Photo : Julie Murray

The STO and the city of Gatineau distributed free trees to residents, May 12, in the various sectors of the city; the program is meant to keep the city green because trees have been cut to make room for the Rapibus. At Rivemead Park’n Ride, Hicham Wali, left, brings home trees with the assistance of Jacob Bellfoy.

Rendez-vous : 8 am in the parking lot of Aylmer’s Caisse populaire, corner Wilfrid-Lavigne and Blvd. des Allumettières, adjoining the Métro supermarket. Duration : the morning. Your guide : Stefan Haag (819-682-0766). 

This is an invitation from the Club des ornithologues de l’Outaouais (COO). For detailed information about other activities (for the most part open to all), contact the COO at 819-778-0737.  

(CM / FR)

Photo : Marie Louise Paradis

Stéphane Miljours (left), DG of the Caisse Populaire Desjardins presents a $5,000 cheque to Richard M. Bégin, president to the Symmes Inn Museum.

The Caisse Populaire Desjardins donated $5,000 to the Symmes Inn Museum (located on Front Street near the Marina), May 10. “Thanks to the “Placements culture” program of the Quebec Arts Council (Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec), the Quebec government will triple that amount, adding $15,000. The money will be kept in donation and reserve funds for at least two years so that the capital and interest stay intact and can therefore contribute to the long term survival of this local museum.   

Symmes Inn Museum will be celebrating 25 years of incorporation this June and, in June 2013,  25 years of being open to the public,” according to museum authorities.

This grant comes as very good news since the City has cut the museum’s funding by $10,000 in 2011 and 2012.

Again this year, the museum will be open to the public, Tuesday through Sunday, from early June up until Labour Day. Then, it will be open on weekends until Thanksgiving. Entrance is free, donations are welcome, and guided tours can be organized for groups by contacting the museum prior to the visit.                              

(Transl. CB)

Photo : DD

The Kelly Metro-Plus celebrated its second anniversary, joined by the Caisse Populaire Desjardins of Aylmer and the Brunet-Plus Pharmacy, both of whom celebrated their first year in businesses at their location off Allumettières at Wilfrid-Lavine Blvd, May 12.  The collective birthday celebration attracted a great crowd, all day long.

Children were treated to inflatable play structures, face-painting, clowns, temporary tattoos, plus a little dancing and singing and a grand BBQ.  The karate students of Douvris presented demonstrations – and collecrted $2,600 in donations for the Jasime Roy Foundation which fights bullying. 

Photo : DD

The Desjardins Team

He started his career working as a foreman on projects at Winners, Chapters, IGA, Loblaws, theatres, including the Coliseum on Carling Avenue in Ottawa.  And hospitals.  “I did a lot of commercial work, and that gave me great experience with mill work, which is cabinetry and finished trim.  George over at Alaska Wood really helped me start out.” 

Mr Labelle has also been teaching at Algonquin College for a year.  “I teach ‘Fundamentals of Building and Commercial Blueprint Reading,’ for budding construction managers.  Home blueprints aren’t difficult to read, but commercial blueprints are challenging,” he said.  “It’s nice to be part of something bigger, to spread my knowledge.  They can make mistakes in the classroom, not on the job.” 

“There are a lot of mistakes in construction, because of mis-management and no education,” Mr Labelle explained. “If more people took these courses, when they get to the practical level  and work for someone, it can save the company name.”  He added, “People assume construction is OK even if they don’t have skills, but for a renovator, finding labour that is skilled and doesn’t cost a fortune is a challenge.”  Mr Labelle has found local talent; he has about seven local subcontractors working for him on two projects right now.

Carpentry and millwork is satisfying, he stressed.  “It’s not like being a lawyer.  Here, you see what you produce, it’s not a stack of paper.  It’s rewarding to see something you’ve made where there was nothing before.”  

 “Today’s homes are well built”

The Bulletin asked Mr Labelle whether today’s homes, built so quickly, are safe to buy.  “People are afraid of homes being built fast, but they shouldn’t be, because with today’s construction technology, techniques, and quality materials, and with skilled labor, it’s become much easier to do.  In the last 15 years, we’ve become better and more knowledgeable.  Don’t be afraid of a house built in three weeks – it’s a myth that a home built quickly isn’t built properly.”  Today’s builders are smart and careful, he added.

The Ottawa-Gatineau area grew by 9.1%, much larger than the 5.9% rate of growth in Canada, making Gatineau-Ottawa the fourth largest metropolitan area in the country, behind Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver.  The census also confirms that Gatineau is still the fourth largest city in Quebec.

City must revise management plan

To deal with this expansion, Gatineau has begun revising its land management plan.  The city is currently in the second stage of the process, elaborating various development scenarios that will be presented this spring. 

The demographic information released indicates that the number of occupied residences has grown by 12.5%, more than the city’s 9.6% rate of population growth.  Nearly 12,500 more residences were occupied in 2011 than in 2006.  The difference is due to more people living alone, due to divorce, death of a spouse, or young people setting up their own households, the mayor’s spokesperson told the Bulletin.

The statistics reveal that 1,540 foreign immigrants moved to Gatineau between 2009 and 2010, an increase of 10.8% from  2008-2009.  Between 2009 and 2010, 1,090 people from other provinces moved to Gatineau, more than any other city in Quebec.

Areas outside of Gatineau also reported growth, particularly Cantley, where the population increased by 24.8%.  Five rural municipalities report decreasing populations:  St.-André-Avellin dropped by 7.8%; Plaisance, by 7.7%; Thurso, by 6.8%; Denholm, by 5.3%; Maniwaki, by 4.2%, and Notre-Dame-de-la-Salette, by 2.2%%.  The tiny municipality of Bowman added one resident, for a growth rate of 0.1%.

Gatineau’s 2009 greenhouse gas inventory revealed the main sources of emissions to be municipal services (wastewater treatment plants, municipal buildings), municipal vehicles (buses, cars and trucks), and the processing and breakdown of waste material.  

The city will reduce its municipal service’s emissions by 15% by 2015 and by 20% by 2020.  As for vehicle emissions, the city aims to stay at the same level to 2015, but population growth means emissions will effectively drop by 6%.  Vehicle emissions should drop by 6% by 2020, but given the expected growth in population, emissions will effectively drop by 17%.

In 2012, Gatineau will spend $200,000 to reduce its emissions.  Councillor Alain Riel, chair of the Environment Committee, said, “By composting and recycling and using public transportation, citizens can help us meet our objectives.”  The city will lower emissions by improving energy efficiency in its buildings, reducing garbage sent to landfills, recycling gas emitted from dumps, and better managing public transportation and city vehicle storage.

The developers want to build up to 3,200 new homes in the Vieux-Moulin/Ferris Farm and Pink Road/Chemin de la Montagne sectors.  Mayor Marc Bureau says, “I’m not saying that we won’t develop these areas later, but for right now, I’m not supporting the idea.  We need to start building up downtown, to make it denser.  Density is a major concern.  It costs less to re-develop than it does to build new areas.”

Laframboise favours more building projects

Councillor André Laframboise, however, thinks some land should be rezoned, particularly the Vieux-Moulin/Ferris Farm area, because, he says, the developers may go bankrupt if they can’t get permission from the city to build.  “This area is all along Allumettières Boulevard. I think there’s enough room for a few small projects.  I’m convinced that it wouldn’t be a catastrophe if we change one or two deferred zoning areas.”

Councillor Patsy Bouthillette doesn’t think the city should change its procedure for individual cases of developers in financial trouble.  “We’ve got the ability to construct (in our targeted area) for the next twenty years.  We can’t react on a case-by-case basis.  This land has been deferred for many years; this is the city council’s vision.”  

During last September 21st plenary meeting, council was presented a report indicating that the land currently available for construction will last until 2030. It is not clear if this means developers in Aylmer will have to wait a couple of decades.

Photo:  Julie Murray

Eager volunteers served up hot dogs and hamburgers at Aylmer’s Les aliments M & M annual barbecue, May 12, an annual effort held to raise funds for research for The Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of Canada. This BBQ is held across the country; this year’s goal is $1.5 million.

Photo:  Courtesy of the Literacy Foundation

Aylmer children received 40 of the 1430 books distributed recently by the Literacy Foundation.  The donation, made to the Centre Communautaire Entre-Nous on Front Street, was part of the foundation’s “Gift of Reading” program, which “seeks to instill the joy of reading in under-privileged children, and thereby to prevent reading difficulties that can lead to illiteracy and dropping out of school,” said Annie Cardinal of the foundation.  

There is a strong connection between reading ability and dropping out of school—and boys and male teens are particularly affected.  According to the Canadian School Boards Association, “Prioritiz-ing boys’ learning needs early in their school career is critical for many reasons; literacy rates are decreasing and drop-out rates are increasing among boys in Canadian schools.  (Studies by education ministries) indicate that 15 year old Canadian females outperformed males in reading by 34 points.” 

Dropping out of school impoverishes people and has a lasting impact on the economy.  

According to the U.S. officials, “The fact that so many students never complete high school has a deep and wide-ranging impact on the U.S.’s long-term economic outlook. … The median income of persons ages 18 through 67 who had not completed high school was roughly $25,000 in 2009.  At current rates, a significant segment of the population will remain entrenched in poverty while on a global scale the competitiveness of the American labor force will continue to lag.”  Presumably the same dynamic is at work in Canada.