Mélissa Gélinas LJI Reporter
Isabelle N. Miron is a founding member of Action Gatineau since 2012. She serves as municipal councillor for the district of l’Orée-du-Parc and as deputy mayor for Maude Marquis-Bissonnette. She is also chair of the Commission des arts, de la culture, des lettres et du patrimoine, vice-chair of several committees, representative of the Commission de la culture, des loisirs et de la vie communautaire of the Union des municipalités du Québec, member of the Commission du vivre-ensemble and representative of several associations and foundations.
With the year 2025 fast approaching, Miron answered a series of questions, looking back on 2024, on her achievements, her challenges, and on her thoughts and ideas.
What do you consider your biggest accomplishments on the council this year?
I am particularly proud of submitting the cultural policy that we launched in December 2023. This city’s cultural policy was the oldest, dating back to the municipal amalgamation. So, we can imagine how much the cultural world has changed since then! The media and needs are no longer the same. We really needed to review everything, and I am proud of the document and, more specifically, of the very precise action plan. In addition, yesterday, Place Laval won another national architecture award.
What were the most significant challenges faced by your district in the past year, and how were they addressed?
We have a challenge with Mont-Bleu Boulevard, which is an important boulevard since it connects highway exits to several educational institutions […] It had been in the plans to rebuild it for a long time, but we were also in the process of finalizing the bicycle master plan. In this sense, to serve educational institutions, it seemed relevant to us to include bicycle links. Consequently, you can imagine the challenge of including a bicycle link in a highway exit! It’s not easy, so we had to revise our plan. Unfortunately, the citizens were not happy, because I had promised them that the work would be completed in 2022, but the construction site did not begin until 2024. However, it is a beautiful construction that is currently underway. I understand, all the same, people’s impatience, but that is part of the difficulty of our very large city, where we are obliged to prioritize projects according to their urgency.
What feedback from district residents shaped council decisions, and how did you incorporate their concerns?
One recent issue is the Coop d’habitation project on Boulevard de la Technologie. It’s a great project that meets the need for more affordable housing for families, and consequently, because building permits must be delivered before December 31, this requires us to move much faster than usual so as not to lose the right to financing. This leads to a lot of discontent on the part of people in the neighbourhood. The problem is that people are opposed to this housing project while we are in the middle of a housing crisis. I realized how important it is to involve citizens upstream and avoid coming to them with a surprise.
What improvements or changes have been made in your district’s infrastructure, such as roads, parks or public spaces?
I have plans to get more street furniture, because we have an aging population. In this way, I think we should install more benches in parks and public spaces.
How have local businesses in the district been supported, particularly during challenges such as inflation and recovery from the pandemic?
There were programs in the city that supported entrepreneurs. For my part, I did advertising and promoted the services that I was using in my neighborhood.
How has the district’s budget allocation been spent, and what were the key priorities for local spending?
I always try to strike a balance between the organizations in my neighbourhood. Since I am the chair of the Arts Commission, I will be supporting cultural organizations in large cities. This year, for example, I donated to the Relais Plein Air of Gatineau Park and the Outaouais Contemporary Art Centre. I also contributed financially to repairing my daughters’ schoolyard, which had become very dangerous due to the holes in the asphalt.”
What policies or initiatives do you believe have made the most impact on residents’ quality of life this year?
I believe that our environmental decisions will make a difference. This will not happen immediately, but in the long term. We must continue to invest in the STO even if it is not popular. What we want is for it to become a real transportation alternative and for us to want to leave our cars at home.
What lessons did you learn this year that will shape future decisions?
I will try as much as possible to no longer take residents by surprise during projects, like the Coop d’habitation. We have a margin of maneuver that is thin between sharing too much information or sharing the information too early and we end up with consequences.
What are your top priorities for improving the quality of life in your district next year?
I submitted a request to our services to review our noise bylaw. The City of Gatineau is one of the most permissive cities when it comes to decibel tolerance. I would like people to understand that noise is a real factor that affects people’s health. There are people who sell their homes and leave the neighbourhood because of it.”
Furthermore, on Boulevard de la Technologie, we want to control a little better what could be established there, what types of businesses, homes, for example […] I also want to make sure that we can keep green spaces.
How do you see the district evolving over the next few years, and what long-term plans are in place to support this vision?
One thing I would like to mention that would help me a lot would be the revival of a neighbourhood association. Residents would like to have an association so that they can make themselves heard, and I think we are ready to do that in Mont-Bleu.
How would you interpret your role as deputy mayor?
The role of deputy mayor has enriched my experience as a municipal councillor, because I am called to go to other people’s districts and meet lots of people. I really have an incredible opportunity. I hope that my modest contribution will help lessen the burden on the mayor’s shoulders.
See all the interviews in upcoming editions and on GatineauBulletin.ca
Photo: Isabelle N. Miron, deputy mayor and municipal councillor for l’Orée-du-Parc District (Novembre 14, 2024) (MG) Photo: Mélissa Gélinas