November 14 Municipal Council meeting summary of citizen question period 

Greg Newing

Twenty-eight speakers addressed municipal councillors during the council meeting at Gatineau City Hall on November 14. Below are some of the highlights from the question period.

Housing and construction

An Aylmer resident presented a petition to the council signed by Deschênes residents about a proposed project at 17 Chemin Vanier.  The petition highlighted concerns such as the impact on traffic, pedestrian safety, and the fact that the current proposal is significantly larger than the original.  Deschênes Councillor Caroline Murray reiterated her support for the residents of her sector and said she would ask the developer to be in contact directly with them about their concerns. Councillor Mario Aubé noted that the project will be discussed by the Urban Planning Committee (CCU) at the November 20 meeting and invited residents to attend the meeting and share their concerns.

Another Aylmer resident raised concerns about the environmental impact of a proposed multi-unit mixed residential-commercial project at 390 McConnell in an area with protected woodland.  Councillor Murray stated her opposition to the project and said that, while she does not oppose a housing project in the area in general, she would like to see one that has higher environmental standards. The project was subsequently rejected at the council’s meeting with a vote of 12 against, 7 in favour, and 1 abstinence.

Animal protection

Several residents raised issues concerning stray cats in the city. Carole Lefebvre suggested that the city create partnerships with a network of community animal shelters and sterilization clinics alongside the SPCA to better support stray cats. Chantal Cadieu, founding member of S.O.S. Chats Errants, a local organization that cares for stray cats, echoed Lefevre’s concerns, adding that the city could consider creating animal sanctuaries to socialize stray cats that the SPCA is unable to take in. Resident Louise Baker said that a growing number of stray cats is a public health issue and underscored the importance of sterilization.

Mayor Bélisle responded, saying that the Council is working on an agreement with the SPCA Outaouais and hopes to have it in place by the end of the year. She said that the agreement may address some of the residents’ concerns, “We expect that a long-term agreement with the SPCA will be approved by December, and I have the impression that, following this agreement, the issues you raised will be clarified for partners like you.”

Sports

Representatives from local soccer and futsal organizations, including Soccer Outaouais, Association de Soccer de Gatineau, Association de Soccer du Plateau, and Atlético Gatineau, highlighted important developments and issues related to the two sports in the city.

Chérif Atallah, president of Soccer Outaouais, said that the number of soccer players increased by 532 and the number of futsal players grew by 875 in the region in 2023. He said that additional officially recognized clubs were needed to engage more youth and children in sports. He encouraged the council to recognize two recently established and fast-growing clubs: the Association de Soccer du Plateau founded in 2021 with 775 members and Quebec’s first futsal club Atlético Gatineau founded in 2022 with 150 members. Dominique Lavoie, President of the Association du Soccer du Plateau and Max Rosen, President of Atlético Gatineau both provided information about their clubs and also requested official recognition.

Marie Marcaurelle, president of the Association de Soccer de Gatineau, thanked the council for prioritizing a new artificial soccer field, and Patrick Gauthier, president of Gestion ARSO, thanked the council for reopening La Fonderie sports-complex. He also asked the council about progress on the new sports dome discussed in May.

Councillor Bélizaire expressed her support for recognizing Association du Soccer du Plateau as it will allow young people in the Plateau to practice as close as possible to their home.  She invited both associations to contribute to discussions about the city’s new sports and leisure policy framework which is expected to be finished soon. Councillor Murray said that she raised the question of the sports dome project with the council while discussing the annual budget and that she was told the council would be ready to make an official decision about the project in December. 

Additional presentations included those by members of Gatineau Sans Pesticide, who asked the council to officially adopt its new pesticide laws before February 2024 (Councillor Marc Bureau confirmed that this was the expected timeline), Aicha Koné from Accompagnement des Femmes Immigrantes de l'Outaouais, concerning a Christmas present donation drive that will last until December 6, and homeless residents and community workers, who advocated for quick and concrete action to provide better support for the homeless as winter approaches.