--Gatineau invests in new generation electric car charging docks in Aylmer

Aiming to be part of the ecological solution, Gatineau council approved an infrastructure investment to pay for the installation of three new Type-2 electric car charging stations in 2021 – a charging station for three of Aylmer’s five electoral wards.

According to Lucerne district councillor Gilles Chagnon, the sites selected for the new installations are Parc Jardins-Lavigne, Frank-Robinson Arena (Aylmer), and the André-Touchet Community Centre (Deschênes).

Adding to the ones already installed at the Galeries Aylmer and those at the Marina, they should bring the sector’s total to five by the end of the year. The provincial government recently announced its vision of completely electrifying new vehicles by 2035 and Chagnon commented that the investment directly addresses demands of the future. “It’s a really good strategy to respond to residents’ needs,” Chagnon said, noting that the installations cost approximately $195,000.

Having worked to get electric car chargers installed in Aylmer for three years, Aylmer district councillor Audrey Bureau said she’s happy about the investment, noting that she looks forward to seeing another one eventually installed at the new Lucy-Faris Library. “I think it’s very important for cities to contribute to the electrification of transportation and to do their part,” Bureau said. “There weren’t a lot [of electric car chargers]. So, we found it important as municipal councillors to do our part to help our residents make a step towards that. To realize this before the end of the mandate, considering that we’ve been trying to get it done since 2018, I find it wonderful.”

A big proponent of electric vehicles, Deschênes district councillor Mike Duggan said the investment was a positive step in the right direction. But he emphasized that fighting climate change should be everyone’s responsibility, not just the city’s. “It’s a team effort,” Duggan said. “It’s not just the government; it’s not just the private sector; it’s not just individuals. Everybody has to do their part. So, in civic leadership, we do something to say ‘look we’re doing our part and we’re trying to encourage private citizens to get electric cars’ and we know that with functioning charging stations, more people will buy electric cars.”

Officially approved during municipal council’s meeting on March 16, the investment is part of the city’s engagement to fight climate change, Chagnon said.