Stéphane Bisson promises an $860 million dollar budget for 2025, unveils plans for tourism, and reassures voters on conflicts of interest 

Sophie Demers 

During the briefing held at Lac Leamy on May 30, independent mayoral candidate Stéphane Bisson revealed his financial plan and ideas about tourism, and highlighted that an independent legal opinion confirms he has no conflicts of interest. 

Conflicts of Interest 

As promised, Bisson revealed the results of an independent legal assessment, and claims to have no potential conflicts of interest as a business owner, a real estate agent, or owner of buildings in Gatineau. 

He commits to transferring the shares of his companies to his business partners and to place his real estate assets into a blind trust.

Financial Plan 

If elected, Bisson promised an $860 million dollar budget for 2025, an increase of $56.5 million from this year’s $803.5 million dollar budget. To increase the budget, Bisson plans to implement a user-pays concept for those using city infrastructure while living outside of Gatineau. 

He promises to limit property tax increases to 2.9% for 2025. Among his many promises, he reiterated his commitment to build 300 social housing units per year for five years. He plans to spend $18 million to convert existing buildings into housing. He also proposes a tax credit for those building new housing developments. 

The former real estate agent proposed a reduction in electrification of Société de Transport (STO) buses to generate a short-term surplus. Bisson also announced that, if elected, he intends to reinvest the money saved for the tramway to expand the Rapibus to the west of the city. 

Tourism 

In Gatineau tourism, Bisson foresees a pedestrian and bicycle path along Ruisseau de la Brasserie that links downtown to Lac Leamy Casino. 

“I also intend to make Gatineau a more attractive city for tourism, and I'm going to push hard for the new convention center to be located in the area near Lac Leamy. My dream is for Gatineau to be able to attract major conventions to create and generate even more value and wealth for the people of Gatineau,” said Bisson 

Photo caption: Stéphane Bisson, independent mayoral candidate, reveals his budget plans for 2025, his ideas for promoting tourism in Gatineau, and highlights that he has no conflicts of interest according to an independent legal assessment. 

Photo credit: Sophie Demers