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Gatineau arena plan dead leaving QMJHL's Olympiques in tough spot

A plan to build a new multi-use arena in Gatineau, Que., was voted down by city council as Mayor Maxime Pedneaud-Jobin urged council to vote for the demolition of the Robert Guertin Centre in 2018.

City council votes against new arena plan as mayor promotes demolition of Robert Guertin Centre

CBC News ·
The Robert Guertin Centre, formerly called the Robert Guertin Arena, should be demolished in 2018, according to Gatineau's mayor.

The plan to build a new multi-use hockey arena in Gatineau is dead after city council voted strongly against it on Tuesday.

The project, which had an estimated cost of $75 million, was struck down by a 15-3 vote.

Gatineau Mayor Maxime Pedneaud-Jobin said the plan to build a new home for the Gatineau Olympiques hockey team was not a priority for taxpayer money.

Gatineau mayor Maxime Pedneaud-Jobin says the Olympiques hockey team is not a taxpayer priority and urged city council to vote for the demolition of the Robert Guertin Centre in 2018. (CBC)
The Olympiques, who play in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, have played in front of fans at the Robert Guertin Centre for more than half a century. The building was also recently renovated to meet league standards for the number of seats.

On Tuesday, Pedneaud-Jobin also instructed city council to vote for the building's demolition in 2018, which would force the Olympiques to find a new home on its own.

Olympiques management has said, over the past eight years, it believed the city's arena project was moving ahead.

In 2011, the city dropped plans to build a brand new arena in its downtown core.

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