BRENDA O’FARRELL
The 1019 Report
Quebec Health Minister Christian Dubé made it clear again that he intends to stick to his decision to build a 5.7-hectare parking lot on the site of the new hospital in Vaudreuil-Dorion during a visit to the construction zone Monday, according to Vaudreuil MNA Marie-Claude Nichols.
“On the hospital parking issue, the minister provided a clear and definitive response,” Nichols said in a statement after meeting with Dubé. “He indicated that his government has no intention of returning to tiered parking.”
The move will create the largest heat island in the region, Nichols added, referring to the paved parking area designed to accommodate almost 1,900 vehicles and stretch over an area of just more than 14 acres.
Dubé announced his decision to scrap the plans for either an underground or multi-tiered parking plaza in favour of a surface parking lot last June as a measure to save $50 million on the $2.6-billion hospital project.
The move has come under widespread criticism from local elected officials and environmental groups, including Mères au Front, a local grassroots organization that launched a petition last fall. The petition, calling on the government to abandon its plan for the surface lot and signed by 2,632 residents of the region, was presented to members of the National Assembly in November.
A number of municipalities in the region, including the city of Vaudreuil-Dorion, as well as the MRC of Vaudreuil-Soulanges, have also called on the province to reconsider the plan for a surface lot, arguing the Legault government broke its commitment to build the hospital with a focus on environmental sustainability.
“The Quebec government’s decision to build a surface parking lot runs counter to municipal, regional and provincial environmental policies and objectives,” Vaudreuil-Dorion Mayor Guy Pilon said when the move was first announced.
“I also stressed (to Dubé) that we have already suffered significant consequences from climate change, particularly during the floods of 2017 and 2019,” Nichols said. “He told me that nothing would make him reverse this decision.”
The Vaudreuil-Soulanges hospital will feature 404 beds, employ about 3,200 people and contribute $407.5 million to Quebec’s annual gross domestic product, according to a report commissioned by the CISSS and Développement Vaudreuil-Soulanges in 2022.
Construction of the main pavilions of the hospital continues at the intersection of Cité des Jeunes Blvd., near the junction of Highway 40 and Highway 30. It is slated to open at the end of 2026.