The City of Gatineau and Unigym Gatineau have renewed their partnership for the next decade to support new infrastructure
Jude Osmond
The City of Gatineau announced at a press conference at City Hall on Tuesday, March 17, that it has extended the agreement with Unigym Gatineau for another 10 years. They announced that a new gym would open at the Galeries Aylmer, providing gymnasts with a larger, more modern facility. The agreement also supports a new gym in Masson-Angers.
The Aylmer gym will be at the present location of the Lucy-Faris Library and will open by the fall of 2026.
In attendance at the press conference were Mayor Maude Marquis-Bissonnette, Guy Leblanc, president of the Galeries Aylmer, Jacynthe Harper, General Manager of Unigym Gatineau, Myriane Thériault, head of the Aylmer sector Unigym, Jean-Paul Caron, president of the board of directors of Unigym, along with some gymnasts from Unigym Gatineau.
“It is truly a modern and dynamic environment where the energy and passion of gymnasts can fully flourish,” said Mayor Maude Marquis-Bissonnette.
“After 20 years of waiting, it’s a dream that’s finally a reality,” Thériault said. “Our athletes can perform and train in the conditions and with the equipment they deserve.”
Another upgrade to the new gym in the Galeries Aylmer is that it is almost four times bigger than the old one, at 15,000, compared to 4,000, square feet. This opens the door for more gymnasts to train, and the club can offer 50 hours of activity a week.
“Thanks to the perseverance of our team, more than 1,000 gymnasts will be able to train in a suitable and inspiring environment, the result of our commitment and determination,” said Jacynthe Harper, the General Manager of Unigym Gatineau.
Unigym will receive a one-time grant of $100,000 to upgrade and purchase new gymnasium equipment for both gyms, in Aylmer and in Masson-Angers.
Jean-Paul Caron, president of the board of directors of Unigym, noted that they have had a long waiting list due to the gym's size, but he assured that it won't be the case anymore.
‘’We can finally say, it has been over 10 years that we've been working on it for the Aylmer sector, and it's amazing news for the Aylmer community,’’ Thériault said.
Caron mentioned that the next priority is the Hull sector, “The gym in Hull remains very important for us.”