MINUTES – PUBLIC – PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION (CSP) – 2nd meeting – March 26, 2025 – 5:00 p.m. to 6:38 p.m.
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2025 Annual Spring Flood Preparedness / Preparedness for Various Exceptional Situations – Information and Reflection
Stéphanie Balgé, Civil Security Coordinator at the Bureau de la sécurité civile (BSC), and Denis Doucet, Director of the Service de sécurité incendie (SSI) of the City of Gatineau, present the 2025 spring flood preparedness status, the follow-up on the preparedness of the Organisation municipale de sécurité civile (OMSC), as well as preparation for exceptional situations of various natures.
The City of Gatineau's BSC ensures seasonal monitoring of watercourse levels during the spring freshet, in collaboration with various partners including the ministère de la Sécurité publique du Québec, Hydro-Québec, and the Commission de planification de la régularisation de la rivière des Outaouais (CPRRO). It is explained that, as of the date of the presentation, conditions in the territory do not suggest any particular risk. Examples of improvement projects regarding spring flood preparedness are explained, including riprap operations and the implementation of a modeling tool, etc. The usual dates for flood peaks are recalled: April 10-20 (1st peak), May 7-17 (2nd peak).
The presenters explain that the OMSC and the City have various tools, mechanisms, and systems to prepare for exceptional situations of various natures. The BSC wishes to soon focus more on citizen resilience and the concept of shared responsibility.
Discussion Period
General Comments Thanks are addressed regarding the presentation and information related to the intervention process. The general consensus is that the City of Gatineau is a prepared city. It is recalled that the municipal council recently gave the green light to the establishment of an ADAP-Inondations committee. The SSI reminds that the BSC team is always on watch, ready to orchestrate a response to emergency situations depending on the situation. The management highlights the commitment and work of the coordination team that watches over Gatineau residents and analyzes civil security situations at all times.
Chain of Command The Chair would like to know more about how the chain of command works. Clarifications are requested to inform members regarding the roles of elected officials, the Mayor, and the deployment of coordination in an emergency situation. The presenters explain that an alert scheme is available in the civil security plan and monitoring is done at all times. During an emergency situation, communication is quickly transmitted to the coordinator, Denis Doucet, or his delegate, Simon Fournier. When an exceptional situation is anticipated, the BSC requests the support of the Non-Emergency Call Centre (311) and the SPVG Emergency Call Centre (911) to get a reading of the situation based on the issues and needs raised by the population. An analysis of impacts, issues, and consequences is done by the coordination team, which mobilizes the City of Gatineau's OMSC if inter-service coordination is necessary through the activation of the Municipal Civil Security Plan.
Resilience A clarification is requested regarding the notion of "shared responsibility," which is expected from the population. This information seems unknown to the public, and there is a desire to know how citizens can support the City in this regard. The BSC specifies that it is important for members of the public to act to the best of their ability and knowledge. It is necessary to inform them more about the dangers and the interventions and responsibilities that concern them. For example, preparing a 72-hour self-sufficiency kit and developing an emergency plan with one's family are tools that allow for less dependence on the City during the first hours of an emergency situation in order to free up resources for priority needs. Awareness and knowledge sharing of expected behaviors must be done continuously. Those who can demonstrate resilience must do so in times of emergency. It is mentioned that this responsibility remains unknown to the population, organizations, and stakeholders. It would be interesting to promote it more, according to the members. The BSC specifies that this is indeed part of a priority objective to better communicate expectations and responsibilities to citizens.
The SSI explains that depending on the emergency situation, a difference is seen in the resilience of citizens and their autonomy, particularly when a situation is repetitive, such as flooding. The message will also be conveyed during the campaign surrounding Civil Security Week.
Support A question is asked regarding the level of collaboration of partners who are called upon to support or provide psychological or other assistance in the short, medium, or long term to victims of emergency situations. Are partnerships established with the community? The officials inform the members that once the emergency situation is mastered or over, including the temporary housing component, municipal teams give way to institutional and community teams to deploy services according to the situations and psychological impacts observed. A "white angels" service is normally required during emergency situations. This is deployed by the Centre de santé et des services sociaux de l’Outaouais (CISSSO). It is mentioned that several researchers in Quebec are interested in the issue in order to document the impacts on people and support the search for best practices and solutions. During the crisis event, several partners are involved such as Sauvetage Bénévole Outaouais, the Red Cross, etc. The SSI specifies that it implements benevolence patrols to identify people in psychological difficulty and make the link with intervention teams for the psychological distress component, via the "white angels" service for example.
Informing Well The Vice-Chair of the CSP mentions that the 72-hour kit is unknown to citizens, even those experiencing emergency situations. Many people, including seniors, do not know that they must prepare for these events. A clarification question is asked to know if door-to-door visits are planned in the neighborhoods where the most at-risk people live to communicate, in person, with citizens about the importance of being well prepared for emergency situations? The SSI specifies that this is also part of the tasks of prevention officers and firefighters to inform the population during field visits, considering priority zones. Door-to-door is done. Being more proactive in informing people well is an objective of the BSC team. The instructions are also available online. The Vice-Chair asks if it is possible to be more proactive on this subject, particularly regarding immigrant populations, English-speaking people, etc. The Chair suggests that important information could be communicated at the same time as smoke detector checks. A note is taken to this effect. This awareness must be done continuously, a method to be integrated into practices.
Prevention Action Near Riparian Strips A member specifies that some people experiencing homelessness occupy riparian strips and that it is necessary to have a prevention approach and prepare an adapted action plan in case of an emergency situation such as flooding. This avoids overflows and disorganization. A concerted psychosocial approach usually supports these actions. The Service informs the members of the Commission that this situation has been identified and that in connection with the mapping of expected water levels, it is known approximately how high the water will rise and the targeted locations are checked 3 to 4 days in advance. Actions can be planned upstream to reach these people well. The example of the parc Sanscartier marina and the site Guertin are named. It is specified that police officers were also involved during the floods and that a link with community partners had been established. A discussion upstream (planning meeting) with various partners could be considered.
Water Levels and Dams The Chair asks if the tool presented to know water levels is public or internal. The Service specifies that it is an internal tool that requires licenses and interpretation to communicate the right messages to the public. It is a decision-support tool. Following a request for clarification, the BSC explains that dam management is a complex process and that many factors must be taken into consideration to limit flooding and avoid low-water periods in summer that could cause water shortages. The Service specifies that reservoirs only have an impact on 40% of the surface area of the Ottawa River watershed and that dam management cannot completely eliminate the risk of flooding in the spring. The spring freshet remains a natural phenomenon. The reservoirs are mostly located in the North and do not control water that has fallen in the South or Center. A run-of-river dam is not designed to hold back flood water. False information circulates on this subject. The Service specifies that the official source for watershed management is the Ottawa River Regulation Planning Board. In response to a question asked, it is recalled that the Board's data is public and available on the website of the Ottawa River Regulation Planning Board.
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Surveillance Camera Registry – Information and Reflection
The surveillance camera registry is presented by Mathieu Guilbault, Chief Inspector of Criminal Investigations, and Michaël Côté, also an Inspector of Criminal Investigations at the SPVG. The objective is to present to the members the camera registry project and its alignment with the SPVG's 2024-2028 strategic plan while recalling the community policing approach and encouraging citizens to become stakeholders in the steps and the public safety project. The goal of implementing the camera registry project is both to engage the citizen regarding the importance of their contribution to investigations and to reduce the time taken to search for cameras thanks to faster and indexed access to their location and data concerning their owners. The launch of the project is scheduled for April 2025. In addition to being the subject of a promotional campaign for more visibility, police officers will talk about the project during their interventions, when appropriate. The project is innovative in the region.
Discussion Period
General Comments Thanks are addressed to the presenters. The project raises the interest of the members and it has the potential to develop well. The benefits of it are highlighted, at low cost, and its innovative aspect.
Buildings and Financial Support A member wishes to verify if the City has planned to support building managers or members of the public for the acquisition of surveillance cameras by granting subsidies to encourage purchase. The SPVG mentions that this is not the case and that it is not integrated into the current vision of the project. A member wishes to know if the Service will encourage authorities and building managers such as hospitals, school service centers, etc., to register in the surveillance camera registry? The SPVG responds that this is planned.
Targets We are looking to know if the SPVG has already identified targets or objectives with the deployment of this project. The Service explains that there will eventually be targets, but for the first year of the project, every owner registering a camera allows for the success of the project. It is a free collaboration and an informed collection of information without pressure. Eventually, a communication plan integrating "success stories" at the investigation level could be put in place. Word of mouth will also facilitate its deployment.
Consent A question is addressed with the goal of verifying if other cities in Canada operate this way. Legally, does a person simply give access to their camera images? What are the steps to foresee? The Service reports that people consent to the SPVG contacting them if needed. They can refuse even if they are registered in the registry. The process related to investigations remains the same. This will guide patrol officers and allow them to facilitate the location of neighborhood cameras. Neighborhood investigations, including door-to-door, will continue. A computerized and secure link, serving as a second consent, will be sent to participating citizens to receive the requested image sequence during an investigation.
Issues The Chair asks if other Quebec cities (Trois-Rivières, Longueuil, etc.) that have implemented this project have experienced specific issues on this subject. It is answered that citizen adherence and the impact of the communication campaign are part of the issues and that it is important to reflect on them adequately. The choice of key messages and adding them at the end of press releases is a suggested measure. The Chair puts forward the fact that some people may fear talking to police officers so as not to testify in court. Will someone who gives access to their camera be forced to come and testify? The SPVG specifies that any citizen who collaborates in a police investigation may be called to testify. If someone provides a video sequence, it must be demonstrated, among other things, that it has not been altered and that the evidence is admissible in court. The citizen will not have to come and demonstrate this in general. Another challenge raised is that cameras are not always linked to subscriptions to record images. Investigators specify that the question will indeed have to be addressed. A question can be asked during registration regarding the image retention period. An issue also concerns the management of moves and new owners. It is explained that a reminder system is planned and that people can go and modify the registration to verify integrity. If one moves to an address, the citizen interaction with the police officer will also allow for adjusting the information. This also demonstrates the importance of keeping the neighborhood investigation in the field and adjusting the data, if necessary, keeping the information up to date.
Code of Ethics The Chair would like to know the circumstances allowing access to this type of camera by police officers. Do they have to explain their approach or obtain a warrant? The SPVG explains that it is for police use only; otherwise, it would be a disciplinary ethical fault. All searches in the databases are recorded and the images are not accessible remotely. The process is a free choice of the citizen. The SPVG normally explains the reason for its request and it is natural that the citizen understands it and agrees to share the videos from their property's surveillance cameras in order to support the ongoing police investigation. Sometimes, the SPVG resorts to a search warrant, but this remains very rare; citizens remain engaged.
Utility of this Camera Registry The SPVG also specifies that the information helps to resolve smaller-scale investigations such as break-ins, fraud, etc. This collaboration process allows for the co-construction of safety. The use of these images will allow for supporting investigations for major crimes, but also for smaller-scale issues (e.g., fraud against the elderly, vandalism, etc.). This also has the effect of conveying the message to criminals that there are fewer opportunities to commit a crime because people are seen and heard more; it is a prevention effect.
Adherence to the Registry One wonders what could happen if citizens did not adhere to the project? The Service explains that the desire is for people to use the registry and that a large part of the adherence will be linked to the promotional campaign of the project and communication, which will have to have adapted and clear messages. Citizens must feel that they can contribute to safety in their neighborhood and in their city. This allows for the creation of a link between the police officer and the citizen and engages the population in the success of this type of favorable initiative.
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Quorum and Opening of the Meeting
The Chair notes the quorum and opens the public meeting in hybrid mode at 5:00 p.m. This is the second meeting of the year and it is being recorded.
Three new members are joining the Public Safety Commission:
- Hamida Melouane, member representing an organization involved with women – AGIR Outaouais.
- Patrick Pilon, member representing an organization designated for the Collectif régional de la lutte à l’itinérance en Outaouais (CRIO).
- Dominic Lafleur, member representing an organization designated for Accueil−Parrainage Outaouais (APO), replacing Caroline Meunier in this seat.
A thank you was conveyed on behalf of the Commission to Ms. Meunier for her involvement with us.
The Chair explains that, from now on, service presentations will be posted online and made more easily available to the public. These will be filed at gatineau.ca following the meeting, in the same manner as agendas and minutes, thereby facilitating access to information, participation, and the citizen experience. Furthermore, it is possible to view recorded meetings via webcast there.
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Adoption of the Agenda
It is proposed by Patrick Pilon Seconded by Antoine Bélanger-Rannou And resolved that this Commission adopts the agenda as proposed.
Adopted
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Declaration of Conflict of Interest
No member declares a conflict of interest regarding the subjects listed on the agenda.
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Filing and Follow-up of the Minutes of the January 29, 2025 Meeting
The minutes of the meeting held previously by the members are filed and are available on the City's website. No follow-up is required.
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Public Question Period
No questions from the public are addressed to the Commission during this meeting.
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Next Meeting: May 28, 2025
Members were notified of the schedule for the next meetings, the next of which is planned for May 28, 2025, at 5:00 p.m.
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Adjournment of the Meeting
It is proposed by Mario Aubé Seconded by Kathleen Dufour And resolved that this Commission agrees to adjourn the meeting at 6:38 p.m.
Adopted
DISTRIBUTION: To the members of this Commission, to resource persons, to members of the municipal council, and to the Clerk
CHAIR: MARIO AUBÉ SECRETARY: JOSÉE MARCIL