Voters in Gatineau are electing members of their municipal council Sunday. There are six candidates running for mayor.
• Incumbent Marc Bureau said key issues include services to citizens, environment and sustainable development, economic development, quality of life and creating a vibrant downtown. Bureau has proposed the Destination Project to revitalize Gatineau’s downtown area and to transform Jacques-Cartier Park into an animated tourist area.
• A city councillor since 1999 and former deputy mayor, Aurèle Desjardins said his priority would be to settle the outstanding contract disputes with police, fire and other city employees.
Gatineau also needs to step up and take its place as an equal partner in the long-term planning for the National Capital Region, he said.
• Tony Cannavino, a retired Sûreté du Québec officer and past president of the Canadian Police Association, wants to ensure high-quality local services are made available to all residents. Cannavino would also increase the contribution and expertise that Gatineau police provide to the regional task force to combat street gangs.
• For Gatineau to become a truly cosmopolitan city, retired teacher Roger Fleury said it must create a new “Centre-Ville” along the river between the Canadian Museum of Civilization and the Chaudière Bridge. This includes a shared transportation system between Ottawa and Gatineau to service a “Centre-Ville” and the rest of Gatineau using trains on existing rail beds and a light rail system.
• If elected, garage owner Luc Desjardins hopes to have voters going to the polls again within three months to elect officials to represent two new cities separated by the Gatineau River.
Desjardins said the amalgamation imposed on the region has created an unwieldy bureaucracy and needs to be refined.
• Richard Gravel is the director of the Association Régionale de Soccer de l’Outaouais and president of Vision Centre-Ville. A representative for Gravel said he was not interested in speaking with Metro.
