A WELL-MANAGED CITY

Effective city management encompasses a range of responsibilities, but it is particularly crucial to revise zoning regulations to meet the changing times. We need to make the process more efficient by improving communication between the city and developers, simplifying the permit process, and providing accessible data about the city's infrastructure capacity, among other measures. Too often, our residents must navigate complicated processes to obtain a renovation permit or even for basic maintenance. No one needs or wants to go through a thousand hoops to renovate their kitchen. These procedures discourage businesses from investing in our community and slow down citizens in their projects. This creates unnecessary costs for those who wish to contribute to our development, costs that we all ultimately pay collectively.

For example, the City of Gatineau recently adopted measures that increase the tax burden on citizens and businesses. The tax on non-residential parking is expected to be extended to all non-residential buildings starting this year, generating an estimated $27 million in additional revenue for the city. In addition, a new registration tax of $60 per vehicle is planned for later this year, increasing to $90 in 2026, to cover the deficit of the Société de transport de l'Outaouais (STO), without any immediate improvement in services.

At the same time, the 2025 municipal budget provides for a 10% increase in spending, with property taxes rising by 3.18% for the residential sector and 4.18% for the non-residential sector. These figures demonstrate that the city government has lost control of its finances, and we need to investigate this significant increase in spendingé

That is why, as your next Independent City Councillor, I will only vote in favour of a budget if the city opens its books for an independent external audit. We must put an end to the reflex of governments to always pass the bill on to taxpayers, and we must find ways to cut costs to ensure that taxes remain affordable and sustainable for our constituents.