Questions for City council:

Backyard beekeeping, STO guards, women working

Dozens of people lined up for Question Period at Gatineau’s February 14 city council meeting. Former councillor Luc Angers questioned the city’s decision to allow bee hives in back yards. “About 1% – 2% of people are allergic to bees, but you don’t know until you are stung. That’s how I learned I was allergic, and I now carry an epi-pen. This can be a fatal allergy. I hope the city asks beekeepers to consult with neighbours within a 50-metre perimeter and to put up signs noting the presence of beehives.”  Councillor Louise Boudrias replied that provincial regulations on beekeeping will be provided to residents.

Jacques Demers asked why the enlargement of Highway 50 is a priority, instead of extending the Rapibus to the west side of the city. He also asked about the incongruity of having advertisements for car dealerships on STO buses. Mayor Pedneaud-Jobin answered, “Enlarging Highway 50 is a safety issue; there have been deaths. And there’s a lot more traffic now.”  The chair of the STO Committee, Councillor Gilles Carpentier, said he will examine the bus advertisements.

Difficult STO negotiations

A Mr Marois asked about the presence of security guards in the STO garage, commenting, “I am committed to union values, to collective values. I am disturbed that the STO administration has hired security guards.  They intimidate mechanics and drivers.” Noting that negotiations have been difficult, the mayor replied, “These conflicts are never simple and can be intense.” Councillor Carpentier added, “It’s true that we’ve never had security guards, but we’ve never had a negotiation conflict like this.  We want a workplace free from harassment.”

Daycare expansion

Most citizens there had come to ask council to permit an enlargement of the Royaume des enfants daycare on Rue de la Tropique in the Plateau, a project opposed by some residents concerned with traffic and safety. In January, the Urbanism Committee rejected a petition for a zoning variance that would have allowed adding 34 spots to the daycare.

New mother Sophie Hamel, from Champlain Park, remarked, “I go back to work in May and can’t find daycare for children under 18 months old. I can’t afford to stay home for six extra months.  The city grants developers permits, but too few daycare permits. Infrastructure construction should accompany residential growth.  There needs to be a way to help women return to the workforce.”

A father of three who moved from Ottawa said, “I love this area; we’ve started a family, and are planning for the long term. Now, with our youngest child, we are wondering what to do. Building a neighbourhood like Le Plateau is fine, but we need more childcare places.  The area is growing, and there’s a long waiting list.  I ask people opposed to this expansion to understand our situation.” One father of two added, “Le Plateau is the sector with the youngest average age (with many young families). This sector has grown by 174% in recent years. Infrastructure, which includes daycare, needs to grow along with it.”

Councillor Maxime Tremblay agreed that the issue has been divisive. After the Urbanism Committee rejected the expansion, the councillor met with parents and the daycare’s administration. There are around 900 children on the waiting list.