Forestry Officials Applaud Aid Package, Press For More Action On Power Costs

The province's forestry companies say the money is necessary to address electricity bills that are at least twice the size of those of their Manitoba and Quebec competitors. The industry has blamed the high price of power for nearly 4,000 recent job cuts in Ontario and plans to shut down several plants. Premier Dalton McGuinty acknowledged Wednesday that there's no assurances the aid package - the fourth since last summer - will staunch the bleeding. "We think this is what is required in order to help the industry turn the corner," McGuinty said after his announcement to more than 100 forestry industry and municipal representatives. "We can't make a guarantee that there will be no more job losses, but what we do believe is that we've put in place now the necessary supports to ensure that we can turn the industry around and put it on a more sustainable footing." But a U.S. official said the cash infusion fuels an already tense international trade conflict over softwood lumber. "Ontario's announcement complicates our efforts to reach a long-term negotiated solution to the softwood lumber dispute," said Neena Moorjani, spokeswoman for the U.S. Trade Representative's office. The American lumber industry has long accused Canada of wrongly subsidizing its softwood producers, an allegation the industry has denied. http://www.canadianbusiness.com/markets/headline_news/article.jsp?content=b022289A

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