Vancouver Island pulp mill supplies materials for medical protective equipment in both Canada and U.

[rpannier]

A pulp mill on Vancouver Island that supplies American producers with materials to make surgical masks and other medical supplies has been dragged into a trade dispute between Canada and the United States, after President Donald Trump signed an order to restrict exports of personal protective equipment needed to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Harmac Pacific, whose facility is located in Nanaimo, B.C., produces a type of pulp that is used by U.S. manufacturers to make products that include paper gowns, surgical masks and caps, some of which are then shipped to Canada. The company says one of those customers recently doubled its order, prompting the facility to shift its production to focus on pulp for medical-grade paper.

The B.C. facility does not supply 3M or any other company with materials used to make N95 respirator masks, which have been targeted by Mr. Trump as he seeks to keep a range of personal protective equipment, including surgical masks, gowns and gloves, from leaving the United States. But Harmac has been singled out as an example of how dependent the two countries are on each other for medical gear and why any interruption could end up constraining supply in both countries.

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-vancouver-island-pulp-mill-supplies-materials-for-medical-protective/

[applegrove]

1. I think Trump relented a bit. He probably said to himself "who could

have known the two countries were so interconnected".