City Council meeting packs house at Nicolas-Gatineau Polyvalente High School

Jude Osmond and Drazen Seslija

Gatineau City Council hosted their monthly meeting on June 9, 2026, at Nicolas-Gatineau Polyvalente High School. The meeting brought together residents from across the region to discuss issues affecting their districts.

Resident questions

The first resident brought up the 'Chemin de la poussière’. She told the council that the cloud of dust that appears on Montée Dalton Road, right off Highway 50, is unacceptable and is affecting the conditions of the street and the vehicles. The resident mentioned that the dust storm has made living conditions very difficult, as it is making it hard to play outside. “Every time we go out to do anything, our eyes get itchy from the dust,” the resident said.

The resident also mentioned that the neighbourhood has called 311 multiple times about the same issue and has also complained to the city more than 20 times, but nothing has changed. Jean Lessard, Municipal Councillor for the Rivière-Blanche district, said he has asked three times to have Montée Dalton Road paved, but has not received the green light. He also believes other roads need paving and is a project he will investigate.

Residents from the Versant district surrounded the stage during the meeting to discuss pickleball at Pierre-Laporte Park, where they raised concerns that they are being forced to pay $5 to play on infrastructure financed with tax dollars. They showed their Gatineau access cards to the councillors to prove they have them. In every other Gatineau sports infrastructure, the Gatineau access card grants entry. What they are asking for is a balance between the Association régionale de pickleball de l'Outaouais (ARPO) and the beach schedule, which is causing issues for pickleball players, and the return of unpaid pickleball at Pierre-Laporte Park, with the pickleball courts fenced off to prevent the ball from going all over the court.

Timmy Jutras, Lac-Beauchamp and Luc Chénier Municipal Councillor, Versant district, jokingly mentioned they would gladly pay the five dollars to play with them. Still, the Recreation, Sports and Community Development Commission, with Bettyna Bélizaire, the president and Luc Chénier, the vice-president, agrees with the pickleball community that it is unacceptable for them to have to pay $5 to play on city infrastructure and ensures that they will look into changes to be made on the payment and the scheduling conflict between ARPO and the beach. Jean Lessard gave unfortunate news about the fencing. He told the pickleball players in attendance that funding for the fencing had not been granted, but that the topic would be discussed for possible solutions.

Daniel Martinbeault, president of the speed skating club in Gatineau, provided insight into why it is important to have an Olympic-sized ice rink in the new complex in the East of Gatineau. He explained how crucial it is for speed skaters in the region to have that extra six feet of ice, as the smaller the ice, the greater the disadvantage. “If Gatineau wants to host the Quebec games, they're going to need an Olympic-sized rink,” he said.


He mentioned that Olympic speed skater Cédrick Brunet, a Gatineau native, had to leave the city to continue his sport because Gatineau lacked sufficient infrastructure to support speed skating.

Edmond Leclerc, municipal councillor for the Buckingham district, explained that he would love the project to be accommodating, as he would like athletes from the region to come to Buckingham. However, he mentioned that it’s still a financial question.

Melody Gendron, a teacher at Trivium Academy, told the council that mosquitoes have been causing issues in May and June for the past three years, and are making students in the classroom unfocused because of the bug bites they are scratching. ‘’It's gotten so bad the kids in my class want recess to be placed inside instead of going outside,’’ Gendron said. She proposed to the council that Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (Bti) be released at the beginning of each spring to reduce mosquito numbers near the academy, thereby making the academy's outdoor areas a better environment for teachers and students.

Vanier Road

Gatineau City Council adopted Motion 34.5, paving the way for the Chemin Vanier widening project – a project that residents and elected officials in the Aylmer area have been wanting for several years.

The project aims to improve traffic flow on this strategic road, particularly on the section between Plateau Boulevard and McConnell Road. The city is therefore adopting a phased approach to accelerate the completion of work in the areas where the need is most urgent.

Widening the central segment to six lanes is a priority. This section of the corridor is considered one of the most problematic for traffic and road safety, particularly due to increased traffic from residential development in the area.

The City believes that dividing the project into several phases could help accelerate its implementation and simplify certain regulatory procedures. Despite the motion’s approval, the financing and the full timeline for the work remain to be determined during the next stages of the project.