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Japan Housing Starts: April 2015
Total housing starts in Japan for April were 75,716 units, flat compared to one year ago, said the Japan Lumber Reports Friday. On a seasonally-adjusted basis starts were 913,000 units. Units built for owners were down 2.1 per cent compared to April last year, while those built for sale were up 7.2 per cent. New…
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Canada Housing Starts: May 2015
Canadian residential building activity accelerated in May to the fastest in 10 months, driven by condominium construction. Builders began work on an annualized 201,705 homes last month, up 10 per cent from April and the most since July, the Canada Mortgage & Housing Corp. said Monday Annualized multiple-unit construction in urban centers rose 17 per…
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US Construction Job Openings: April 2015
The number of open, unfilled construction sector positions has been elevated during 2015. According to the BLS Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey and NAHB analysis, construction sector jobs declined from 168,000 to 153,000 in April from March. However, the 168,000 estimate for March was upwardly revised from a preliminary reading of 147,000. Construction Jobs,…
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Sawmill Investments
Western Forest Products, Weyerhaeuser, and Interfor all this week announced sawmill upgrades or added shifts. Sawmill Upgrades Nanaimo, BC’s, Western Forest Products is spending $30 million to upgrade three Vancouver Island sawmills, as part of a $125-million capital plan by the company to become more competitive and line up new markets. The Duke Point, BC,…
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Sawmill Curtailments, Closures
Tl’oh Forest Products, out of Fort St. James, BC, will be closing its doors as of July 31st, putting 43 employees out of work, according to 250News Wednesday. The plant produced finger-joint products, but the company says there has been “a fundamental shift in markets that does not allow the business to remain viable”.” The…
