Gatineau Sports Centre: Construction Gets Under Way Today

June 09, 2008

Gatineau (QC) — Gatineau Mayor Marc Bureau, having at his sides Mr. Benoît Pelletier, Québec Minister responsible for the Outaouais Region and Member of the National Assembly for Chapleau, along with the Hon. Lawrence Cannon, federal Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, took part today in the groundbreaking ceremony for the Gatineau sports centre.

The Gatineau sports centre is scheduled to open in the fall of 2009; it will be located at the corner of Boulevard de la Gappe and Boulevard de la Cité, across from la maison de la culture. This contemporary design building will have an area of some 17,600 square metres and has obtained a LEED silver certification. It will be built by Decarel Inc.
This represents an investment of $50.4M, including the cost of construction and athletic and recreational equipment. The provincial and federal governments will each contribute $10M toward the total amount.

“These facilities will benefit our athletes of all levels, for they will be open to everyone. Furthermore, this new sports centre will become a rallying point in Gatineau, as it will enable us to attract teams and competitions of regional, national and international calibre. The national men’s volleyball team has already elected to make it its permanent training centre,” said Marc Bureau, Mayor of Gatineau.

“This future sports and community complex is an endeavour that will serve to stir people into action and to unify them, all the while providing the Outaouais Region with a much needed and important infrastructure. We are proud to support this project, which will create jobs and generate major economic benefits and tourism for the City and the Region,” stated provincial Minister Benoît Pelletier.

“The Government of Canada supports sports infrastructure projects that promise significant regional and economic spin-offs, such as the construction of this sports and community centre in Gatineau. Not only do these improve the quality of life of citizens and their families in a real and lasting way, they also stimulate job creation. This is excellent news for the region, and I encourage families in the Outaouais, the Pontiac area and all of Quebec to take full advantage of this facility once it opens in 2009,” stated Minister Cannon.

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