Celebrating the new canoe dock in Pointe Gatineau

Come celebrate a Jane's Walk community victory. Jane's Walks inspire change and there's no better example of this in our community than in Pointe-Gatineau rue Jacques-Cartier's waterfront. Since 2017, John Savage has led tours here to raise awareness of and promote 1) safe access to the river for paddlers, 2) protection of Indigenous archaeological sites, and 3) protection of his neighbourhood from flooding. On this year's tour, we celebrate a major victory for rue Jacques-Cartier residents—a new canoe dock to restore safe access to the river for personal watercraft. The installation of this dock is a form of Waterfront Reconciliation that we have been lobbing for since 2006. This tour will advocate for further change as well, such as a National Urban Park along the Ottawa & Gatineau Rivers.

John will share the story of how he and neighbours fought the city and won its support for a new dock that serves the needs of the neighbourhood and promises to be the first of several docks to come. He will be joined by his supporters, Gatineau City Councillor Mike Duggan and Pointe-Gatineau neighbourhood association president Gabrielle Beaudoin, to share how they worked together with the City management team to create positive change. This victory is a case study in community advocacy and should inspire other neighbourhoods to work with their governments to create positive change.

In addition to the story of the community dock, Councillor Mike Duggan will explain how Jane Jacobs' ideas have inspired him, too, as he works with citizens to push forward innovative grass roots efforts to overcome bureaucratic obstacles to create a healthier city. Gabrielle Beaudoin will explain how the neighbourhood association took on this project and how they continue to lead other neighbourhood initiatives in response to residents' needs concerning urban planning, flood preparedness, and the environment.