Buckingham doubles down on request for a new arena

Mélissa Gélinas

Following two rejections of a $20 million grant from the provincial government for the two-rink arena project in the Buckingham sector, Edmond Leclerc, Buckingham District Councillor, provided an update on the matter during the latest press briefing on August 20.

The $40 million project consists, first, of building a two-rink complex at Hormisdas-Gamelin High School, similar to the one in the Branchaud-Brière complex. This arena would be to replace the existing ones in Buckingham and Masson-Angers, which are considered dilapidated.

The City of Gatineau, the Centre de services scolaires au Cœur-des-Vallées, and Vision Multisport Outaouais are partners in the project. "At this stage, after receiving two grant rejections from the provincial government, it's up to the city to show that it believes in the project, to demonstrate that it wants to seize the opportunity, and that it wants to offer the Buckingham and Masson-Angers areas new infrastructure," said Leclerc.

According to Leclerc, the only financial partner missing for the initial investment is the City of Gatineau. "Infrastructure investments must also come through the city, since the Quebec government won't do it alone," he explained. "Often, we have to rely on partnerships with the private sector, the school system, and municipalities."

Leclerc remains positive about the project's realization. According to him, Vision Multisport Outaouais has been able to make significant progress on the project. "I would be more than willing to have the City become a partner and for us to move forward with financial involvement," he said.

According to Leclerc, eastern Gatineau is in dire need of new sports infrastructure. "We've seen recently in the media that the population feels they're not getting their fair share," he said.