes samples, directories and technical reports on wood performance, environmental considerations, engineered wood products, and the ability of wood-frame construction to withstand earthquakes.
"By ensuring that we are choosing wood as a building material, we create and protect jobs for B.C. families," said B.C. Jobs, Tourism and Innovation Minister Pat Bell.
The B.C. Liberal government has been on a push to promote the use of wood in larger buildings, introducing legislation that calls for the use of wood first in public buildings and changes to the building code that allows six-storey wood frame buildings.
More information is available online at www.naturallywood.com.
Walter Energy joins TSX
Walter Energy has received approval to list the company's common shares on the Toronto Stock Exchange.
U.S.-based Walter Energy and B.C.-based Western Coal recently completed a $3.3-billion merger.
"Listing on the TSX is in line with our strategy to provide our shareholders with a range of ways to participate in the company and to reaffirm our position on the global stage," said Walter Energy CEO Keith Calder.
Western Coal has extensive operations in northern B.C., and plans for expansion.
The two companies have said the larger company would be in an excellent position to use its metallurgical coal-growth capacity to capitalize on an expected 50 per cent growth in steel manufacturing in the next decade. Increased demand is largely being driven by China, India and Brazil.
Western Coal started work in the Tumbler Ridge area, 175 kilometres northeast of Prince George five years ago, in an effort to tap into a surge in world coal demand by taking advantage of already proven coal resources in northeastern B.C., using excess railway and port capacity at Prince Rupert.
All the coal travels through Prince George, considered a service centre for the northern B.C. mining sector.
