SPEC Headlines, Oct. 26, 2003

New Jersey deal worth $200 million for Bennett Environmental
Represents 70% of company's long term contracts

Gilles Gagné
    CARLETON - The deal signed between Bennett Environmental and the United
States government to decontaminate an industrial site in New Jersey, the
contract that convinced company officials to build an incinerator in
Belledune, is worth $200 million.
    Company spokesperson Claude Carpentier confirms that amount for the
treatment over three years of 300,000 tons of soil contaminated with
creosote and hydrocarbons. The amount represents about 70% of long term
deals signed by the company, worth $280 million. The company operates
another facility in Saint Ambroise, in the Lac Saint Jean region.
    Mr. Carpentier states that having long term contracts worth $280 million
in that business is considered "exceptional", because "any order book
surpassing the equivalent of a year of operation is rare. We have three
years of operations settled for our Belledune facility and more than one for
our Saint Ambroise plant".
    The New Jersey contaminated site is located in Manville. The former
plant, owned by Federal Creosote, was treating wood with creosote and other
hydrocarbons. The company went bankrupt a few years ago and the United
States government became responsible for the site. Such is the rule when a
polluted site becomes "orphan".

Provincial School Board Elections
Jeanie LeLacheur

     School Board elections will be held across the province on November 16.
Persons registered on the permanent list of electors of Quebec will also be
registered on the school list of electors unless they have requested removal
from the list.  Anybody having one or more children enrolled in the English
language school board of their region will be registered in that school
board.  However, anyone  not having  children enrolled as of September in
either the French or English language school board, will be automatically
registered on the  electors list of the French language school board.
Therefore, if you wish to vote in the English language school board, you
must take an application to its Director General or during the election
period to its returning officer.


CAREER DAY BIGGER AND BETTER
 
    Following last year's success, Bonaventure Polyvalent School and CASA
will once again host a career day at BPS on Wednesday, November 5th.  The
day promises to be even more exciting than last year with 18 different
workshops for participants to choose from, kiosks and events and
entertainment throughout the day.
    The keynote speaker this year is Ms. Lorraine Haché.  Ms. Haché is
co-owner of OPTIMUM Human Resources Inc., a bilingual life/work development
agency in Eastern Canada. Consultant, Trainer and Principal Program
Developer at OPTIMUM, Lorraine is nationally recognized as a leader in the
career development field and has worked as a teacher and guidance counselor
in the NB school system for seven years, as well as a fulltime professor in
the Guidance Counseling program at the Université de Moncton for ten years.