COME AND VOICE YOUR OPINION ON MAY 28, 2003

Québec City, May 14, 2003 – The Commission for the Bureau d’audiences publiques sur l’environnement (BAPE) with Mrs Sylvie Girard as Chairperson, hereby announces that it will hold the second part of the public hearing on the Proposed hydroelectric development in Angliers by La Régionale Société d’hydroélectricité Régionale inc. on Wednesday, May 28 at 1:30 p.m. at the église d’Angliers church hall, 14, rue de la Baie-Miller

This second part will be devoted entirely to hearing briefs submitted by individuals and groups interested in expressing their opinion or offering suggestions to the Commission, as well as to orally-expressed public views.

Public participation is fundamental

Public participation is fundamental to the commission. It provides an opportunity to gather opinions and suggestions from any individual, group or municipality interested in commenting on the project, either orally or in the form of a brief. The BAPE report will be submitted to the Minister of the Environment no later than August 28, 2003.

Presenting and submitting briefs

To ensure effective session planning, any individual, group or municipality wishing to express a point of view, either in the form of a brief or orally, is asked to inform the coordinator of the Commission’s secretariat Marie-Ève Rochette of their intention beforehand, by calling (418) 643 7447 or toll free at 1-800-463-4732.

To ensure briefs are read by the Commission prior to the public hearing, briefs for presentation should be clearly identified with the project title and submitted no later than May 23, 2003 to: BAPE, 575 rue Saint-Amable, bureau 2.10, Québec City, G1R 6A6, attention of Marie-Ève Rochette.

Anyone wishing to submit a brief by e-mail should forward it to: angliers@bape.gouv.qc.ca. An original copy must follow by regular mail. Copies of the briefs will be made available for consultation in reading rooms and on the Commission website: www.bape.gouv.qc.ca.

Documentation available

All documents related to this project as well as transcripts from the first part of the hearing are available for consultation at the Commission website and at the following locations:

Tips for preparing a brief

A brief is a communication tool designed to express opinions on or concerns about a given topic. It also provides an opportunity to develop and clarify the arguments underlying this viewpoint.

As a rule, a brief should contain the following elements: an introduction of the author or organisation he is representing; a short explanation of the author’s interest in the affected community; his opinion on the project as a whole; his project-related concerns; and lastly, any suggestions, comments or recommendations that may enhance the Commission members’ understanding of all aspects of the impact of the project.

An orally-expressed view may be presented in the same manner. Anyone is free to choose the presentation format they deem appropriate.
These tips are guidelines only. They are also available in the Commission website in the section English information -- How to participate.

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SOURCE: Marie-Ève Chamberland, Communications Advisor
(418) 643-7447 or 1-800-463-4732 (toll-free)
angliers@bape.gouv.qc.ca