Mayor attends her first municipal council meeting 

Gatineau’s newly elected mayor Maude Marquis-Bissonnette joined the municipal council for the first time since being elected into office on June 18.

Djeneba Dosso

July 9 was Maude Marquis-Bissonnette’s first municipal council meeting since being elected as Gatineau’s mayor last month.

After being welcomed to the council by President Steven Boivin, the mayor provided a mandatory review of Gatineau’s financial situation for the 2023 fiscal year, noting that the City had a net surplus of almost $4.1 million last year.

“With this amount, we’ll be able to replenish certain reserves in line with the policy of operating surpluses,” she said. “The reality in 2024 with climate change is that we have to be ready to face any crisis in Gatineau, and the very good management of our finances gives us that assurance.”

The City’s debt servicing represents 8.2 per cent of the budget, leaving plenty of room for manoeuvre compared to other cities in Quebec, according to the mayor.

“We have already started to use this leverage, and this will remain a recurring concern until the end of the mandate.”

The mayor also used her time to support the financing of a new sports complex in the West and the expansion of the Guy-Sanche Library on de la Gappe Boulevard.

“There are plenty of projects from the east to west,” she said. “Thankfully, the council can rely on tools like the long-term financing plan. Not all cities have access to these resources.”

Photo caption: Maude Marquis-Bissonnette addressing the municipal council for the first time since elected mayor.

Photo credit: Djeneba Dosso