THE COMMISSION INVITES CITIZENS TO VOICE THEIR OPINIONS ON OCTOBER 15^th

Québec, October 2^nd, 2008–The commission of the Bureau d’audiences publiques sur l’environnement (BAPE), made up of Mr. Pierre Fortin, chair, as well as Ms. Lucie Bigué and Mr. John Haemmerli, commissioners, will be holding the second part of the public hearing on the Projets de parcs éoliens de Gros-Morne et de Montagne Sèche par Cartier énergie éolienne inc.

The commission will hold the second part of the hearing at the following locations:

For the Gros-Morne project	Wednesday, October 15th at 7 PM	Salle municipale de Sainte-Madeleine-de-la-Rivière-Madeleine 104, route principale Madeleine-Centre
For the Montagne Sèche project	Thursday, October 16th at 7 PM	Salle des Chevaliers de Colomb 329, route 132 Cloridorme

The sessions may continue on the following days, depending on the needs of the public and the commission.

This part will be devoted exclusively to hearing the briefs and verbal opinions of individuals, municipalities, organizations and groups wishing to express their opinion to the commission.

WRITING A BRIEF

A brief is a document that presents opinions or concerns on a specific subject. It allows the author to develop and state the arguments in support of this opinion.

As a general rule, a brief contains the following elements: a short presentation of the individual, the group, the organization or the municipality tabling the brief, a brief explanation of the interest that the author has in the project, opinions on the project as a whole, concerns related to the project and, as the case may be, any suggestions and comments likely to improve it. Those individuals who do not wish to write a brief can express their opinion verbally at the public hearing. A verbal presentation may be developed in the same way as a brief.

Advice is provided, for reference purposes only, in the form of questions in the document entitled Writing a Brief. This document is available upon request, as well as in electronic format on the BAPE website at www.bape.gouv.qc.ca.

PRESENTING A BRIEF

To ensure the smooth planning of the unfolding of the public sessions of the hearing, every person who wishes to present a brief or express opinions verbally is asked to inform Ms. Renée Poliquin, Commission Secretariat Coordinator, wherever possible, two weeks before the second part of the hearing, by calling 418 643-7447 or, toll-free, 1 800 463-4732, extension 424.

To allow the commission to read the brief prior to the public session, the document in question, clearly identified with the project, must be sent, no later than October 9th, to the secretary of the BAPE, at 575, rue Saint-Amable, bureau 2.10, Québec (Québec) G1R 6A6, to the attention of Ms. Renée Poliquin.

Persons wishing to submit their brief by e-mail can address it to one of the following addresses: eolien-montagne-seche@bape.gouv.qc.ca or eolien-gros-morne@bape.gouv.qc.ca. Briefs will be disseminated on the BAPE website, as soon as they have been made public by the commission.

Where can the project documentation be consulted?

You can consult the documents pertaining to the project as well as the transcriptions of the sessions of the first part of the hearing at the following regional consultation centres:

For the Gros-Morne project:

1. Municipality of Saint-Maxime-du-Mont-Louis, 1, 1re avenue ouest ;
2. Blanche-Lamontagne Library, 120, 7e rue ouest, Sainte-Anne-des-Monts ;
3. Caisse populaire Desjardins Mer et Montagnes, 144, rue Principale, Madeleine-Centre ;
4. Council of the Micmac Nation of Gespeg, 783, boulevard de Pointe-Navarre, Gaspé ;
5. Mi’gmawei Mawiomi Secretariat, 2, Riverside West, Listuguj.

For the Montagne Sèche project:

1. Caisse populaire Desjardins des Hauts-Phares, 533, route 132, Cloridorme ;
2. Council of the Micmac Nation of Gespeg, 783, boulevard de Pointe-Navarre, Gaspé ;
3. Mi’gmawei Mawiomi Secretariat, 2, Riverside West, Listuguj.

The entire file is also available at the BAPE office in Québec, 575, rue Saint-Amable, bureau 2.10, at Bibliothèque centrale de l’Université du Québec à Montréal, Pavillon Hubert-Aquin, 1255, rue Saint-Denis, local A-M100, as well as on the BAPE website at www.bape.gouv.qc.ca, under the heading « Mandats en cours ».

Public participation is essential!

Public participation is essential for the commission. It allows the commission to hear the arguments, opinions and suggestions of participants before drafting the report that will be submitted to Ms. Line Beauchamp, Minister of Sustainable Development, Environment and Parks, not later than January 15, 2009.

Those persons who wish to obtain more information can get in touch with Ms. Reneé Poliquin, commission secretariat coordinator at 418 643-7447 or, toll-free, at 1 800 463-4732, extension 424, or by e-mail at one of the following addresses: eolien-montagne-seche@bape.gouv.qc.ca or eolien-gros-morne@bape.gouv.qc.ca.

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Source:    Ugo Demetriade, Communications advisor
               418 643-7447 or 1 800 463-4732, extension 425
               ugo.demetriade@bape.gouv.qc.ca