Sunday, 18 October 2015 09:56

Catalyst to Seek Expedited Review of U.S. Countervailing Duties

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catalyst logoCatalyst Paper (TSX:CYT)  has announced that it will seek an expedited review of the Final Determination by the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC), dated October 13, 2015, to impose countervailing duties on the company's exports of supercalendered paper to the U.S.

The DOC imposed preliminary countervailing duties on imports of supercalendered paper from four Canadian paper producers – Port Hawkesbury Paper, Resolute Forest Products, Irving Paper and Catalyst Paper – on July 27, 2015. Despite its statutory obligation to examine each of the companies, the DOC refused to examine Catalyst Paper and Irving Paper individually, and instead assigned them a preliminary "all-others" rate of 11.19%, which is the simple average of the preliminary rates assigned to Port Hawkesbury Paper and Resolute Forest Products.

Since August 4, 2015, based on this rate, Catalyst has deposited to the U.S. treasury approximately $1.3 million, representing sales of 17,000 tonnes of supercalendered paper to U.S. customers.

In its Final Determination, the DOC once again refused to examine Catalyst Paper and Irving Paper individually and instead assigned them a final "all-others" rate of 18.85%, which this time is a weighted average of the final rates assigned to Port Hawkesbury Paper and Resolute Forest Products.

"We are disappointed with this outcome," says Joe Nemeth, President & Chief Executive Officer. "We will seek an expedited review of our case by the U.S. Department of Commerce as soon as possible."

The Coalition for Fair Paper Imports — U.S.-based Madison Paper and Verso Corporation — alleges that the Canadian federal and provincial governments subsidized the four Canadian supercalendered paper producers. Supercalendered paper is glossy paper used in retail catalogues, flyers and magazines.

"Catalyst rejects the allegation that we've received government subsidies, and we're confident that a full and fair investigation by the U.S. Department of Commerce would confirm this," said Nemeth.

Following the DOC's Final Determination, the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) will consider whether imports of supercalendered paper from Canada have injured the U.S. industry. If the ITC reaches an affirmative determination, the DOC is expected to issue its Final Order on the case in early December 2015, after which time Catalyst may request an expedited review of its case by the DOC.

About Catalyst Paper

Catalyst Paper manufactures diverse printing papers such as coated freesheet, coated and uncoated groundwood, newsprint, directory, as well as market pulp. Customers include retailers, publishers and commercial printers in North America, Latin America, the Pacific Rim and Europe. With five mills across North America, Catalyst has annual production capacity of 2.3 million tonnes. Catalyst is headquartered in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada and is ranked by Corporate Knights magazine as one of the 50 Best Corporate Citizens in Canada.

SOURCE Catalyst Paper Corporation

For further information:

Investor Contact: Frank De Costanzo, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Tel: 604-247-4014, Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; Media Contact: Len Posyniak, Senior Vice President, Human Resources & Corporate Services, Tel: 604-290-3547, Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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