Masham

More affordable housing coming to La Pêche

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By Madeline Kerr

La Pêche is taking a step toward more affordable housing.

Thirty-six new affordable rental units will be coming to Masham thanks to an agreement between the municipality and the regional non-profit Habitations de l’Outouais Métropolitain (HOM). 

At a council meeting on Sept. 29, council unanimously passed a resolution to formally partner with the Gatineau-based organization HOM to bring two, 18-unit apartments to a lot situated near the sports complex on Chemin Raphaël in Masham. These units will consist of one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments that will be available for rent based on provincial standards for affordability. 

According to the resolution, the municipality has agreed to transfer the nearly three acres of land located at 40 Ch. Raphaël, which has an estimated value of $180,000, for the price of $1. The municipality also agreed to waive other municipal costs, such as the so-called “welcome tax,” the cost of building permits, as well as 12 years worth of municipal taxes. It is not waiving tariffs for services like waste collection, however. For its part, HOM has agreed to rent the units exclusively to eligible households – with priority given to residents of La Pêche – and in accordance with the terms and conditions set out in the Quebec Affordable Housing Program (QAHP).

HOM is partnered with the organization Office d’habitation de l’Outaouais (OHO), an organization that manages and administers housing and housing programs in the region. 

According to Antoine Bélanger-Rannou, real estate development manager at OHO, the project must comply with QAHP regulations in three ways: 

“First, the units must meet [the] minimum criteria for size and quality, be adapted to the market and comply with legal and regulatory requirements,” he said.

Second, leases on each apartment must provide for a maximum monthly rent based on a scale established by the Société d’habitation du Québec, a government agency responsible for housing in the province.

“This scale, which is updated twice a year, is the recognized tool for regulating affordability based on household income and market conditions,” he said. 

Third, HOM must comply with “all applicable legislative, regulatory and municipal requirements,” he said. 

“In short, the municipality does not grant its support unconditionally,” he continued. Rather, the agreement ensures that “the housing built here in La Pêche will remain truly affordable – not only when it is first marketed but throughout the 35 years of the agreement.”

HOM is responsible for other affordable housing units in the municipality, including Sully Gardens in Wakefield and another 12-unit building also located on Chemin Raphaël in Masham. 

There is no official timeline in place for the units to be built and operational.

“[HOM] is still awaiting the results of geotechnical and environmental studies, which are necessary to finalize the project plans,” Bélanger-Rannou explained. “These plans will then have to be reviewed by the municipality. [HOM] must also obtain confirmation of the grants that will finance the project.”

Once completed, he explained that HOM will be able to come up with a provisional timeline for the project.  

According to the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, housing is considered “affordable” if it costs less than 30 per cent of a household’s before-tax income. 

A report published in 2021 by La Table de développement social des Collines-de-l’Outaouais (TDSCO) revealed that around 15 per cent of households in the MRC des Collines spend more than 30 per cent of their income on housing. TDSCO is a non-profit organization that brings together individuals and organizations working together to address social issues in the region.

In June of 2023 the MRC presented a new affordable-housing strategy, with 32 measures aimed at helping municipalities in the region build more houses faster, entice developers to include affordable options and allow density exceptions when building “social or affordable housing.”

La Pêche Mayor Guillaume Lamoureux told the Low Down, “From the housing study conducted in recent years in our MRC, we know that one of our biggest challenges is the lack of affordable rental properties.”

He added that building these rental units will allow the municipality to offer “affordable alternatives for autonomous seniors who want to downsize, for single parents, for young people who are moving out in their first apartment [and] for people with lower income who are unable to afford a home in La Pêche.”

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Fire ban issued across Hills

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By Trevor Greenway

Don’t toss your cigarette butt out your car window. 

Don’t light that pile of leaves your kids have raked up in the backyard. And don’t, under any circumstances, have an open fire any time in the next week – maybe beyond. 

These things may seem innocuous but they have already caused at least two fires in La Pêche over the past week, according to firefighter and prevention technician Sébastien Lalonde. The province’s wildfire prevention agency SOPFEU has ordered a complete fire ban across the Gatineau Hills at the beginning of October. 

“I would be really, really aware of what I’m doing outside, even if it’s a cigarette, even if it’s a barbecue…” said Lalonde. “At the moment, it’s really dry. We had one little brush fire this weekend and according to the owner of the property it was caused by a cigarette.”

Lalonde said another resident was having a controlled fire in a barrel in Masham Oct. 2 when some embers floated towards a nearby garage and lit it up. The garage was a total loss, however no injuries were reported. 

“So yes, it is really dangerous at this point because it’s really dry,” said Lalonde, referencing a lack of rain over the last month. “So even a cigarette can be a really big hazard at the moment. So it’s really important that people understand that situation. Because even when you drive on the highway and you throw your cigarette through the window, well, that may cause a fire, and we see many, many fires along the main road like that.”

According to SOPFEU, there are two current fires burning in the Gatineau Hills (L’Ange-Gardien and Mayo) and nine across the Outaouais. The fire prevention organization has had a complete ban on open fires since the first week of October. 

While there are no wildfires active in Low or Kazabazua, open fires are also banned in the entire MRC Vallée-de-la-Gatineau region. 

For more information or for tips on fire safety, visit sopfeu.qc.ca/.

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La Pêche drops dubious depot decision

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By Madeline Kerr

The municipality of La Pêche will continue its search for a suitable place to build a municipal garage after council voted to reject a controversial site near Lac Gauvreau in Masham. 

In July council passed a resolution to look into the feasibility of building a garage that could be used to store machinery, repair trucks and possibly also store gravel and salt on a lot situated along Hwy 366 west of Masham. 

This immediately rankled some residents, including Claire Gauvreau, who told the Low Down the site “was problematic in every way.”

“[The location] didn’t make any sense,” Gauvreau asserted, explaining that the entrance to the site would have necessarily been on a steep hill, which is often slippery in the winter. She said that cars often travel faster than the 80 km/h limit on that stretch of road, making the coming and going of large trucks a further safety concern. 

She added that some residents living around Lac Gauvreau worried about the possible environmental hazards of having a garage so close to the lake, including the possibility that pollutants would leak into the lake. The Lac Gauvreau community has already been battling an invasion of Eurasian milfoil for roughly the last 15 years. 

Masham Coun. Pierre LeBel echoed some of Gauvreau’s sentiments, telling the Low Down that safety and environmental concerns were the main reasons his constituents wanted council to forgo the site. 

Another problem with the proposed site according to LeBel was that noise from the garage could carry easily across the lake, disturbing nearby residents and cottagers. 

LeBel said that obtaining approval to use the site from the Ministry for the Environment was projected to take up to five years and could cost as much as $1 million. The zoning for the land would also have to be changed.

At a council meeting on Sept. 8 LeBel put forward a resolution to reject the site, which was passed with a vote of five to two. 

Edelweiss Ward Coun. Richard Gervais and Wakefield Coun. Claude Giroux voted against the resolution. At the meeting Giroux explained that given the “prohibitive” cost of fuel he believes municipal buildings should be located in the same general area. 

“For logistical and operational reasons and because it’s better for the economy … the centralization of the garage is an important consideration,” Giroux said.

LeBel told the Low Down that the municipality has been looking for a site to build a garage for a number of years. But he said, “If we’ve been looking for six years, what’s another six months?” 

He said that he’s aware of other sites that the municipality is eyeing for a future garage, but added that he’s not at liberty to disclose the locations.

At the Sept. 8 meeting, La Pêche Mayor Guillaume Lamoureux said that the municipality would “Go back to the drawing board” to find other possible sites for the garage, adding that with municipal elections taking place on Nov. 2, the decision will be made by a future council.

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Unfinished business pushes La Pêche councillor to seek third term

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By Madeline Kerr

La Pêche deputy mayor and Ward 5 Coun. Pamela Ross says that she has unfinished business in the municipality. 

She confirmed to the Low Down that she is seeking a third term as Ward 5 councillor.

Specifically, Ross said she wants to improve the municipality’s “customer service.”

“I want to improve our one-on-one service, our attention to detail,” Ross explained, adding that when residents interact with the municipality about “day-to-day things” like garbage collection, large item pickup, or obtaining a permit, they should expect timely, personalized service. “This isn’t always the case,” she admitted. 

This is what she considers her top priority for the upcoming election. She added that she wants to ensure that large road communities in her district – such as Chemin Lac Bernard, which she said is home to 450 residents, and Chemin Lac Usher – are given greater priority by the municipality. 

Ross’ district of northern La Pêche, which includes Alcove, Lescelles, Rupert and Farrellton, encompasses around 80 km of unpaved road, the most in the municipality, according to Ross. 

The challenges of managing a “uniquely rural” district is one preoccupation for Ross, but she added she’s also focused on the needs of the whole municipality. 

“Our large land mass, significant infrastructure needs,  environmental considerations,  language diversity, rising cost of living, and the pressures that come with being so close to the nation’s capital all present unique challenges,” she said. 

Ross said that she’s “a terrible self-promoter,” and doesn’t find it easy to talk about herself publicly. Still, the Low Down was able to glean that Ross is a life-long La Pêche resident: she was born and raised here and chose to raise their three kids here as well. She sits on the board of Centre Wakefield La Pêche and she’s been a proud minor league hockey coach. She currently works for the Senate of Canada and has spent most of her career in federal politics. 

Although she grew up in an anglophone family, Ross attended school in French. She said she considers herself capable of bridging the divide between French and English cultures in the municipality. 

Ross said she’s proud to have overseen the municipality “modernize itself tenfold” during her time on council. 

“We have a staff who are out seeking funds for us to accomplish betterments in our community… Our budget has increased, we have been able to [secure] so much money that isn’t coming from citizens,” she said, referring to subsidies that the municipality has been granted for major projects such as the new town hall in Masham which opened its doors last year. The award-winning building, which is the first institutional Passivhaus in Quebec, cost $11.5 million, half of which was paid for by the province. 

Although Ross admitted that the “municipal level is maybe the least sexy level of government,” she said that being able to improve her constituents’ lives when it comes to the “day-to-day things” is exciting for her. 

“We only get one life, and every day matters,” Ross said, adding, “if [the municipality] is not doing right by our citizens, then it’s just not good enough, quite frankly.”

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Masham senior died after substandard care at Villa

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By Trevor Greenway

A Quebec coroner has concluded that Masham resident Aline Maisonneuve died of a kidney infection “in a context of suboptimal care” that she received while staying at the Villa des Brises care home in Hull.

Maisonneuve, 95, was found “drowsy and hypotensive” in her bed on the morning of April 12, 2024, after several fellow patients reported hearing her screams go unanswered the night before. She died two days later at the Hull Hospital, where doctors reported finding bed sores and bruises across her torso and neck. 

An external examination of Maisonneuve’s body on April 16, 2024, and an autopsy performed on April 23, 2024, confirmed these wounds and her cause of death. 

The external examination revealed “two bedsores in the [tailbone] region and three bruises on the back,” wrote Coroner Marie Pinault in her report, which the Low Down has obtained. “Ms. Aline Besner died of pyelonephritis in a context of suboptimal care,” she stated in the report.

Besner is Aline Maisonneuve’s legal surname, however she is known around the Hills as Maisonneuve. 

Pyelonephritis is a kidney infection that needs prompt medical treatment, according to Health Canada. If not treated properly, an infection can cause lasting damage to the kidneys, or the bacteria can spread to the bloodstream and cause a potentially life-threatening infection. This is what happened to Maisonneuve, according to the coroner’s report. 

The autopsy, performed at the Laboratory of Forensic Science and Medicine in Montreal, revealed “acute pyelonephritis with blood-borne spread to the lungs and liver,” wrote Pinault. “In addition, the pathologist noted pressure sores on the back of the shoulder blades, calves and heels, as well as a one-centimetre superficial ulcer on the sacrum.”

Maisonneuve had been staying at Villa des Brises since Feb. 26, 2024, and within just a few weeks her condition had deteriorated rapidly, according to her son, Guy Maisonneuve. She was admitted after caring for her became too much for Guy and his wife, Shelley Langlois so she was moved to the Wakefield Hospital on Dec. 22, 2023, where she was treated for “delirium and loss of independence” until Feb. 26, 2024, according to the report. 

She was later admitted to Villa des Brises, but the move there wasn’t supposed to be permanent, as Maisonneuve was waiting for a spot to open up at the Masham long-term care facility, the CHSLD. But she never made it there. 

Patient wasn’t bathed for two weeks: commissioner

A Quebec Commissioner for Complaints and Quality of Services report released in May suggested that Maisonneuve hadn’t been given a bath in two weeks while staying at the home. Commissioner John Benoit concluded that she was the victim of “physical and organizational abuse through negligence” by staff at the care home and the CISSS de l’Outaouais home support (SAD) clinical team. 

Benoit’s report also noted incomplete records at the Villa, the absence of a treatment plan for the period from April 1 to April 12, 2024, and “delays (or lack thereof) in responding to call bells” – alarms that residents can use to alert staff when they need help. The report also showed that Maisonneuve had fallen four times between March 20 and 30, 2024; no incident/accident reports had been filed and follow-up was very poor. 

The commissioner’s report also highlighted several shortcomings at the Villa, including problematic “hygiene and sanitation concepts, infection prevention and control, regulations on the certification of private residences for seniors, assessment of the quality of the living environment, the medication, nursing care and risk management.”

Following the commissioner’s report, an action plan was developed at Villa des Brises. While some of the improvements are ongoing, a new manager with a nursing background was appointed last fall, and her office is located at the Villa. 

However, questions remain surrounding why Maisonneuve was fully dressed in her daytime clothes when she was found unresponsive at the Villa and why the bedsores and bruises were not reported. 

“It was not possible to determine why Ms. Besner was dressed early in the morning when she was found unconscious,” wrote Pinault. “In addition, staff at the residence and SAD denied any skin integrity issues when she left for the hospital on April 12, 2024, while hospital staff reported bedsores that same day.”

Family endured year of ‘agony’

Maisonneuve’s son, Guy told the Low Down Sept. 1, about a week after the coroner’s report was published, that despite already being aware of the disturbing details of his mother’s death, reading the coroner’s report was yet another traumatic day in their 17-month fight for justice. 

“It was not fun to reread it, but it’s not the first time or last – we’ve gone over this so many times, and you don’t get used to it,” said Guy. “I will never get used to hearing the descriptions of my mom’s conditions. I’m going to have to find a place for it because it’s never going to be okay; I will never be okay with what happened to her.”

While the family will never have their mom, mother-in-law, and “Grandmama” back, Guy and Langlois are satisfied with the report, the findings and the action plan that the Villa has been implementing.

When asked if he feels justice has been served, Guy said, “To a certain degree.” He said that the multiple stories published in this local community paper helped the family push forward and ultimately led to the community knowing her story. 

“I think that this is part of what has helped my mom get some justice – we told her story, it was acknowledged, it was talked about, and if it can even help one person…” he trailed off with emotion. 

“It feels like we did accomplish something. And it wasn’t just Shelley and I,” he continued. “It was, again, with your help and with the help of Dr. Pinault. I think she did get some justice. They didn’t know her name. They had no idea –  she was just an anonymous patient, but now I’m pretty sure they know her name.”

“They can’t ignore her now,” added Shelley. 

The Centre intégré de santé et des services sociaux de l’Outaouais (CISSSO) told the Low Down that it implemented a “continuous improvement plan” to improve care at the home and monitor for quality control following the death of Maisonneuve. The regional health authority said that it installed a CISSS manager following her death and has implemented “safety nets” to address alleged abuse or negligence. 

“The CISSS de l’Outaouais takes each of these incidents seriously and has investigated them with the support of the Nursing Department (DSI) and the Quality, Performance Evaluation, and Ethics Department (DQEPE),” said CISSSO spokesperson Qeren Boua. “We were proactive in this matter and, following this event, a CISSS manager was present at Villa des Brises. As soon as we became aware of the situation, we implemented, in collaboration with the RPA, a continuous improvement plan that allowed us to monitor the actions taken and ensure the quality and sustainability of services.”

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La Peche adopts ‘zone-by-zone’ housing approach

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By Trevor Greenway

La Pêche has adopted its new zoning regulations to provide more diversified housing for low-income families, young professionals and first-time home buyers. 

La Pêche Mayor Guillaume Lamoureux told the Low Down that the municipality adopted new zoning regulations earlier this month that will see up to 45 units per hectare in the urban perimeters of Wakefield and Masham. However, he was clear that both towns are broken up into multiple zones, and it’s unlikely that developments or housing projects will actually reach the maximum allowed density. 

“The approach that we have in each urban perimeter is a zone-by-zone approach,” Lamoureux explained. “The zoning is not uniform throughout each urban perimeter.”

Lamoureux said that, despite some online rhetoric suggesting zoning is increasing at an alarming rate across the entire municipality, the global maximum of 45 units per hectare in urban perimeters isn’t changing from the previous zoning bylaws. He added that, in many cases, the maximum density of 45 units won’t be reached, as each urban perimeter is broken up into separate “zones,” each with unique conditions and challenges. 

“There are a number of factors to take into account, like groundwater, waste water, treatment systems that are available in this location; [and] the size of the lots that are considered by developers,” said Lamoureux. “There are restrictions on the number of units per building that vary throughout each zone. There’s a series of criteria that are different from one zone to another. So, the maximum theoretical density is rarely actually attained.”

Lamoureux said the urban planning changes were democratic, as La Pêche held several public consultations in Masham and Wakefield over the winter before adopting them. He said he is proud of the outcome, as it will make it easier for young families and first-time home buyers to enter the housing market. 

“The issue that many MRCs like ours have is that we have very uniform housing opportunities, like single dwellings, and that’s a major factor for people who are trying to either downsize or access their first property or access a rental property,” he said. “The way to counter this is to focus on your urban perimeters and diversify the kind of housing that is available.”

Lamoureux also explained that already fully developed areas won’t see many changes. He used the example of a neighbourhood in Masham that is “90 per cent developed,” and said residents won’t wake up to see apartments being built on the final lot. 

“In a neighbourhood where 90 per cent-plus of the neighbourhood has already been developed, and it’s very uniform, we’re not going to come in and allow new densities and new buildings with more units than it actually currently has.” 

La Pêche is hosting an information session on the urban planning process on June 19 at its town hall in Masham at 7:30 p.m. The meeting can also be streamed online virtually.

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Villa des Brises gets near failing grade on inspection

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By Trevor Greenway

An inspection by Quebec’s investigation department has found that Villa des Brises long-term care home, where Masham resident Aline Maisonneuve was found unconscious in her room and died two days later in April 2024, failed nearly half of its operational measures mandated by the province, including having a faulty call-for-help system for patients. 

According to the January 2024 inspection report by the Direction des Inspections et des Enquêtes, the Villa des Brises care home facility in Gatineau was non-compliant in 18 out of 37 categories. The report was obtained through an access-to-information request. 

Among the biggest infractions cited by the report were a faulty call-for-help system, which was connected to care staff’s cellphones rather than a central line in the home. Several patients of Villa des Brises the Low Down spoke with reported pulling the alarm systems for help, only for their pleas to go unanswered. 

Maisonneuve, a Masham senior, was a patient at the home in 2024. She died in the Hull Hospital on April 14, 2024, after fellow patients reported that her screams for help went unanswered throughout the night two days earlier at Villa des Brises. Doctors found bedsores on her back and torso and a coroner is now investigating her death. 

According to the inspection report, the home also got a failing grade for its fire safety plan, as its resident list was not up to date. The home also failed under the “risk of wandering” category, as it does not feature an alarm system to alert staff if patients wander out of the building. 

The inspection also revealed that staff regularly left hazardous products around the home unattended.

“Presence of a bottle of odoriferating solution concentrated in the fifth floor residents’ bedroom. Cart containing several household products left unattended,” the report stated. At the time of the report, the home also had issues with its liability insurance and had no collaboration or cooperation agreements with intensive care units or prescription drug providers. 

A second inspection in June 2024 revealed the home was still non compliant in six categories, including the faulty call-for-help system, the home’s fire safety plan, as well as a risk of wandering. 

Maisonneuve’s son, Guy, and her daughter-in-law, Shelley Langlois, have been trying to get justice for their loved one for over a year and say the inspection shows just how bad things were at Villa des Brises while Maisonneuve stayed there.

“It puts into perspective just how bad things were at the Villa des Brises/CISSS de l’Outaouais residence,” said Langlois. “Many of the serious problems were documented as far back as January 2024 and yet patients kept being placed there.”

A coroner’s report into Maisonneuve’s death is expected to be released sometime this June. 

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Masham senior was ‘victim of abuse’ at Gatineau care home

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By Trevor Greenway

Aline Maisonneuve wasn’t given a bath for over two weeks while under the care of nurses at the Villa des Brises long-term care home in Gatineau, a report by Quebec’s complaint commission suggests. 

Quebec’s Commissioner for Complaints and Quality of Services found that the Masham senior, who died April 14, 2024, two days after being found unresponsive in her long-term care room in Gatineau, was the victim of “physical and organizational abuse through negligence” by staff at the care home and the CISSS de l’Outaouais home support (SAD) clinical team. 

Before she was taken to the Hull Hospital, witnesses reported hearing her scream throughout the night – screams that went unanswered. She was then found unconscious and taken to hospital, where she later died two days later. Doctors at the Hull Hospital found bed sores on her back and torso. A coroner is now investigating the circumstances of her death. 

While the details around how her mother-in-law was treated at the home are devastating to read, Shelley Langlois told the Low Down that after waiting for answers for over a year, she and her husband, Guy, feel that someone is finally listening to their heartbreaking story. 

“We feel validated,” said Langlois, flipping through the commissioner’s report. “Validated that our concerns were warranted. None of this felt right from the beginning.”

In his report, Commissioner John Benoit noted that on the day Maisonneuve was found unconscious, paramedics discovered a “clean bandage” on her arm, indicating that she had recent bloodwork done. But medical records showed that she had only received bloodwork on March 27, 2024 – 16 days before she was found unresponsive in her care home room. 

“They asked the staff about this, and they had no record of [Aline] having had bloodwork. We can only deduce that the bandage is from bloodwork that would have been taken during a hospitalization at Hull Hospital on March 27, 16 days ago,” Benoit wrote in his report. “As the bandage was clean, it indicates that [Aline] had not likely been bathed in over two weeks. 

The report referred to Maisonneuve’s treatment plan at the care home between Feb. 27 and March 31, 2024, and noted that, while she received personal hygiene assistance almost every day, “she never received a full bath in the bathtub/shower over the same period” according to her treatment plan. 

“I therefore find that there were shortcomings, not only in terms of assistance with hygiene care by VDB [Villa des Brises] staff, but also in terms of the clinical follow-up provided by the nurses of the home support clinical team working at VDB.”

The report went on to note that Aline was also “fully dressed” upon her arrival at the Hull Hospital, which Benoit wrote, “suggested to us that either she had slept in her clothing or someone dressed an unconscious woman prior to sending her by ambulance. Either scenario is deeply upsetting.” Benoit also noted that he has “doubts about the assistance offered” to Maisonneuve between April 1 and 12, 2024, as the care home has yet to submit her treatment plan for that timeframe, “despite several attempts to obtain it.” 

Staff failed to follow ‘rule of care’

Nurses at the care home noted in their file on April 9, 2024, a few days before Maisonneuve was transferred to hospital, that no pressure ulcers were found on her body, according to the report. However, the report referenced a “lack of detailed notes” on Maisonneuve’s file, especially in the days leading up to her admission to the hospital. Benoit wrote in his report that the discrepancies make it impossible to explain the bedsores found by doctors at the Hull Hospital. 

The report stated that notes from a triage nurse at the emergency room at the Hull Hospital did not indicate wounds found on Maisonneuve when she arrived on April 12, 2024. However, a complete physical examination was not performed in the emergency room. It wasn’t until 9:30 p.m. that night when a doctor and a charge nurse discovered bruises and a pressure sore on her tailbone and back. 

“I am concerned about the health condition observed by the nursing and medical team at the Hull Hospital when your mother was admitted on April 12,” wrote Benoit. “The incomplete record-keeping, the absence of the treatment plan for the period from April 1 to 12, the inadequate use of various documentation and follow-up tools, such as the assessment of the risk of falling and the risk of developing pressure ulcers, and the lack of follow-up on care protocols (e.g. post-falls) demonstrate major shortcomings in the care provided to your mother during her stay at the Résidence Villa des Brises.” The report also described four separate instances when Maisonneuve fell at the care home, and each time staff failed to follow the “rule of care,” which involves post-fall assessments and documentation. According to the report, these post-fall assessments were either “absent or incomplete” and documentation was “very limited.”

The report came with a lengthy list of recommendations and an action plan for Villa des Brises to follow. These include implementing assessment and follow-ups for users who have fallen, ensuring nursing staff are trained in delirium detection, ensuring that nurses include prevention-related clinical guidelines when the risk of pressure sores is identified and several other measures. According to the report, many of these recommendations have been implemented since last summer. 

‘We read it and were just bawling’

Langlois told the Low Down that she and her husband had felt abandoned by the system: nurses and staff at Villa des Brises; executives within the CISSS de l’Outaouais; and their own MNA, Robert Bussière, who has yet to contact the family personally. 

They said they’ve waited more than a year for any movement on their file. 

But now that their complaints have been validated, they said they feel confident that justice for their grandmama, mother and mother-in-law will eventually be served. 

Langlois said when she and Guy read in the report that Maisonneuve was “the victim of physical and organizational abuse through negligence on the part of the VDB and SAD care staff during her stay,” they began to weep.

“I highlighted it. We read it and were just bawling,” said Langlois. “What we were looking for was someone to say, ‘You’re not crazy. This place was a shithole.’ And then to follow up with the action plan.”

Langlois praised Quebec’s complaint commission and said that she hopes her and Guy’s story will give others the confidence to push for justice when they feel they or their family have been wronged. 

Guy said he still struggles with the fact that he couldn’t save his mother from neglect at the care home. 

“We knew something was wrong with that place, but we couldn’t do anything about it,” he said, fighting back tears. “We couldn’t save her.” 

MNA Bussière refused to comment on the case, citing that it was a confidential matter. 

A coroner’s report into Maisonneuve’s death is expected to be finalized in June.

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Tornado-like storm wreaks havoc on Hills homes

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By Trevor Greenway

Paul Kodish said he heard what sounded like “an explosion” when a violent windstorm hit his Edelweiss home and sent a tree through his ceiling on the evening of April 29. 

“It was like a rocket,” said Kodish, pointing to a hole in his cedar ceiling.

Kodish was teaching a drum lesson on the evening of April 29 around 6 p.m., when he said “everything just went dark” and a violent windstorm hit without warning. Immediately, trees around his property began falling down – but not just falling – he said the trees were shooting toward the ground “like missiles.” 

One pierced his roof, another jammed more than four feet into the ground and damaged his retaining wall. His vehicle was slightly damaged, but more than that, he and his wife Natalia Kantor, who are new to the Hills, were left shaken. 

“Now, I’m doing okay,” said Kantor, a day after the violent storm, admitting that the day before she was rattled and scared as the storm rattled windows, sent debris into her home and brough instant darkness to their typically bright and sunny Edelweiss home. “I think we had a mini tornado because the tree tops went flying into our roof like bullets. We ran downstairs.”

Environment Canada is now investigating whether a tornado touched down in the area. Winds may have reached speeds of over 100 km/h during the storm’s peak, according to meteorologist Eric Tomlinson. 

Over in Masham, neighbours were also hit hard by the storm. Several residents lost portions of their roofs, others had severe damage to their car shelters and sheds. Trees were uprooted, powerlines were downed and hundreds were left without power for several days. 

Even this reporter’s home wasn’t spared, as evidenced by the solid wood picnic table in the backyard that was tossed eight feet into the air before landing in an above-ground pool. Deck stairs were cracked when a wheelbarrow was thrown into them. Emergency crews in La Pêche were dispatched to clear downed trees in multiple areas, and despite such a violent storm coming so quickly without warning, no injuries were reported. 

Tomlinson told the Low Down that, while it’s too early to tell whether or not a tornado touched down, Environment Canada believes it was a “straight line wind event,” or a “microburst,” which is a downdraft of air that has nowhere to go during a thunderstorm. Tomlinson said Environment Canada confirmed that a severe thunderstorm producing strong winds and hail moved through the area around 6:45 p.m.

“We did get some damage reports from that general area that do suggest some stronger gusts, the possibility of gusts up to 100 kilometres per hour with those thunderstorms was present,” said Tomlinson. He added that Western University’s The Northern Tornadoes Project is investigating the possible presence of a tornado. He said the area was under a tornado warning. “We’re talking more of a microburst for that particular storm,” he said. “With microbursts, you can get winds that resemble a weak tornado that could produce similar levels of damage. So, you could imagine just a lot of rain falling, a lot of air descending very rapidly and then having nowhere to go once it reaches the surface. And so that’s why you can actually get those stronger wind gusts. It won’t be quite as widespread, similar to a tornado in that sense, but definitely enough to cause significant damage for sure.”

Tomlinson advised residents to heed severe thunderstorm warnings and plan accordingly to prepare for extreme weather events. With climate change producing more frequent and more intense storms, he said residents should always have a plan. 

“Having a good idea of where you’re going to be in the evening and the afternoon, just to have a plan in mind as to where you can take shelter, that would be the first advice I would give,” said Tomlinson.  “Obviously, indoors is best. You want to get into an interior area of the building. Stay away from windows, specifically, if the risk that day is for thunderstorms and strong gusts of wind and get to a basement, if possible.” He said if you’re trapped outside, you can take shelter in your car if it’s nearby. If you’re out hiking in the woods, Tomlinson suggests lying down on the ground or finding a “small tree” to take shelter under, as larger trees are more likely to be hit by lightning. 

Tornado-like storm wreaks havoc on Hills homes Read More »

La Pêche town hall wins eco-design award

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By Trevor Greenway


The municipality of La Pêche has won a design excellence award for its Passivhaus town hall, which is officially the first institutional building in Quebec to have the German eco-building status. 

The award was given out earlier this month by the Centre of Expertise on Commercial Wood Construction (Cecobois), whose mission is to facilitate the increased use of wood buildings in multi-family and non-residential construction across the province. La Pêche won first place in the Sustainable Development category. 

According to the jury panel, La Pêche’s new town hall, which spans an impressive 1,426 square metres just off Hwy 366 in Masham, “Comprehensively considers its environmental footprint.” The town hall officially opened in November 2024. 

“Minimizing the construction’s intrinsic carbon footprint and reducing consumption through a Passivhaus design demonstrates demanding and advanced work,” the panel wrote.  “A pioneering building, it paves the way for low-carbon institutional buildings in Quebec.”

Passivhaus is a German building concept in which a building or home must adhere to a specific design standard and use 90 per cent less energy than conventional buildings. Passivhaus buildings have no active heating system and boast ultra-low energy costs. 

The new town hall cost La Pêche $11.5 million, however half of that was covered in provincial grants. 

La Pêche Mayor Guillaume Lamoureux was in Quebec City in early April to accept the award. 

La Pêche town hall wins eco-design award Read More »

Job losses ‘unavoidable’ in round two of health cuts

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By Trevor Greenway

After slashing 800 health positions across the Outaouais, the head of CISSSO says that he still needs to cut an additional $30 million from its budget, money that will “certainly” result in more job losses. 

The CISSSO was mandated by the province’s new health department, Santé Québec, to slash $90 million from its budget in an overall effort to cut $1.5 billion from the province’s health sector by April 1. Last week, CISSSO announced it was cutting 800 health jobs as part of the cuts. However, CISSSO CEO Marc Bilodeau told the Low Down on March 20 that those cuts only represented two-thirds – $60 million of budget cuts – with an additional $30 million coming down the pike. 

“I think it’s unavoidable,” said Bilodeau when asked if the next round of cuts will result in job losses.  “Because 70 per cent of my expenditures are related to human resources, so expecting to cut without impacting positions is almost impossible.”  

While many of the 800 positions cut last week were vacant, with 104 personnel losing their jobs, Bilodeau says the next round of budget cuts will be especially difficult. He said the first round of cuts was focused on the “easy stuff,” like abolishing vacant positions. He admitted that there would be an impact on residents. He added that not all of the impacts of the cuts would be bad. 

“There would be some impact, but impact doesn’t mean, necessarily, negative impact,” said Bilodeau. “So it could have an impact on how the care is delivered but not necessarily on the amount of care being delivered.”

Dr. Bilodeau used the example of adapting patients with “very common mental health problems” into group therapy settings rather than one-on-one sessions: “I can have 10 patients in the same room with one healthcare provider, and I can do, basically, 10 times more than what I would do with a one-on-one intervention.” He added that managing hours, morale and work-life balance for front-line staffers will be key to moving forward successfully. 

Bilodeau said about two-thirds of the 104 health jobs cut in the region are front-line staff positions, but he added that many have been offered other positions “in more critical areas of our healthcare system.” 

SOS Outaouais president Jean Pigeon told the Low Down that, while the 800 job losses aren’t as dire as recent headlines suggest, the fact that over 600 vacant positions won’t be renewed kills any chance of recruiting more doctors, nurses or medical technicians to an already underfunded health region. According to the Observatoire de développement de l’Outaouais, it has estimated that the Outaouais region faces a funding shortfall of $180 million when compared to other regions in Quebec. 

“We need to point our fingers at the government here,” said Pigeon. “They are the ones who are making these decisions. And clearly this is not Mr. Bilodeau’s fault. It’s just going to create an overwhelming burden again in the workplace environment. Can we really let go of people that we need in a network that is underfunded and understaffed? No, it’s just chaotic.”

Three full-time positions abolished in Des Collines

According to health watchdog group Vigi Santé, the cuts will be felt locally, as three full-time positions in the Des Collines are being abolished: one at the CHSLD in Masham and two admin positions related to proximity services. 

“Two of them are actual job losses; the third one is a reassignment,” said Vigi Santé spokesperson Marcel Chartrand. 

Chartrand also noted that a 0.5 nursing position is being moved from the Masham CLSC to Cantley. Chartrand added that the cuts are also suspending key projects in the region, including a new seniors’ home in Masham and a multi-purpose, permanent vaccination centre in the Des Collines region.  “We are told time and again that services are not and will not be affected,” said Chartrand. “Hard to believe, as with fewer resources, there will be delays in providing services, and waiting times will be extended.”

No decision on CLSC in Low, yet

Dr. Bilodeau told the Low Down that, while there isn’t yet an official decision to cut services at the CLSC in Low to one day a week, he did say that “measures are on the table.”

“Obviously, some of those places like Low could be affected,” said Bilodeau. “I’m not saying they will be because it’s still being analyzed now, and we haven’t made a decision as to where it’s going to be with the last $30 million that we need to cut.” Gatineau MNA Robert Bussière did not return the Low Down’s calls for comments.

Job losses ‘unavoidable’ in round two of health cuts Read More »

Hills residents fight for affordable housing

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , , , , ,

By Trevor Greenway

Local Journalism Initiative

It was made very clear last week that La Pêche residents care about affordable housing and low-income families. 

When one resident suggested at a Feb. 20 zoning meeting that low-income families should be pushed outside the village cores in both Wakefield and Masham, residents stood up to argue the opposite – asserting how artists, families, elders and single people make the area diverse, rich and unique. 

“What’s the scope of this? What’s the trigger of this? Who is asking to have affordable houses here?” asked a resident during the second pre-consultation on the municipality’s urban plan (PU). “In Lac-des-Loups, compared to the village, the further you go, it’s going to be a bit cheaper because the lots are cheaper, so what is the scope to have affordable housing in a limited space, as Wakefield, where you are struggling with parking, but now you are thinking about bringing almost blocks. Why not elsewhere, outside the city,” asked the resident, referring to block housing, like container villages. 

“Well, because there is none,” added Wakefield resident and business owner John Batten, sitting a few seats over.

La Pêche urbanism director Jalloul Salah, who hosted the meeting, said he has heard from residents that Wakefield is becoming more expensive, making it harder for younger couples, single families, artists, service workers and elders to stay in the village. 

“People say that Wakefield is getting a bit expensive, and they want to continue living here,” he told the crowd. “So, what you are saying is gentrification, so let’s push people out.”

The resident, who did not share his name, said that people move to Wakefield for “its status” and suggested that village cores remain that way. 

But La Pêche residents Rink de Lange and his partner, Leanne Olson, disagreed. 

“I think it’s a surprise that you are even asking the question,” said de Lange. “If you don’t have housing for people with low income, then nobody will be able to live in Wakefield anymore, and we will lose our quaint village of Wakefield. It should be in every municipality’s goal to supply housing for people who are not that rich.”

Olson further described how Wakefield has become a “gig economy” full of artists, musicians and struggling families working multiple jobs to make ends meet. 

“People have four different jobs, they work all over the place; and they are the artists, they are the musicians, they are the people that add life to this village; and if we don’t support them, then a lot of wealthier people move in, and they all move out, and we’ve lost the heart of the village,” she said. “And if we don’t sustain that and encourage that and make sure they can stay because they can have affordable housing, then we lose a large part of the community.”

Wakefield councillor Claude Giroux praised the municipality’s partnership with Cohabitat Wakefield. This local non-profit housing cooperative just secured 2.5 acres of land through a donation from La Pêche for its 41-unit cooperative housing complex that will be built just off Maclaren street at the north end of the village. 

The cost of housing has become a big issue in the Des Collines, with the region’s social development roundtable Table de développement social des Collines-de-l’Outaouais (TDSCO) stating that in 2021, close to 3,000 residents in the MRC des Collines were spending more than 30 per cent of their income on housing. The 30 per cent income-to-housing ratio is the threshold the Canadian Housing and Mortgage Company (CMHC) uses to consider a home as “affordable.” 

Some residents suggested that the old Wakefield Elementary School on Caves Road should be converted into affordable housing units. However, the property is privately owned by Toronto resident Eric Mah. Mah once tried to turn the building into a language school but lacked the funds. The building has become an eyesore and a dangerous hangout for local teens, who consistently break into it to host parties, explore and start fires. 

Coun. Giroux told the crowd that the municipality is now considering expropriating the property. However, that process has not officially begun yet.  

Other items discussed at the pre-consultation included: La Pêche’s plan to preserve and maintain heritage buildings throughout Wakefield, plans to preserve the village’s rail heritage at Turntable Park and the addition of segregated bike lanes that could take riders from Masham to Wakefield along Hwy 366. 

The latter seemed to spark some chatter among the dozen or so attendees, with de Lange questioning why La Pêche didn’t integrate bike lanes two summers ago when it redid the paving along Hwy 366. 

La Pêche staffers told the crowd that the municipality is developing a trail network that will connect riders along the highway to Masham. However, it wasn’t clear when those paths would be completed. 

The purpose of the meeting was to gather input from the community that will be integrated into the PU before it is adopted. This was the fourth PU meeting after staffers held similar meetings in Masham and Lac-des-Loups earlier this year. The PU is being renewed to align with the MRC des Collines’ master plan adopted last year. If you missed the meeting but want to have your voice heard, email opinion@villelapeche.qc.ca. The next round of consultations have not yet been announced.

Hills residents fight for affordable housing Read More »

La Pêche residents browse the municipality’s urban maps during a public consultation on future growth.

No Farm Point planned for La Peche anytime soon…

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , , , , ,

By Trevor Greenway

Higher density, wetland protection, commercial hubs and the possibility of converting the old railway in Wakefield into a multipurpose pedestrian trail – these are just a few of the things that urban planners in La Pêche are looking at as they plan for the next decade-plus of growth in the Hills. 

The municipality held its urban planning consultations Feb. 6 in Wakefield, where La Pêche Mayor Guillaume Lamoureux and urbanism director Jalloul Salah ran residents through a number of initiatives the municipality is looking at implementing to align with the MRC des Collines’ masterplan. 

Among other things, one of the biggest changes La Pêche could see is increased density in the municipality’s two urban perimeters – Masham and Wakefield – where the current maximum is 30 units per hectare, which must be serviced by a sewer system. However La Pêche is looking at increasing that maximum to 45 units per hectare, but Lamoureux explained that developments of that size would require both sewer and water services. 

“​​Such densities are not legally permitted in every zone of the urban perimeters,” said Lamoureux, explaining that, “If a developer comes forward with a project in a zone where high density is permitted, studies are then conducted to determine the site’s constraints, which may be lower than what is legally permitted.” 

Wakefield doesn’t currently have water services and has only a limited sewer system in Wakefield’s village core. Lamoureux explained that development approvals will be based on studies that determine whether the current infrastructure, including the area’s aqueduct, can handle the increased density. 

Part of the urban planning review process, according to Lamoureux, is to monitor urban expansion as more and more residents move into the Hills. However, despite La Pêche’s growth, Lamoureux said his council has no plans to expand or add to the municipality’s two urban perimeters in Wakefield and Masham. That means La Pêche residents won’t wake up anytime soon, according to Lamoureux, to find out there is a new urban perimeter in Edelweiss or Lac des Loups, as happened in Chelsea with regard to Farm Point.

“There is no plan or need to increase their current size. It could happen during a future review of the MRC masterplan if a need to do so was demonstrated, in the distant future, maybe,” Lamoureux told the Low Down, but added, “There is no talk of adding other urban perimeters and no reason to do so.”

According to Lamoureux, the municipality must review its urban plan (PU) to ensure that it aligns with the MRC des Collines’ regional masterplan, which was adopted last year. The MRC’s masterplan outlines things like zoning regulations, environmental setbacks and development rules. 

Among zoning changes, La Pêche’s urban plan is also an exercise in “cohesive” village hubs in both Masham and Wakefield through the promotion of “attractive commercial and industrial clusters.” In Wakefield, the idea is to make the heart of the village a dynamic shopping and visitor’s space by enticing more small and unique businesses to set up there. The urban planning document even talks about developing a promotional plan to promote natural and organic products from the village. 

Lamoureux told the Low Down that studies are already underway to convert the old railway tracks in Wakefield into a multi-use pathway, similar to what Chelsea did with its popular Voie Verte trail along the Gatineau River. 

“These studies are underway, and this project has been discussed in recent years,” said Lamoureux. “We have secured funding for the studies needed to connect both Chelsea and Low. We are including it in the PU because it’s an ongoing project.”

A big portion of the urban planning document focused on environmental protections, namely around protecting wetlands, local water sources and the Wakefield spring. 

According to La Pêche biologist Dominique Lavoie, the municipality will add bacteriological protection of 46 metres around the spring, as well as virological protection of 116 metres. 

“Groundwater migration time calculations show that beyond these setbacks, pathogenic elements should no longer be active by the time they reach the source’s collection point,” she wrote in an email to the Low Down. “As for the immediate 30-metres protection area, it’s defined by provincial regulations but takes into account the built environment. Ultimately, these setbacks will be taken into consideration for any decision-making regarding areas surrounding the spring.”

La Pêche is also adding extra protection around wetlands, shorelines and ecological corridors. The municipality is adding an additional 15-metre setback on shorelines in eco corridors and lakes, a 500-metre protection on blue heron nesting sites and additional protections around wetlands. 

“Unless authorized by the provincial level, no destruction of wetlands may be authorized, with the exception of work related to public utilities or public safety,” the document reads. 

La Pêche will now begin its adoption process of this new urban plan and by-laws that will go along with it. Lamoureux said that, based on the 60 or so residents who attended the meeting, he and staff will be holding several more meetings to update constituents on the process. 

No Farm Point planned for La Peche anytime soon… Read More »

La Lanterne lights way for locals living with disabilities

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By Shauna McGinn

If one of your favourite holiday activities is taking in the festive decorations, consider adding a new place to your list: La Lanterne, a local organization whose members have crafted all kinds of unique handmade decor. 

“They made up the Christmas tree, and this year we reused books and made table centerpieces,” said La Lanterne director Ginette Marcoux, adding that most of the crafts were made with up-cycled items. 

Located in Masham, La Lanterne serves adults in the Hills living with intellectual disabilities, in both languages. The centre runs programs and activities during the day, from crafts and gardening to outings around the nearby community. 

They also host an annual Christmas gathering for participants, their loved ones and the community, which took place on Dec. 19. It’s an event participants work hard to prepare for, and Marcoux said herself and the other staff would like to direct some of that holiday cheer back toward them. 

“We really want to spoil them because they work so hard all year, especially when we’re doing our Christmas event,” she said, noting that participants often lend helping hands and companionship to local groups, such as the senior’s residence.  

Marcoux said participants are currently in need of self-care items such as hair, body and facial care products, towels and blankets, and general toiletries. Treats like chocolates and candy or tea, coffee and hot chocolate also go a long way. There are currently 15 participants, and Marcoux said there’s room for more; she’s inviting local families to reach out and meet with her and La Lanterne staff. 

Donations can go beyond winter or holiday-specific items, as Marcoux said they’re already looking to plan activities for the warmer months. 

“We can always take something to use because, the day after Christmas, they’re going to start doing crafts for summer, for the gardens and things like that,” she explained. “We take everything that people don’t want, and we reuse it and try our best.”

For those looking to give with their time, Marcoux said they’re always welcoming volunteers to help and spend time with the adults at La Lanterne.

“Somebody could say, I can come once a week just to read a story, show them how to do something – we’re always looking for new things to do,” she said. “We’re looking for people even to just come and talk with them for an afternoon and hang out.” 

Even if a donation or product doesn’t fit for them, Marcoux said La Lanterne staff are tuned in with the needs of the wider community. 

“We never refuse a donation, and when it’s not useful to us, we’re always looking for families outside of here that it would be good for,” she said. You can reach Marcoux or other staff at La Lantern via phone, at 819-456-4896, or email, at direction@lalanterne.ca. More information is on their website, at www.lalanterne.ca.

La Lanterne lights way for locals living with disabilities Read More »

Affordable housing project canned in Masham

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , , ,

By Trevor Greenway

Local Journalism Initiative

A multi-unit housing project that could have provided affordable housing to some Masham residents has been quashed by La Pêche council after community members pushed back against the small development. 

According to La Pêche Mayor Guillaume Lamoureux, 30 Masham residents signed a petition against a four-unit housing development project in the Chemin Labelle neighbourhood earlier this month, with at least one of them admitting that their opposition was based on the Not in My Backyard (NIMBY) approach. 

“That is something I heard during the information session,” Lamoureux told the Low Down. “The person was saying, ‘Yes, this is an example of me, in a sort of NIMBY posture’ and then they would explain the context for their decision.”

Lamoureux said about 15 people showed up to a public consultation in early September to oppose the plan. 

Council started exploring the idea of multi-unit housing earlier this summer, after it approved a similar development on Caves Road in Wakefield – a four-unit multiplex. However, when La Pêche launched a registry for a potential referendum on the Masham development, only one person signed it. 

Because the registry was initiated in mid summer, council said it felt that many residents either missed the date because of holidays or didn’t fully understand the process for a referendum. Lamoureux admitted there was some “miscommunication” between council and the public, and that’s why they decided to host another public consultation on the issue. 

When 15 people showed up to fight the plan, council decided to kill it. Lamoureux told the Low Down he was “disappointed” that the project won’t go through. 

“We need to diversify our housing,” said Lamoureux. 

“We want to promote this kind of project throughout La Pêche, especially in urban perimeters, because of how uniform housing units are in rural communities like ours. We need to do our best to increase the number of rental properties in our municipalities.”

Region’s housing crisis in numbers

According to regional housing roundtable La Table de développement social des Collines-de-l’Outaouais (TDSCO), 15 per cent of MRC households spend more than 30 per cent of their income on housing. 

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

The 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. Of the 835 residents surveyed, most identified a lack of housing diversity, a lack of affordable housing and housing conditions as the top three issues facing the region. 

Lamoureux said he hopes to revisit the project in the near future. 

Affordable housing project canned in Masham Read More »

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