Celebrating a Jane's Walk Victory! A new canoe dock at Canada's oldest Indigenous neighbourhood

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 residentsa 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. 





Location
Route

We will gather at Quai-Claircée on rue Jacques-Cartier, near the intersection with rue du Prince-Albert (just east of the Pirate Rest'o'bord ). From there, we will walk about half a kilometre east to Quai-Bellevue (across from the Kokomo Inn) where the new community canoe dock has been installed. The walk will end there.


Participants are invited to visit parc Place Abinan (823 rue Jacques-Cartier, Gatineau, about 2 km west of where we will end the walk) to learn about the 7300-year-old Indigenous archaeological site that confirms the importance of this area to Indigenous peoples and to view the artifacts that have been found.

Afterwards, you may consider refreshments or dinner at any of the waterfront restaurants along rue Jacques-Cartier. 


There is a free public parking lot right across the road from Quai-Claircée, and another near Place Abinan.

To reach Pointe-Gatineau from Ottawa, you can take Highway 5 over the Macdonald-Cartier bridge and take the exit for Boul. Fournier.

About the walk leader

John Gaudaur Savage is a resident of rue Jacques-Cartier since 2006, helping to organize his community to advocate citizen-led waterfront development and flood preparedness with the City of Gatineau. He has volunteered as a community organizer, lobbyist, and activist to protect and promote both the community and the natural environment for all to enjoy, and has been a walk leader for Jane's Walk Ottawa-Gatineau for several years.. As a Metis (Chippewa, French, and British), whose ancestors traversed this area, he has a familial connection to these waterways possibly stretching back to the street's earliest residents 7,000 years ago. 


Mike is Gatineau's City Councillor for the Pointe-Gatineau community.


Gabrielle Beaudoin is the president of the Association citoyenne de Pointe-Gatineau / Pointe-Gatineau Neighbourhood Association.

Guides:

John Savage, Mike Duggan, and Gabrielle Beaudoin

When:
Date:Sun May 5, 2024
Time:3:30 PM
Duration: 1 hour
Language: English
Where:
Start:rue Jacques-Cartier and rue du Prince-Albert, Gatineau.
End:1191 rue Jacques-Cartier, Gatineau, QC
Area:Pointe Gatineau
Distance:0.5 kms
Accessibility:

The walk follows a paved recreational pathway.

Gallery
Mike Duggan and John Savage pose in front of the new canoe launch for Pointe-Gatineau. The Kitigan Zibi flotilla passes St Francis de Sales Church along the Pointe-Gatineau waterfront. Kayakers and canoeists on the Ottawa River near the Pointe-Gatineau waterfront. People enjoy the waterfront along rue Jacques Cartier in Pointe-Gatineau.
Volunteer to Marshal This Walk