Outaouais leaders hope budget can address housing, nurse shortages

Representatives of Western Quebec municipalities say they'd like to see an increase to nurses' wages in the province, money to address homelessness and funding for public transit in the 2024-2025 budget.

Finance Minister Eric Girard will present the budget to the National Assembly of Quebec Tuesday afternoon, which will outline the province's spending over the next year.

But with the Quebec grappling with a deficit, there are some questions about just how much government spending there will be on certain issues, said MRC des Collines-de-l'Outaouais warden Marc Carrière.

"It's always an issue when the economic situation is more difficult for a government to complete their budget," he said.

Still, Carrière said there's hope the Outaouais will get some much needed funding for education, infrastructure and more.

Here are some of the top priorities for representatives of western Quebec.  

Housing and homelessness

In a letter sent to Girard's office before her resignation, former Mayor of Gatineau France Bélisle outlined a number of issues the city was facing, including housing and homelessness.

She said the number of people experiencing homelessness in the city grew five times from 2018 to 2022.

It's meant more people are living in encampments in Gatineau, which places more people at risk. At least two people living in tents have died since November.

Bélisle asked for more programs to help build new housing, with a focus on social and affordable housing. Other requests included rental supplements.

In an emailed statement to Radio-Canada, a city representative said the current mayor of Gatineau, Daniel Champagne, is aligned with Bélisle's concerns.

Nursing wages

Another item on the wish list for MRC Pontiac Warden Jane Toller is an improvement to nurses' wages.

At $53,000 per year, Quebec nurses starting out in entry level positions are making 40 per cent less than Ontario nurses whose salaries begin at $74,000.

With more money offered right across the provincial border, Toller said there's now a shortage of nurses in the region.

Between 2019 and 2022, the number of Quebec's registered nurses applying to positions in Ontario jumped from 224 to 435, according to data from the College of Nurses of Ontario (CNO).

The number of nurses with Quebec addresses registered to work in the neighbouring province increased by nearly 30 per cent.

She said there have been numerous closures in the Pontiac Hospital's obstetrics department because there are too few nurses to consistently keep it open. 

"I would hope that once the salary issue is equalized, we'll be able to keep our nurses and maybe encourage some of them to come back," Toller said.

Transit and roadways 

The mayor of Chelsea, Que., said he'd like to see funding for public transit in the Outaouais. 

Despite having a much smaller transit system compared to cities like Montreal, Quebec City and Gatineau, Pierre Guénard said operating costs are rising, particularly the cost of fuel.

"It would be nice to get our share of that envelope," he said.

If there's funding to help keep costs lower, it means fares can be kept as low as possible to make public transit as inclusive as possible, said Guénard.

Some roadways in the region, including Highway 5, are also in need of major repairs, said Liberal MNA André Fortin, who represents the riding of Pontiac.

"I expect those to be named in the budget for the region, to be singled out in the budget and for those investments to be at the appropriate level," he said.