Editing Gatineau (section)

== Geography ==
Gatineau is located in southwestern [[Quebec]], on the northern bank of the [[Gatineau River]]. It is situated at an elevation of around {{convert|50|m|ft|abbr=off}}<ref>{{Cite web |title=Carte topographique Gatineau, altitude, relief |url=https://fr-ca.topographic-map.com/map-3mj18/Gatineau/?center=45.44929,-75.71949&zoom=12&popup=45.46422,-75.70318 |access-date=17 November 2023 |website=Cartes topographiques |language=fr}}</ref> The [[Gatineau Hills]] are the foothills of the [[Laurentian Mountains]] and located in the region. It is also the location of [[List of urban parks by size|the third largest urban park in the world]]. They supply great [[Alpine skiing|skiing]] and [[snowboarding]] opportunities within minutes of the city. Gatineau is situated close to where the [[Canadian shield]] and the [[Saint Lawrence Lowlands]] intersect. The area has several major fault lines<ref>{{cite web |date=14 April 2009 |title=Urban Geology of the National Capital Area – Bedrock topography |url=http://gsc.nrcan.gc.ca/urbgeo/natcap/bed_topo_e.php |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110518182649/http://gsc.nrcan.gc.ca/urbgeo/natcap/bed_topo_e.php |archive-date=18 May 2011 |access-date=20 August 2010 |publisher=Gsc.nrcan.gc.ca }}</ref> and small earthquakes do occur somewhat regularly, on average, there are at least one earthquake of intensity III or higher once every three years in [[Ottawa-Gatineau]]. The most memorable being the [[2010 Central Canada earthquake]] that occurred in Quebec. The [[Epicenter|epicentre]] was situated approximately {{convert|56|km|mi|abbr=off}} north of [[Ottawa]], Ontario, in the municipality of [[Val-des-Bois, Quebec]].

The city is covered in parks and green spaces. The beautiful [[Gatineau Park]] occupies almost 360 square kilometers of forest. The park offers hiking, biking, cross-country skiing and beaches. The Ottawa and Gatineau Rivers flow through Gatineau and Gatineau offers boat rides on the Ottawa River.<ref name="George">{{Cite web |last=George |date=14 March 2015 |title=Historique de la ville de Gatineau |url=https://histoire-du-quebec.ca/gatineau/ |access-date=27 February 2023 |website=Histoire du Québec |language=fr-CA |archive-date=27 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230227143501/https://histoire-du-quebec.ca/gatineau/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Gatineau Park has 165&nbsp;km of pathways and more than 200&nbsp;km of groomed cross-country ski trails, making it one of the largest trail networks in North America.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Why Gatineau? |url=https://pourquoigatineau.com/en/nature-as-part-of-the-downtown/ |access-date=17 November 2023 |website=Why Gatineau? |language=en-CA}}</ref>

=== Hydrography ===
Gatineau's entire territory is drained by the [[Ottawa River]], the main tributary of the [[St. Lawrence River|St. Lawrence]]. The river marks the city's southern boundary. To the southwest, it widens to form [[Lac Deschênes]]. The city is also crossed by several rivers: the [[Gatineau River|Gatineau]], the [[Lièvre River|Lièvre]] and the Blanche. The territory is also criss-crossed by a dozen streams, including the [[ruisseau de la Brasserie]], which forms an island in the downtown area.

There are several lakes in Gatineau, the most notable of which are [[Lac Leamy]], [[Lac Beauchamp]], [[Lac des Fées]], Lac de la Carrière and [[Pink Lake (Canada)|Lac Pink]]. Pink is one of the few [[meromictic lake]]s in North America.

=== Climate ===
Gatineau has a [[humid continental climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification|Köppen]] ''Dfb'')<ref name="koppen">{{cite web |date=June 2005 |title=Climatic Regions [Köppen] |url=http://atlas.nrcan.gc.ca/site/english/maps/archives/3rdedition/environment/climate/030 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120403011507/http://atlas.nrcan.gc.ca/site/english/maps/archives/3rdedition/environment/climate/030 |archive-date=3 April 2012 |access-date=25 December 2012 |work=Atlas of Canada |publisher=Natural Resources Canada}}</ref> with four distinct seasons and is between Zones 5a and 5b on the Canadian Plant Hardiness Scale.<ref>{{cite web |title=phz1981-2010 |url=http://www.planthardiness.gc.ca/?lang=en&m=24&speciesid=1000000&phz=phz1981-2010&bc=1 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180807130053/http://planthardiness.gc.ca/?lang=en&m=24&speciesid=1000000&phz=phz1981-2010&bc=1 |archive-date=7 August 2018 |access-date=14 December 2018 |website=Canada's Plant Hardiness Site |publisher=Natural Resources Canada}}</ref> The climate in Gatineau is cold and temperate. Gatineau receives significant precipitation, even during the driest month. The average temperature in this city is {{convert|6.5|°C|°F|abbr=on}}.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Gatineau climate: Weather Gatineau & temperature by month |url=https://en.climate-data.org/north-america/canada/quebec/gatineau-5004/ |access-date=17 November 2023 |website=en.climate-data.org}}</ref>

Summer lasts from the end of June to the end of September.<ref name=":1" /> The precipitation peaks in June, with an average of 102&nbsp;mm.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=Gatineau Climate, Weather By Month, Average Temperature (Canada) - Weather Spark |url=https://weatherspark.com/y/23207/Average-Weather-in-Gatineau-Canada-Year-Round |access-date=17 November 2023 |website=weatherspark.com |language=en}}</ref> From 21 May to 18 September, the warm season lasts 3.9 months, with an average daily high temperature above 20&nbsp;°C. July is the hottest month in Gatineau, with average highs of 26&nbsp;°C and lows of 15&nbsp;°C.

The cold season lasts 3.2 months, from 3 December to 11 March, with an average daily high temperature of less than 1 degree Celsius. January is the coldest month in Gatineau, with an average low of -15&nbsp;°C and a high of -5&nbsp;°C.<ref name=":2" />

{| class="wikitable"
! colspan="13" |Climate Data for [https://en.climate-data.org/north-america/canada/quebec/gatineau-5004/ Gatineau]

|-
!
!January
!February
!March
!April
!May
!June
!July
!August
!September
!October
!November
!December
|-
|Avg. Temperature °C (°F)
|<nowiki>-9.8 °C</nowiki>

(14.3) °F
|<nowiki>-8.2 °C</nowiki>

(17.2) °F
|<nowiki>-2.8 °C</nowiki>

(26.9) °F
|5.1&nbsp;°C

(41.1) °F
|13&nbsp;°C

(55.4) °F
|17.9&nbsp;°C

(64.3) °F
|20.8&nbsp;°C

(69.4) °F
|19.9&nbsp;°C

(67.9) °F
|16.2&nbsp;°C

(61.2) °F
|8.9&nbsp;°C

(48) °F
|2.1&nbsp;°C

(35.7) °F
|<nowiki>-5.2 °C</nowiki>

(22.6) °F
|-
|Min. Temperature °C (°F)
|<nowiki>-14 °C</nowiki>

(6.7) °F
|<nowiki>-12.5 °C</nowiki>

(9.5) °F
|<nowiki>-7.1 °C</nowiki>

(19.3) °F
|0.5&nbsp;°C

(32.9) °F
|8.1&nbsp;°C

(46.7) °F
|13.4&nbsp;°C

(56.1) °F
|16.5&nbsp;°C

(61.7) °F
|16.1&nbsp;°C

(60.9) °F
|12.5&nbsp;°C

(54.5) °F
|5.9&nbsp;°C

(42.7) °F
|<nowiki>-0.5 °C</nowiki>

(31.1) °F
|<nowiki>-8.3 °C</nowiki>

(17) °F
|-
|Max. Temperature °C (°F)
|<nowiki>-5 °C</nowiki>

(23.1) °F
|<nowiki>-2.9 °C</nowiki>

(26.8) °F
|2.4&nbsp;°C

(36.3) °F
|10.6&nbsp;°C

(51.2) °F
|18.5&nbsp;°C

(65.4) °F
|23&nbsp;°C

(73.4) °F
|25.5&nbsp;°C

(78) °F
|24.4&nbsp;°C

(75.9) °F
|20.8&nbsp;°C

(69.4) °F
|12.7&nbsp;°C

(54.9) °F
|5.5&nbsp;°C

(42) °F
|<nowiki>-1.5 °C</nowiki>

(29.3) °F
|-
|Precipitation / Rainfall mm (in)
|78

(3)
|63

(2)
|74

(2)
|94

(3)
|92

(3)
|102

(4)
|101

(3)
|92

(3)
|97

(3)
|102

(4)
|87

(3)
|86

(3)
|-
|Humidity(%)
|76%
|72%
|69%
|63%
|65%
|70%
|70%
|72%
|74%
|75%
|78%
|79%
|-
|Rainy days (d)
|9
|7
|8
|8
|9
|9
|9
|8
|8
|9
|9
|9
|-
|avg. Sun hours (hours)
|4.0
|4.8
|6.3
|7.9
|9.2
|10.2
|10.6
|9.2
|7.3
|5.4
|3.9
|2.9
|}
<small>Data: 1991 - 2021 Min. Temperature °C (°F), Max. Temperature °C (°F), Precipitation / Rainfall mm (in), Humidity, Rainy days. Data: 1999 - 2019: avg. Sun hours</small>

December has the highest relative humidity (78.52%). April is the month with the lowest relative humidity (63.29%). The wettest month is December (12.07 days), while February (9.43 days) is the driest.<ref name=":1"/>

=== Metropolitan area ===
[[File:Ottawa-Gatineau le pont du Portage (3).JPG|right|thumb|View of Ottawa-Gatineau from the [[Portage Bridge]]]]
[[File:Museum-civ.jpg|right|thumb |[[Canadian Museum of History]] in Gatineau]]
{{Main|National Capital Region (Canada)}}

'''Gatineau''' is one of the two major parts of the National Capital Region ({{lang|fr|Région de la capitale nationale}}), also known as Canada's Capital Region and Ottawa–Gatineau; it is an official federal designation encompassing the [[Canada|Canadian]] capital of [[Ottawa]], Ontario, the adjacent city of Gatineau, Quebec, and surrounding suburban and [[Exurb|exurban areas]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/N-4/FullText.html |title= National Capital Act (Consolidated federal laws of Canada) |publisher=Justice Canada |date=September 30, 2013 |access-date=March 15, 2024}}</ref> Which include larger urban communities such as [[Clarence-Rockland]], [[Russell, Ontario|Russell]], [[North Grenville]], [[Val-des-Monts, Quebec|Val-des-Monts]] and [[Cantley, Quebec|Cantley]]. It also includes smaller villages such as [[Bowman, Quebec|Bowman]], [[Denholm, Quebec|Denholm]], [[Lochaber, Quebec|Lochaber]] and [[Val-des-Bois, Quebec|Val-des-Bois]].

The [[National Capital Region (Canada)#Attractions|National Capital Region]] has numerous attractions, including world-famous festivals, national museums, famous buildings and architecture, sports, and entertainment. Gatineau is home to the [[Canadian Museum of History]], one of Canada's most visited museums, designed by the architect [[Douglas Cardinal]], a leading figure in contemporary Indigenous architecture.

==== Amalgamation ====
As part of the [[2000–06 municipal reorganization in Quebec]], the five municipalities that constituted the ''Communauté urbaine de l'Outaouais'' (''Outaouais urban community'') were merged on 1 January 2002 to constitute the new city of Gatineau. They were:
*[[Aylmer, Quebec|Aylmer]]
*[[Buckingham, Quebec|Buckingham]]
*[[Hull, Quebec|Hull]]
*Gatineau
*[[Masson-Angers]]

Although Hull was the oldest and most central of the merged cities, the name Gatineau was chosen for the new city. The historic municipality of Gatineau had more residents than Hull, and this name was strongly associated with the area: it was the name of the former county, valley, hills, and park and the main river within the new city limits.

After the 2003 election, the new [[Quebec Liberal Party|Liberal]] government of [[Jean Charest]] passed Bill 9, which created a process by which former municipalities could be reconstituted. Contrary to Charest's election promise of full de-amalgamation, Bill 9 restored only selected powers to the de-merged cities (e.g., animal control, garbage pickup, local street maintenance, some cultural facilities). The bigger expenses (e.g., police, fire, main streets, expansion programs) and the majority of the taxes remained in the hands of urban agglomerations. These are controlled by the central merged city because their larger populations give them greater voting weight. In order to hold a referendum on dw-amalgamation, 10% of the eligible voters in each former municipality would have to sign a "register".

Residents of Aylmer, Buckingham, Hull and Masson-Angers all surpassed this threshold and sought referendums on de-merge. A simple majority of "yes" votes, based on a turnout of at least 35% of voters, is needed to de-merge. All of the above jurisdictions had the required turnout. A majority of voters in each jurisdiction rejected the de-merger.<ref name="DGE">{{cite web |title=Referendums of June 20, 2004 |url=http://www.electionsquebec.qc.ca/english/tables/result-referendum-2004.php |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304060629/http://www.electionsquebec.qc.ca/english/tables/result-referendum-2004.php |archive-date=4 March 2016 |access-date=19 February 2017 |publisher=Directeur-Général des Élections}}</ref>{{bar box
|title=Division of population by sector in the city of Gatineau.
|titlebar=#ddd
|width=200px
|bars=
{{bar percent|Gatineau|Green|45.4}}
{{bar percent|Hull|Purple|29.2}}
{{bar percent|Aylmer|Red|15.9}}
{{bar percent|Buckingham|Orange|5.1}}
{{bar percent|Masson-Angers|Blue|4.3}}
}}
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Former municipality !! # of Yes votes !! Yes vote (%) !! Total votes !! Turnout (%)
|-
| Aylmer || 7,412 || 26.48 || 12,844 || 45.89
|-
| Buckingham || 1,779 || 20.27 || 4,302 || 49.02
|-
| Hull || 7,820 || 15.71 || 19,885 || 39.94
|-
| Masson-Angers || 2,563 || 34.8 || 3,900 || 52.88
|}

=== Neighbourhoods ===
{{See also|Neighbourhoods of Gatineau}}

Gatineau is divided into five sectors: [[Hull, Quebec|Hull]], [[Aylmer, Quebec|Aylmer]], Gatineau, [[Masson-Angers]] and [[Buckingham, Quebec|Buckingham]].