'Like we were shut in a pen': Theatregoers blast inaccessible venue
Two theatregoers who use wheelchairs were forced to watch an outdoor play from behind a fence last weekend because the public venue in Gatineau isn't accessible.
On Saturday, Caroline Leblond and her friend arrived at Quai des Artistes, a recently refurbished wharf on Jacques-Cartier Street, only to discover the riverfront venue doesn't have a wheelchair ramp.
That meant they and their friends could only see the show from a significant distance away.
"We watched from behind the wire fence," said Leblond in French. "It was like we were shut in a pen."
She assumed event organizers were required to make the play accessible, but the venue was not.
"It's like they're laughing at us," Leblond said. "It's like it's not a big deal if it's not accessible."
'I was devastated, really'
Marie-Pier Renaud said her two friends in wheelchairs were treated like a second-class citizens.
"It was so bad," said Renaud. "I was devastated, really."
Quai des Artistes is a gathering place for passengers boarding sightseeing boats on the Gatineau and Ottawa rivers. The wharf is also home to a weekly play about the history of Gatineau.
In 2016, Gatineau spent $1.7 million renovating the wharf to address structural problems.
But after the work was complete, the only way to the dock area where the play takes place is down a set of stairs.
'We need a ramp'
Leblond and her friends want temporary wooden ramps installed until the city can come up with a permanent solution. They also want at least one person with a disability to be consulted before similar public projects in Gatineau.
Monique Beaudoin, director general of a group pushing for better accessibility in the Outaouais, said the group never saw plans for Quai des Artistes until shovels were in the ground. Had they been consulted, they would have demanded a ramp, Beaudouin said.
"We need a ramp," she said. "An evaluation should be done."
In a statement to Radio Canada, the City of Gatineau said there are plans to make the site more accessible in 2019, including a ramp.
Leblond said she won't return to the site until she can watch an outdoor play alongside everyone else.
