Budget week

Gatineau reviews 2025 infrastructure work and presents budget for 2026 plans

Sophie Demers 

Gatineau’s Director of Infrastructure and Projects Rita Chahine presented the work accomplished over the past year in infrastructure. The department fulfilled a historic 97% of its 2025 commitments compared to 89% last year. In 2025, the department carried out $180 million worth of work. There were 73 projects started this year, representing $138 million. The work includes water and sewer maintenance, road work, parks, and water treatment. In total, the department is managing over 300 infrastructure project files, ranging from early planning to active construction.

New process for budgeting public works

Gatineau will be adopting a new system for managing maintenance and infrastructure projects to streamline project completion and increase flexibility. Under the current model, each project or public work is allocated a dedicated budget amount. If a project is stalled, whether due to approval delays, manufacturing issues, or other obstacles, the funds tied to the project remain frozen and cannot be used elsewhere.

The new system allocates a budget to a list of projects rather than a specific budget amount to each project. This allows the city to reallocate funds to projects that are ready to proceed. The city believes this will improve workflow and reduce delays.

Planned infrastructure work

The construction of an ecocentre in the west of the city may start at the end of 2026. The budget has allocated $18.6 million for the project. The city’s department of infrastructure and projects says that the funds need to be available in 2026 to assign the construction contract. The work may begin at the end of 2026 but could equally end up starting in 2027.

During budget week, Gatineau announced that the federal and provincial governments have confirmed a combined $70 million in investments for the expansion of Chemin Pink and Boulevard La Vérendrye. Although the cost of the work is covered by the other levels of government, the work will be managed by the city. Pink will be expanded between Chemin Vanier and Boulevard des Grives, while La Vérendrye will be expanding between Boulevard Gréber and Montée Paiement. The work is planned to be completed by 2029, but no official start date has been announced for either project.

Paving and road work is always on the top of residents' minds during budget discussion as Gatineau is known for the significant road maintenance deficit. The budget allocates $32.6 million for road work and paving. The planned 2026 investment is a major decrease from last year's record $55 million. However, looking back on the previous budget, it’s clear that last year was an outlier in terms of road work investment.

The opposition questioned Mayor Maude Marquis-Bissonnette, who ran on a campaign detailing a $220 million dollar investment over the course of her mandate. Marquis-Bissonnette responded saying that they are on track to fulfilling her campaign promise. She includes the expansion of Pink and La Vérendrye in her paving investment calculation.

The budget details a $20.7 million investment for affordable housing. The investment is split between various funds and programs, such as Quebec’s low-rent housing renovation program and Quebec’s affordable housing program. The city is in early-stage talks for 10 affordable housing projects for 2026 that would total 848 units.