Lucerne district candidate Gilles Chagnon goes for a second mandate

Feeling positive about his contributions over the previous four years as Lucerne district councillor, Gilles Chagnon is dedicated to continuing his representation of the community for another mandate in municipal office.

With a lot of work done but still a lot of unfinished business to resolve, Chagnon told the Aylmer Bulletin that the decision to launch into another political campaign last spring came as a no-brainer.

While reflecting on the successes of his tenure, including the approval of funding for an ecocentre in Aylmer, numerous park renovation projects, and the implementation of road safety measures in various residential neighbourhoods and school zones – despite the difficulties of the pandemic, the 2018 tornado, and the 2019 floods – Chagnon said there’s still major unfinished business to take care of.

Most importantly, he wants to ensure the ecocentre project progresses positively to fruition, and to determine a concrete solution to finally building a new multi-functional sports complex in the Plateau, preferably including a palestra, within a reasonable timeline. 

“[The arena project] has been delayed for a long time,” Chagnon said, stating that building a new gymnastics facility is imperative. “The demand is very, very, very high. So, we must ensure that it becomes a priority.”

As for the second phase of the Boucher Forest Park development plan, the implementation of infrastructure for recreational programming, Chagnon said he’s dedicated to helping contribute to its funding and to supporting the Boucher Forest Foundation at every step towards its completion.

“I want to ensure they have the money,” Chagnon said, noting that the city allocated $800,000 for the project’s first phase. “They’re an organization that holds the forest close to their hearts, and we need the forest. So, we need to support them.”

He added that he’s intent on helping advance the city’s development plan for the revitalization of Parc des Cèdres, on ensuring that the Lucy-Faris Library construction project progresses as planned, and on seeing that the Société de Transport de l’Outaouais’ tramway project keeps moving forward smoothly.

“We must finish the files,” Chagnon said. “It’s not because we had a lot of success that we must stop. We can’t forget about the demand here. We’re a growing city.”

Always listening to the community and eager for new ideas and solutions to big and small issues of all kinds, Chagnon said his top priority is ensuring that residents are well represented and well served.

“As an independent, I don’t assume party lines,” Chagnon said. “I do everything in the interest of the citizens I represent.”

With Gatineau’s expected population growth, he added that the city must devise a better plan to optimize the deployment of new infrastructures and services in a way to minimize potential negative impacts on families. 

In Lucerne, Chagnon pointed out that the biggest issue remains speeding in residential areas, despite being his priority when elected in 2017 and having put in place numerous measures to counter it over the last four years. He said that he would continue battling it to no end.

Chagnon added that another priority is delivering more nearby services for families, notably recreational infrastructure for seniors and adolescents, stating that Lucerne is a largely residential and very diversely populated district.

Having resided in Lucerne for more than 60 years, and now more heavily involved in the community than ever before, Chagnon feels confident to be the best candidate to lead Lucerne, and positively influence Aylmer and Gatineau’s growth over the next four years.

“I think the last few years show that I know how to advance files and I think I represent citizens well,” Chagnon said, stating that he was among the councillors with the highest participation rates to municipal meetings. “I think I’m a reliable person, and a person of action.”