Aylmer senior group hopes future mayor will stand by commitments

Grace Richards and Taylor Clark

Over 16 per cent of Gatineau’s population is above the age of 65. As the City continues developing, these citizens have felt a growing need for recreational activities in their sector. 

In Aylmer, a petition by the Corporation de l’âge d’or d’Aylmer has been circulating to call on the future mayor to improve services and activities for seniors who feel neglected compared to other sectors. 

“We have an imminent need for change in Aylmer. You are filling this area with elderly people by building huge and very expensive buildings for them, but you are not adapting all the needs and structures that these people are multiplying in Aylmer,” read the petition. 

Independent candidate Stéphane Bisson recognized the great importance of the needs and well-being of seniors in Aylmer and said the petition was a clear signal effort needed to be stepped up in this area. 

“I am committed to making seniors a priority of my mandate. Together, we can create a city where every senior feels respected, supported, and valued,” said Bisson. 

To improve the situation in Aylmer, Bisson committed to organizing regular meetings to discuss needs and possible solutions, adapting public infrastructure as well as supporting volunteer initiatives that directly benefit seniors. 

“Seniors are an essential component of our community, and it is crucial to meet their specific needs,” said Bisson. 

Fellow independent candidate Olive Kamanyana said she had added her name among the signatories of the petition. 

“I’ve talked for a long time about the identity of the sectors. At some point, the budget we vote around the table will have to be a fair budget. A fair budget means that we take into account the specificities of each sector,” said Kamanyana. 

While the sector’s pleas for change have fallen on deaf ears, Kamanyana said she was ready to push for the services and adapted infrastructure seniors in Aylmer long for. 

“I spoke with the person in charge and it lasted a long time but I listened and I listened to her. This is what I am going to do when I am elected as mayor to sit at the table to determine for each sector what we can do in the short-term, in the medium term, and in the long-term,” she said. 

Action Gatineau head Maude Marquis-Bissonnette said the petition’s recommendations were sensible and offered her support. 

“One of the aspects there is the shuffleboard field which, I know, Caroline (Murray) is closely monitoring at the moment with the elected officials of the Aylmer sector,” said Marquis-Bissonnette. 

The political party candidate said the sector has experienced rapid population growth, but its infrastructure has not kept up the same pace. To catch up, Marquis-Bissonnette proposed implementing development fees to ensure infrastructure arrives in neighbourhoods at the same time as new residents. 

“It’s $50 million that we have left on the table for the City since 2021. That allows us to meet the needs of everyone, but especially seniors, to redo paving, to make sidewalks, to have supportive, recreational infrastructure and community centres,” said Marquis-Bissonnette. 

The Corporation met with all seven candidates and had the impression that their concerns were heard. 

“But that will not change the fact that there are at least 18 buildings that will be built in the centre of Aylmer,” said the Corporation. “The big ones rise, and the small ones disappear. They are destroying the value of Aylmer.”

Photo caption: With the municipal by-election days away, the Corporation de l’âge d’or d’Aylmer hopes the future mayor will take into consideration the needs of seniors in Aylmer.

Photo credit: Corporation de l’âge d’or d’Aylmer Facebook