Gatineau mayor angry as Feds won't fund arena

Gatineau city council responded with disappointment Wednesday after hearing the federal government will not provide funding to help rebuild Robert Guertin Arena.

The City of Gatineau requested federal help with the costs after it was determined a new 5,000-seat arena would be built on the same site where the old building would be demolished. The city wasasking for about$20 million to assist in completing the work.

Originally, the city had planned to build a brand new arena at another downtown site but that ideawas quashed in April.

In a letter sent Tuesday, the federal Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities Denis Lebel explained the federal government 's position is not to help finance facilities used for professional sports or junior hockey.

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The City of Gatineau argued junior hockey would only count for about 10 to 15 per cent of the arena's usage but the government said the amount of use did not matter.

Mayor Marc Bureau told Radio-Canada Wednesday he is outraged at Lebel's rejection, as the minister added no funding would be provided.

Also on Wednesday, interim NDP leader Nycole Turmel sent a letter to Lebel, a federal Conservative, about the Guertin arena, which is in her riding of Hull-Aylmer.

At the NDP caucus meeting, Turmel said Lebel replied to her saying the Guertin arena is not the only arena project not getting the stamp of approval.

The city and Quebec provincial government have already promised to cover the other two-thirds of the estimated $67 million needed for a major overhaul of the building.

The current Robert Guertin Arena at 125 de CarillonRoad was built in 1952 and seats less than 4,000 people, which falls short of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League's requirements.