Headlines from this weeks SPEC

Oct. 20, 2002

Junex will know before the end of October if a second well can be productive near Gaspe
Gilles Gagne

Junex Inc. should know before the end of October, maybe sooner, if the second well currently being dug and called Galt 2, 10 kilometers west of Gaspe, could produce natural gas on a commercial basis.
Junex already exploits a first well, Galt 1, with reserves of 728 million cubic feet of gas. It is considered a small to medium size well by industry standards. The company's major partner, Hydro-Quebec, is ready to invest more in the Gaspe for gas exploration. The public corporation has invested half of the $2.5 million required to explore Galt 2. The digging started on September 24th.

Pre-feasability study for a tourist train in the Matapedia Valley
Gilles Gagne

A committee founded by the Societe de developpement d'Amqui is currently working on a tourist train project that could link the town of Amqui and the village of Matapedia, or Amqui and Routhierville, a shorter excursion on the same line.
A sum of $40,000 has been gathered to realize a pre-feasability study on the potential of the project. Some talks have been initiated with the major parties, private and public, that would be involved in the venture, as business partners, suppliers of services or regulatory organisms. But no official agreement has been reached so far.
"We still have many hurdles to pass. The Mont-Joli to Campbellton line is under Federal jurisdiction. The rules are a lot more complicated than the rules of a Provincial railway. Many safety and insurance documents are required. We have also met with people from Chemin de fer de la Matapedia et du Golfe, the owners of the railroad. Initially, we wanted to operate a train on time for the Summer of 2003. I don't know if we will make it. It is progressing, but the amount of work to do is unbelievable", explains Josee Desroches, coordinator of the tourist train project for the Societe de developpement d'Amqui, or SODAM..

Noel Condo sentenced to a 15 year term for the death of Carrie-Ann Larocque
Gilles Gagne

Noel Condo, 27 years of age, from Gesgapegiag, pleaded guilty on a reduced charge of manslaughter on October 8th in New Carlisle, in relation with the violent death of Carrie-Ann Larocque, 29, also from Gesgapegiag.
Justice Richard Grenier, of the Superior Court, sentenced him to a 15 year prison term, starting now. It is the equivalent of a 16 year and eight month sentence. The time Condo spent in prison since January 2002 was taken into account.