Cargo Developments

By Trevor Greenway

Chelsea is one step closer to building its long-anticipated health facility, where up to six local doctors will staff the new state-of-the-art clinic. 

Cargo Developments has just unveiled its ambitious plan for 48 new housing units; a medical clinic; physiotherapist business, PhysioSport Chelsea; and a number of commercial units for small businesses near the Meredith Centre. 

“We are very excited,” Cargo’s chief operating officer Marco Tascona told the Low Down. “We know that there is a lack of health services in the community and in the region, and the more initiatives like this that we can bring to address the community needs, that’s what we’re all about.”

The project is a partnership between Cargo and Chelsea doctor Dr. Henri-Servante Gaspard, who will co-own the space with the developers. Gaspard did not return the Low Down’s request for comment, however past reporting suggests that up to seven local doctors – some of whom live in Chelsea – could staff the clinic. 

The doctors are a major need in the area, as there are close to 8,000 residents in the Des Collines region without a family physician. 

The new health clinic comes as Quebec’s centralized health department, Santé Québec, announced $1.5 billion in global health cuts across the province last year with the CISSS de l’Outaouais (CISSSO) mandated to cut $90 million from its budget. 

That figure was reduced to $45 million in June of this year. Those cuts resulted in 800 health positions axed from the CISSSO, many of which were vacant at the time of the cuts. 

The new health clinic is also being built despite Chelsea’s moratorium on new developments until it can expand its sewer and water system. 

That system could come at a hefty price tag of around $20 million, according to municipal councillors. Tascona said the project, because it includes a health facility, is exempt from the moratorium. 

The project has already been approved by Chelsea, and once building permits have been acquired – potentially this fall – developers said they hope to break ground before the end of the year, with an opening date sometime in late 2026 or early 2027. Being the project lead on a Chelsea development, Tascona said he has heard the concerns of some residents who feel that Chelsea is growing too big, too fast. As evidenced by the development moratorium, it’s clear that Chelsea doesn’t have the infrastructure to support its rapid growth. Tascona told the Low Down that Cargo has listened to these concerns and built a plan that integrates well into the existing environment. According to Cargo, this means using natural wood or stone cladding on the buildings and creating “vibrant” village hubs that diversely mix residential and commercial units into lively shared spaces. 

The project also tackles the region’s lack of housing rentals. Cargo’s development will include one, two and three-bedroom rental units for singles, professional couples and small families. 

A lack of housing diversity was one of the top three issues facing the Des Collines region, as noted in a 2021 housing study by the region’s housing roundtable, the La Table de développement social des Collines-de-l’Outaouais (TDSCO). TDSCO’s 2021 data shows a major divide between homeowners and those who rent in the region. 

According to the report, 31.6 per cent of renters in the MRC des Collines spend more than 30 per cent of their income on rent, while just 13 per cent of those who own their homes spend as much on their mortgages. 

The 30 per cent income-to-housing ratio is the threshold used by the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) to consider a home as “affordable.” 

The project will be built on Old Chelsea Road at the intersection of Chemin Cecil.