Canfor Corporation is an integrated

forest product A forest product is any material derived from forestry for direct consumption or commercial use, such as lumber, paper, or fodder for livestock. Wood, by far the dominant product of forests, is used for many purposes, such as wood fuel (e.g. in f ...

s company based in

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

History

The company traces its roots to the late 1930s when brothers-in-law John G. Prentice and L.L.G. "Poldi" Bentley and their families left their native Austria just before the outbreak of World War II. They settled in Vancouver and built a small mill that was the beginning of the more than 75-year-old company. In 2006, the company was subject to a

proxy fight A proxy fight, proxy contest or proxy battle is an unfriendly contest for control over an organization. The event usually occurs when a corporation's stockholders develop opposition to some aspect of the corporate governance, often focusing on dir ...

between billionaires

Jim Pattison James Allen Pattison (born October 1, 1928) is a Canadian business magnate and investor. He is based in Vancouver, British Columbia, where he holds the position of chief executive officer, chairman and sole owner of the Jim Pattison Group, Can ...

and

Stephen A. Jarislowsky Stephen A. Jarislowsky, (born 9 September 1925) is a Canadian business magnate, investor, and philanthropist. He is the founder, chairman and CEO of Jarislowsky Fraser Limited, a Canadian investment management firm with over Can$40 billion in a ...

, who owned 30% and 18% of the firm's shares, respectively. Pattison won and ousted CEO Jim Shepherd over Canfor's poor performance and declining share price, which saw Jim Pattison appointed interim CEO.

Current status

Canfor's operating loss for 2024 was $942.2 Million, as indicated by their Q4 2024 Quarterly Results, in addition to an operating loss of $532 Million in 2023 . Poldi Bentley's son Peter Bentley (1930-2021) was the Chairman Emeritus of the Board of Directors. Canfor produces

softwood lumber Scots pine, a typical and well-known softwood Softwood is wood from gymnosperm trees such as conifers. The term is opposed to hardwood, which is the wood from angiosperm trees. The main differences between hardwoods and softwoods is that the sof ...

, specialty wood products, and

engineered wood products Engineered wood, also called mass timber, composite wood, man-made wood, or manufactured board, includes a range of derivative wood products which are manufactured by binding or fixing the strands, particles, fibres, veneers, or boards of wood, ...

. Canfor also owns a controlling share in Canfor Pulp Limited, which produces northern softwood

kraft pulp Kraft paper or kraft is paper or paperboard (cardboard) produced from chemical pulp produced in the kraft process. Sack kraft paper (or just sack paper) is a porous kraft paper with high elasticity and high tear resistance, designed for packa ...

and

kraft paper Kraft paper or kraft is paper or paperboard (cardboard) produced from chemical pulp produced in the kraft process. Sack kraft paper (or just sack paper) is a porous kraft paper with high elasticity and high tear resistance, designed for packa ...

in BC. As of 2016, the company has an annual production capability of 5.9 billion board feet of lumber, 1.1 million tonnes of northern softwood market kraft pulp, approximately 220,000 tonnes of BCTMP and 140,000 tonnes of kraft paper. Operations or offices are located in: On November 15, 2018 Canfor announced that it had entered into an agreement to acquire a 70% share of the Vida Group, a wood products company based in Sweden. The prior owners of Vida maintain a 30% share and manage day-to-day operations. Canfor formerly owned the

Englewood Railway Englewood Railway was a logging railroad on northern Vancouver Island, Canada. Headquartered in Woss, British Columbia, the line ran from Vernon Lake, through Woss, and past Nimpkish Lake Provincial Park to Beaver Cove. It was the last oper ...

Vancouver Island Vancouver Island is an island in the northeastern Pacific Ocean and part of the Canadian province of British Columbia. The island is in length, in width at its widest point, and in total area, while are of land. The island is the largest ...

, but sold it to

Western Forest Products Western Forest Products Inc. is a Canadian lumber company based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. History Following its initial acquisition of the assets of Doman in 2004, the Company undertook a series of restructuring activities includi ...

in 2006. Canfor has 6,380 employees as of 2016. Canfor is a member of the

Forest Products Association of Canada The Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC) is a trade association which represents Canada's wood, pulp and paper producers both nationally and internationally in government, trade, and environmental affairs. Canada's forest products industry i ...

References

External links

Canfor Corporation website

Canfor Careers website

Canfor Pulp website
{{Authority control Companies based in Vancouver Companies listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange Pulp and paper companies of Canada