Ducharme points the finger at Action Gatineau for drop in housing starts

Taylor Clark

Independent mayoral candidate Yves Ducharme has blamed Action Gatineau for “hurting the housing sector,” accusing the political party of being the cause of a 31.1 per cent fall in construction starts from 2022 to 2023.

“It is clear that the municipal administration must correct the eight years in power of Action Gatineau,” Ducharme wrote in a press release. “We are still living the aftereffects from the time when the mayor did not want to see entrepreneurs at city hall. And the situation continues with Action Gatineau.”

According to the former mayor, the political party has voted against the establishment of 1,978 new housing units. The construction delays then created pressure on Gatineau’s finances due to the loss of income and ultimately resulted in elected officials increasing taxes.

“Urban sprawl is a real problem for Gatineau. Young families will settle in the outskirts, which is harmful to the environment and public finances,” wrote Ducharme.

While housing starts dropped between 2022 and 2023, the Action Gatineau head Maude Marquis-Bissonnette pointed to the record-breaking number of units built since 2019.

“Since the start of the 2021 mandate, nearly 10,000 new housing units have been started, a considerable effort to meet the growing demand for housing, but the vacancy rate is still very low and the price of very high rents,” Marquis-Bissonnette wrote in a press release.

With the private market proven to not be able to solve the crisis alone, the Action Gatineau candidate said this is why she has proposed key commitments for the construction of social and family housing.

“If Mr. Ducharme's solution to the housing crisis boils down to accusing people without proving the figures put forward, I find that this lacks scope and will in no way solve the problems we face. Such a simplistic approach only distracts from the real issues and solutions needed. When Mr. Ducharme hits this nail, I wonder: is it the lobbyist or the mayoral candidate who is speaking? We need concrete and constructive solutions, not accusatory speeches that lead nowhere.”

Photo caption: Former Gatineau mayor and candidate in the upcoming by-election Yves Ducharme attributes a recent fall in Gatineau housing starts to Action Gatineau voting down the construction of housing units.

Photo credit: Yves Ducharme Facebook