SPEC Headlines, March 14, 2004

COMMENTARY:
Ottawa & Québec must do more for tourism  in the Gaspé
Gilles Gagné
This past week  the Baie des Chaleurs received official recognition by an
international organization, the Most Beautiful Bays in the World Club, with
members from over 30 countries. But the last couple of weeks have also been
marked by other announcements. Some of our main tourist attractions indicate
that they have money problems,  because they are underfinanced.
    The Bonaventure Bioparc since 1997 has remarkable attendance figures,
but it needs  to be develop in order to reach grow. Government money cannot
do it all, but Baie des Chaleurs attractions are competing head on with New
Brunswick, where both levels of government hand out money as if it grows on
trees.
    Last week, the Gaspesian British Heritage Village revealed in its annual
financial report  a $140,115 accumulated deficit. A lot of people were
stunned by the news. For a number of reasons frequent changes in accounting
methods had not allowed the board of directors to be aware of the extent of
the deficit.

Baie des Chaleurs  now part of the Most Beautiful Bays in the World Club
Gilles Gagné

CROSS POINT - The Baie des Chaleurs is now officially the 31st member of the
Most Beautiful Bays in the World Club, with the San Francisco Bay, the Mont
Saint Michel Bay in France, Puerto Valarta in Mexico and Along Bay in
Vietnam.
This official recognition crowns close to three years of hard work by the
initiators of the project, Cross Point promoter Gilles Soucy, Carleton hotel
owner Richard Gingras, who received right from the start the support of the
Micmacs of Eel River Bar, in New Brunswick, as well as from the Gaspesian
Natives of Gesgapegiag and Listuguj.
The announcement was made on March 8th at the Canadian National Park of the
Battle of the Ristigouche, the site commemorating the last attempt by the
French to keep New France, in 1760. This Gaspesian tourist attraction,
located right at the limit of Listuguj and Cross Point, was instrumental
when the selection committee reviewed the points forwarded by the initiators
of the project.


Petition for Judicial Review of the Wilbert Coffin Case
Jeanie LeLacheur

Growing up in Gaspé, I, like most people my age had heard of Wilbert Coffin,
and had listened to the stories that  sprang up from time to time, but had
never really given it any serious thought until a couple of weeks ago when I
got a call from Cynthia Patterson of Rural Dignity, telling me about a
documentary that would air soon about the  Wilbert Coffin case.
I reasoned that if I were to write about the upcoming production I should
know something about the story, so I borrowed a copy of Alton Price¹s book
"To Build a Noose", and began to read.  Suddenly, I was immersed in the
emotion of the 1950's events, and found myself feeling the anger at the
injustice, the sadness and the disbelief.  Halfway through the book, I
called Alton Price with my many questions, and learned that a petition would
be circulated soon asking for a judicial review of Wilbert Coffin¹s case.
At this point I considered calling Wilbert¹s sister Marie Stewart and asking
her to speak to me about her brother and his death, but knowing  it would be
really painful for her I decided against it. However, after watching the
documentary, knowing the petition was actually in circulation,  and much
soul searching I finally decided to call  Marie Stewart and ask her to talk
to me.