SPEC Headlines, June 27, 2004

Bruce Jones about to start another venture
Gilles Gagné

MATAPEDIA - Bruce Jones, the owner of Gaspé based Wreath Plus, plans another
expansion in 2004. The company will erect another shop in Gaspé, a 12,000 to
13,000 square foot new building so to fabricate wooden products and
essential oils.

Mr. Jones was participating on June 18th at the Non-Wood Forest Products
Forum in Matapedia, where he revealed some of his projects.

"We will build a kiln to give added value to lumber. I prefer not to
disvulge the type of products we will fabricate. As for essential oils, it
is strictly to do something with the 200,000 pounds of branches that we have
after producing our Christmas wreaths", he explains.

Emmanuel Isaac files a complaint against the New Carlisle Jail
Gets help from Human Rights Commission
Gilles Gagné

NEW CARLISLE - A former inmate at the New Carlisle jail, Emmanuel Isaac, 40,
from Listuguj, filed a complaint against two guards of the prison because
they refused him the right to speak Micmac and English with other inmates on
two occasions on September 23rd and October 16th, 2003.

Mr. Isaac submitted his case to the Human Rights Commission. The
discrimination file was first opened at the Sherbrooke office of the
Commission but it was later transferred to the Rimouski branch, where Manon
Saucier is investigating.

Bennett incinerator burns political careers
Gilles Gagné

    CARLETON - The Belledune incinerator project has had a very negative
impact on municipal politicians who have supported it so far. Four Northern
New Brunswick mayors who have rooted for the controversial soil burning
facility have lost in the May municipal elections.
    The situation explains why members of the coalitions opposed to the
project have repeatedly asked federal politicians to divulge their stand
regarding Bennett's venture.
    The mayor of Bathurst, Jay Mersereau, the mayor of Petit Rocher, Roland
Leblanc, the mayor of Pointe Verte, Joël Lagacé and the mayor of Belledune,
Joseph Noël, all lost  at the beginning of May, after having supported the
project of building the incinerator.
    Mr. Noël's successor, Nick Duivenvoorden, a farmer, is also supporting
the incinerator, but his position is more subtle. He  wants to send some
vegetables growing in the Belledune area to a laboratory that will perform
extensive testing,  to prove that local soil is of good quality.
    But the Conservation Council of New Brunswick, an ecological group
opposed to Bennett, just released data revealing that contamination levels
in lead, cadmium and arsenic on many Belledune properties considerably
surpass recommended norms. The situation is so bad that pupils of the
Belledune school are often kept inside during  recess.