Quebec has chosen the site of the future Outaouais university hospital center. It will be erected on the grounds of the Asticou Center, located in Gatineau Park. The government says the location is “consensus.” But the new mayor of Gatineau says she is “very concerned” by this decision. A coalition of organizations denounces the lack of community consultation.

The Quebec government announced a first site for the construction of the future Outaouais hospital two years ago. The selected location, located in an industrial park in Gatineau, was ultimately rejected for reasons of contamination and expropriation costs.

Quebec confirmed Thursday the choice of the Asticou site for the construction of the future hospital. He signed an agreement in principle with the federal government which will transfer part of the land and building of the Asticou center to him. He also announced the acquisition of a building in downtown Gatineau in order to bring together, among other things, front-line services and a sampling and vaccination center.

According to Health Minister Christian Dubé, the 600-bed hospital will open, as planned, in 2032. “The choice of site allows us to [build] as quickly as possible and at costs that will respect management rigour,” he said at a press conference held in Gatineau with several provincial and federal elected officials. The federal Minister of Public Services and Procurement, Jean-Yves Duclos, was notably present.

The government considers that it presents the “required qualities, particularly with regard to its technical characteristics, its geographical position in the city close to CEGEPs, schools and services, and its accessibility by public transport”.

The new mayor of Gatineau, Maude Marquis-Bissonnette, says she is “very concerned” about this place which, she says, “does not respect the City’s orientations in terms of land use planning.” According to her, the project will have “significant impacts” on municipal infrastructure, including roads, aqueducts and public transportation.

“We’re talking about 5,000 workers per day, plus patients, so thousands of people who will converge on this site every day,” she says. This is where there are challenges, because it is a sector where the roads do not accommodate such a large vehicular flow. There is no public transport to easily access this site. »

Maude Marquis-Bissonnette estimates that the costs will be significant for the City. She believes that the Quebec government underestimates them.

For their part, the Coalition for an accessible and sustainable hospital center in Outaouais (CCHADO) and the Quebec Association of Physicians for the Environment (AQME) deplore the government’s “lack of vision” in this matter.

“We felt that there was little desire to find a site that respected the orientations of the Quebec government in terms of land use planning, mobility and health,” said the CCHADO spokesperson. , Patrick Robert-Meunier.

The Coalition – which brings together a dozen members including MOBIO-O, the Gatineau Chamber of Commerce and Vision Centre-ville – claims to have never been consulted by the government. “Today, we announced a project for the community, but it’s a project that we did without it,” thinks Patrick Robert-Meunier.

Asked about opponents of the announced site, the minister responsible for the Outaouais region, Mathieu Lacombe, responded that the government’s decision “creates a consensus in the region.” “Not unanimity, but consensus,” he clarified.

Mathieu Lacombe listed a series of actors in favor of the Asticou site, notably the region’s prefects, health unions and the Council of Physicians, Dentists and Pharmacists (CMDP) of the CISSS de l’Outaouais.

The president of the CMDP, Dr. Peter Bonneville, confirms that he supports the choice of Quebec. “There are people who have expertise in analyzing this kind of situation […], to determine the pros and cons. At some point, we have no choice. You have to make a decision. »