Mario Aubé plans to convert Palais des Congrès into a multifunctional urban sports complex

Sophie Demers 

When it comes to their platform on Sports infrastructure and culture, Équipe Mario Aubé is in favour of existing public spaces being repurposed for community or sports use. The team announced that, if elected, they plan to develop a business plan to transform the Palais des Congrès into a multifunctional urban sports complex. Mayoral candidate Mario Aubé says a project like this would serve young people, seniors, and downtown workers.

"Downtown Gatineau must once again become a place to live, work, and take collective pride in,” said Aubé. “We want to create a habit of going downtown, to make it a natural place for people to come to have fun, be active, work, and live. We want a lively, welcoming downtown where every citizen feels safe and inspired."

The project would include modular indoor courts for tennis, pickleball, and badminton as well as a multi-purpose surface for basketball and soccer. The mayoral candidate noted that the complex would also include community spaces to promote healthy lifestyles and social cohesion.

"The needs of the downtown area have been known for a long time. Rather than starting from scratch, we want to transform an existing, central building, in collaboration with the Quebec government, into a hub for active and dynamic living," said Aubé.

Action Gatineau recently announced that they will support the partnership between Galeries Aylmer and Unigym to eventually create a gymnastics gym once the library moves to its new building. Équipe Mario Aubé stated that Unigym also presented their plan to them and that they are in favour of the plan.

“It represents a great opportunity to strengthen sports offerings for young people and families in Aylmer, while giving new life to a central building. This is exactly the kind of smart and sustainable reuse we want to encourage,” said Aubé.

The party also supports campaigning for Gatineau to host the Memorial Cup in 2028, which they state would be “an exceptional showcase for our city, our athletes, and the entire Outaouais region”.

In addition, the party stated that they plan to support sports and culture in Gatineau more broadly and actively by supporting sports and cultural organizations in all districts and accelerating the modernization of the aging sports and culture infrastructure. Équipe Mario Aubé noted that, to support the economy and attract tourism, the party is focusing on targeting investments supported by community-building events and promoting Gatineau’s heritage.