SPEC Headlines, June 6, 2004

Four more months to sell the mill?
Ernst and Young now entertain talks with ten companies
Gilles Gagné

CHANDLER - As SPEC was going to press, Ernst and Young financial controller
Pierre Laporte was about to ask creditors of Gaspesia Papers Limited
Partnership to grant him four more months to sell the Chandler paper mill,
since the number of interested companies is on the rise.

To get that additional period, Mr. Laporte needed funds, because plant
maintenance costs close to $1 million per month, including the fees to pay
Ernst and Young. He had sought out the three partners of Gaspesia Papers,
the Solidarity Fund of the Québec Federation of Labor, the Société générale
de financement and Tembec to find that money and was waiting for an answer.
He needs $3.5 million to reach the September 30th new anticipated deadline.

"The selling process is progressing well. We are now talking to about 10
multinational companies. The number is rising and it is not surprising.
These things take time", explained Pierre Laporte.


Québec to help Baie des Chaleurs Railway for five years
Gilles Gagné

BONAVENTURE - The Québec government will invest $3.1 million in order to
help the Baie des Chaleurs Railway Corporation in maintenance work,
especially between New Richmond and Gaspé, where the traffic is limited to
the passenger train and a rare freight train.

This measure is included in the 2004-2009 Transport Plan announced on May
31st in Bonaventure by Delegate minister of Transport Julie Boulet. The plan
notably contains 55 road construction or road maintenance projects, but no
real order of priority, except that Highway 132 will receive the lion' share
every year.

When she announced the Transport Plan, minister Boulet only talked in
general terms about the principles contained in the document, except that
she mentioned the existence of 55 road projects.


Good-Bye Wakeham Playground
Jeanie LeLacheur

The Wakeham playground has been a part of our culture for the past 49 years,
when it was leased in 1955 by the Wakeham municipality from the heirs of
Felix Boyle.  Dennis Palmer was the first president of the playground
committee and the early years saw the installation of the first building 15x
20 as well as a sewage system and bathroom facility with most of the work
being on a volunteer basis.  The playground has had many uses over the
years, in addition to the playground/ball field, campers sometimes parked
there over night, the local Cubs held camp-overs there and more recent years
has seen the site used by the cyclists in  "Tour de Baie" and local
triathlon participants.  The annual July 1st picnic with its races and fun
also stands out in local memories as a highlight of the playground years.