From left: Maude Marquis-Bissonnette, Mayor of Gatineau, Simon Fournier, Chief of the SPVG, Suzanne Tremblay, MNA for Hull, and Mathieu Lévesque, MNA for Chapleau, during the announcement of $732,700 in financial assistance to the Gatineau Police Department as part of the Support Program for Concerted Police Practices in Homelessness and Mental Health (February 17, 2025). Photo: Courtesy Suzanne Tremblay, MNA for Hull
Homelessness and mental health: new money for Gatineau police
Mélissa Gélinas
Gatineu Police are getting a financial boost for their services to people in crisis. Hull MNA Suzanne Tremblay announced funding $732,700 to the Service de Police de la Ville de Gatineau (SPVG) to consolidate its mixed practice projects aimed at meeting the needs of people experiencing homelessness or mental health issues. The announcement was made on February 17 on behalf of the Minister of Public Security, François Bonnardel.
“I am thrilled by this grant, which will allow the SPVG to create a police officer position and a civilian project coordinator position dedicated to homelessness and mental health issues,” said Simon Fournier, SPVG Police Chief.
This financial assistance was allocated to the SPVG through the new Program to Support Concerted Police Practices in Homelessness and Mental Health (PSPPC). In total, 22 police services in Quebec will share a sum of $9 million, including $5.5 million for municipal and Indigenous police services.
Since 2017, the Crisis Intervention Unit (UNIC) team has been working closely with the SPVG team. “So, we already have officers who work in partnership with social workers from the Outaouais Health and Social Services Centre (CISSSO),” said Fournier.
In this sense, the PSPPC will allow the UNIC team to maximize collaboration with its various partners who work in homelessness and mental health in the Gatineau territory, for a period of three years. “The goal is to support, accompany and develop intervention tools with local organizations, in order to improve service to citizens,” stated the police chief.
Lionel Carmant, Minister responsible for Social Services, added, “By supporting this program, we are making a concrete investment to improve care and social services trajectories, to reduce the judicialization of these people as well as the use of emergency services for psychosocial issues or mental health disorders.”
“Faced with increasingly pressing mental health and homelessness issues, this investment of $732,700 is a strong message from our government that confirms its commitment to supporting all members of our community and working toward better crisis management by guaranteeing the safety and well-being of our fellow citizens in Chapleau, Gatineau and Outaouais,” said Mathieu Lévesque, MNA for Chapleau.