Local leaders confirm that Centre Asticou is the site for the new Outaouais hospital

Jude Osmond

Local leaders announced the purchase of the Centre Asticou property to begin a new phase of the hospital's development on Boulevard de la Cité-des-Jeunes, officially named the Centre hospitalier affilié universitaire de l’Outaouais.

Pressure has been rising on the location of Centre Asticou, as CCHADO (Coalition pour un centre hospitalier accessible et durable de l’Outaouais) argues that locating the new hospital there raises concerns because it is not centrally located and doesn’t work well with public transport.

They recommended a location like Site Carrière/Casino, as it is centrally located and would provide quicker access for the population of Outaouais. CCHADO notes that extensive surface parking is unnecessary and should be reduced or shared with the casino and underground parking. It would reduce costs for the city and ease constraints on the construction of the hospital, thereby giving the population of Outaouais quicker access to a new hospital.

The site was valued at $79 million, but they paid $9 million. CCHADO argues the property is valuable for its low cost but could be used for another project, such as affordable housing or senior residences, without disrupting the surrounding residents' neighbourhoods.

They touched on renovations to Centre Asticou, which would take up a good chunk of the city's annual $120 million infrastructure budget.

On April 7, a press conference was held featuring local leaders, including Mathieu Lacombe, Quebec Minister of Culture and Communications, Suzanne Tremblay, MNA for Hull, Greg Fergus, MP for Hull-Aylmer, and others, where it was announced that they were moving forward with the Centre Asticou as the site for the new hospital. Lacombe stated that changing the location again would result in an even longer delay to the project.

‘’The site is not ready yet, but there is no other site that would be ready at this moment,’’ Lacombe stated.

Suzanne Tremblay went against CCHADO's claims of it being in a bad spot, noting that the site is in a good spot, as it is near two CEGEPS, and it is in the same sector as Université de Québec Outaouais and other places where it could be of service for a lot of people who are nearby.

They inspired confidence in Centre Asticou as the site for this hospital. Mathieu Lacombe acknowledged that more work is needed, as the site is close to being ready for deconstruction and decontamination. Still, he assured that a lot of work has been done on this project, and it's only going to keep growing.

“We could be at 40 per cent, but we are not at one per cent; we are not at 15, nor are we at 10 per cent. A lot of work has been done on this project,’’ he said.

The target year for the hospital doors to open is 2034, with deconstruction, demolition, and other renovations planned for the project. 2034 is the preferred date, barring setbacks. The city also plans to extend Boulevard de la Cité-des-Jeunes from two to four lanes to allow quicker access for ambulances and other health-related vehicles.

Greg Fergus noted that citizens have been waiting patiently for the health-care infrastructure, and that by announcing the purchase of the property, the project is taking a good step in the right direction and is in good hands.

The plans for this hospital are to make it one of the largest in Quebec, offering a range of modern services to support the people of Outaouais. “It's going to allow us to meet the needs of our people in the region by centralizing some specialized services,’’ said Dr. Marc Bilodeau, Président-directeur général of CISSS de l'Outaouais.

Bilodeau noted that the new technology would also improve employees' working conditions, replacing the inefficiencies of older technologies.