Shortage of Labour Slows Down Saint-Elzéar Sawmill Operations
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Inside this week Health and Harmony: Gaspé Peninsula: Record Paspebiac council suspends Dr. Pierre Morissette success for moose hunting director general with pay Contract 400119680 ESTABLISHED • MAY 1975 VOLUME 44 / NO 3 / JANUARY 24, 2018 $1.50 (Tax included) Shortage of labour slows down Saint-Elzéar sawmill operations Gilles Gagné with forestry groups brings in buyers want our wood. There point for some lumber sold to ber. New Carlisle would be 55,000 cubic metres of logs is a shortage down there. Tar- various destinations. Rail the optimal departure point SAINT-ELZÉAR: – Saint- after commercial thinning iffs increase the price for presents a big advantage over for rail cars in this case, but Elzéar’s Association coopéra- operations on various forest everybody and American long distances, notably the line is currently closed tive forestière gets enough areas. Year in, year out, the wood buyers don’t want American markets. Trucks east of Caplan, a decision wood annually to operate on cooperative participates in that”, analyzes Mr. Pouliot. are often used for shorter de- made by the Quebec govern- two shifts most of the year. auctions related to public In the 1990s, the Saint- liveries. New Richmond is ment. However, a shortage of work- land wood volumes and gets Elzéar sawmill used New expected to be the departure (More on the Saint-Elzéar ers is currently preventing the between 30,000 and 40,000 Richmond as its departure point of the Saint-Elzéar lum- sawmill on page 6) company from doing so, and cubic metres from that that comes with a cost, as the process as well. profits could be considerably “Our limited processing higher than they are now. capacity forces us to slow Moose on the loose, “The demand for lumber down that wood acquisition is good and the prices are process,” points out Mario good but we cannot benefit Pouliot, a Beauce native who 100% from that because we has 37 years of experience in not camera shy have a shortage of labour. We the forestry industry, with have enough wood for two big and small companies. shifts at the present time but we can only find enough Railway to be workers for one. We need be- used in 2018 tween 10 and 15 additional workers to put together that For several years now, the second shift. About 20 and 22 Association cooperative workers are required for a forestière Saint-Elzéar’s second shift but we can’t management has been talking reach that number. We are about using the railway to talking about jobs that are far ship lumber to its customers. better paid than the minimum “It is something that will wage. We pay between $18 happen in 2018. In fact, it and $24 an hour. It is a coop- would have happened in erative. The workers are also 2017 without the tariff im- part owners of the company. posed on lumber by the A ristourne (share of profits) American authorities. It comes with that and we are stopped our shipments to the profitable,” explains the coop United States because we are director general, Mario penalized now if we export Penny MacWhirter Pouliot. there. We are now sending Hope Town: - Over the past few months, a moose The Saint-Elzéar sawmill wood to the rest of Canada roaming the fields and marsh in Hope Town has has a public land supply of and the distance is shorter but become quite popular with amateur photographers. 109,000 cubic metres and an we will send some lumber by It is not unusual to occasionally spot a moose in the agreement with the Gaspé rail at one point. Besides, area, but this moose is making daily visits and is Peninsula Wood Producers Canada will likely be suc- becoming a regular attraction of those passing by. Syndicate for the delivery of cessful with the trade agree- 40,000 to 50,000 cubic me- ment. I have developed a tres of logs from private solid network of contacts in woodlots. Another agreement the United States and most thegaspespec.com Photo: Alison MacRae Alzheimer’s: Don’t hide it Thierry Haroun Ambulatory External Geri- the time. “The most impor- atric Service (SEGA) knows tant thing I would say is not CHANDLER: - January is what it's all about. My wife to hide the disease. I took my Alzheimer’s Awareness died last February, she was 79. wife out everywhere, to Month, an opportunity to re- The first symptoms started restaurants and bingos where flect on our growing under- when she was about 65. The she could make friends. standing of Alzheimer's and first signs are when a person Holding one's hand is also other dementias, and our cannot complete a phrase. She important, show her your need to listen to, and learn started forgetting words and I love, it's so important. It will from, people living with the had to compete her phrase to give the person faced with disease, mentions the Mental make sure that it was what she Alzheimer’s a secure feel- Health Commission of meant. My mother who had ing,” he added. Canada in a press release. At Alzheimer had the same prob- Suzanne Bourget, is a vol- the invitation of the Gaspésie lem so when it happened to unteer for the Gaspésie and and Magdalen Islands Photo: T. Haroun my wife I knew that it was the Magdalen Islands Alzheimer Society, Spec met Aurélien Hautcoeur. disease that was appearing,” Alzheimer’s Society. “At the Aurélien Hautcoeur, in Chan- he said with a lot of emotion. SEGA once a week we or- dler. He lost his wife because Alzheimer's disease is not a will appear, or the speed of Aurélien Hautcoeur, is al- ganize a day for people faced of Alzheimer’s. He was her normal part of aging. It’s fatal their progression, according to most 80. He was born in with the disease: we do din- caretaker for almost 15 years. and it eventually affects all as- the Alzheimer’s Society of Pabos, near Chandler. He ner, we sing and dance and so What is this disease? pects of a person’s life: how Canada. In the Gaspé and worked for Gaspé Copper forth. That day allows the Alzheimer’s disease is irre- they think, feel, and act. Each Magdalen Islands, some 1,600 Mine in Murdochville, in the caretaker to have a day off, versible and destroys brain person is affected differently. are faced with this terrible dis- underground and outdoor it's so important.” cells, causing thinking ability It is difficult to predict symp- ease and Aurélien Hautcoeur mine for 20 years. He was also For further information, and memory to deteriorate. toms, the order in which they who we met at Chandler’s involved in union activities at call Ms. Bourget at 680-2161. EI PROGRAM: Social Development Minister confirms the problem Thierry Haroun “The delays Canadians expe- rience during the appeal process at all levels at the So- cial Security Tribunal (SST) are unacceptable.” That’s the official declaration made by Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Social Development. Spec Reached him at his office in Ottawa for further comments. In our January 12 edition, Shirley Duncan, Laura Leblanc Poirier, Haley Gallon and Therese we wrote about the Social Se- Gallant curity Tribunal of Canada that had many flaws and that it Scholarship winners didn't meet the expectations Elmina Wedge of those who appeal their Photo: Government of Canada CASCAPEDIA-ST-JULES: - Congratulations to Laura cases concerning the Employ- Ministre Jean-Yves Duclos. Leblanc Poirier, daughter of Ann Leblanc and Luc Poirier ment-Insurance Program. from St. Alphonse and Haley Gallon, daughter of Shelly to make sure that we did plain why benefits are granted That was in light of an article Sexton and Kevin Gallon from Cascapedia- St-Jules. things properly and we had to or denied and what other re- published in Le Devoir that Scholarships were presented to the winners by Shirley consult people in the Ministry course is available to Canadi- had exclusive access to part of Duncan branch education convenor, and Therese Gallant before and so forth...” ans,” said the minister without the report produced by the branch president of the Grand Cascapedia Women’s Insti- “The Report recommends detailing the number of civil firm KPMG. It mentioned tute. a number of changes that re- servants that will be added to that the Tribunal, set up under Congratulations to the two young ladies and best wishes flect what Canadians have meet the expectations. the Conservative Government for continued success. of Stephen Harper, is more said through extensive con- He also pointed out that “legalistic,” more “distant and sultations across the country. before the Harper reform of formal,” than the previous I am committed in making the Tribunal, “it took, on av- system. It therefore results in significant and meaningful erage, 44 days between an ap- a process that does not meet changes to the recourse peal and a decision, now it the fundamental principle process. That includes placing takes 228 days and that's un- which is to put the client at Canadians at the heart of the acceptable. It frustrates peo- the center of the system. Since process by responding to con- ple and it’s understandable. that article, the Minister of cerns related to reconsidera- Things must change for the Social Development, Jean- tion and all levels of appeal. better for the unemployed. Yves Duclos published the These changes will focus on Our government is committed document. new support to assist people to doing better and we will do Spec asked him if that was with their appeal, a process so with transformative actions directly linked to Le Devoir that will be shorter, particu- to support a recourse system article.