SPEC Headlines, Dec. 21, 2003

Hockey Legends coming to New Richmond

The organizing committee of the 35th Gaspesian Midget Tournament and the
New Richmond Minor Hockey Association are happy to announce the return of
the Hockey Legends to the Bay of Chaleur to play against local players in
a game to be held at the Jean Marie Jobin Sports Complex on Thursday
February 15 at 7:30 PM.

The Legends are composed of ex National Hockey League stars, including
Guy Lafleur, Gilbert Perrault, Stéphane Richer, Richard Sevigny, Gaston
Gingras, Wilfred Paiement and others. Several of the players took part
in the Heritage game, played outside in Edmonton in November. A highlight
of the last Legends game, where several young minor hockey players played
against the ex-stars, will be back.

CN raises its fares by 23 percent
A threat to the whole railway line, fears Temrex president
Gilles Gagné

NOUVELLE - Sawmills operating in the Gaspé received a Christmas gift that
had a sour taste on December 1st. Canadian National is imposing a very
important hike in transportation costs charged to companies using flat cars
to haul lumber, in the vicinity of 23 percent for the Temrex sawmill in
Nouvelle.

Even if Canadian National is not the owner of the Chaleurs Bay Railway
Corporation, the huge carrier still has a lot to say about transportation
fares since the company owns most of the cars rolling in the area. These
cars also pass on CN lines for most of their journey until delivery to the
customers.

Temrex president Harold Bérubé is very upset by the situation. He thinks
that CN is trying to adjust its profit margin in the Gaspé to the mark up the
company would make by using the same rail cars in British Columbia.

"It is my analysis of the situation. It was not confirmed by CN. But since
the start of the lumber crisis with the United States, sawmills have merged
all over British Columbia, with the blessing of the government. Some plants
with a annual supply of 500 000 cubic meters -ours is 400 000- have been
closed. The supplies have been transferred to bigger mills, operated 24 hours
a day to reduce the costs. They flood the United States market. These
volumes probably allow CN the declare a higher profit in British Columbia,
and they charge us the profit lost for not sending cars there. The timing is
very bad, considering all the problems linked to the lumber dispute. Tembec
(one of Temrex' shareholders) owns mills in British Columbia and there is a
shortage of cars in the West ", thinks Harold Bérubé.


New Carlisle's CHNC celebrates 70 years on the air
Gilles Gagné

NEW CARLISLE - The December 23rd date will mark the 70th anniversary of
CHNC, the New Carlisle radio station founded by doctor Charles Houde in
1933.

Doctor Houde, a dentist, discovered a passion for music and developed into
a radio ham while in France, where he was getting training to become a
dental surgeon in 1923. By 1927, the native of Nicolet was working in the
Gaspé. He settled in New Carlisle in 1933.