Citizens demand the safeguard of collective buildings in the Saint-Sauveur district, in Quebec.
According to the committee of citizens of the Saint-Sauveur district, which organized a rally on Monday,
These buildings which belong to the community face threats of privatization and requalification. Two churches are notably for sale, Saint-Sauveur and Saint-Malo, and the fears are numerous.
These places, they say, represent a community, intergenerational, intercultural and heritage value essential to the life of the neighborhood.
A debate
As the elections approached, around twenty citizens wanted to alert the population to the forecourt of the Saint-Sauveur church, on the avenue des Oblats. The vocation of buildings is at the heart of concerns. In their opinion, the debate must be done during the next municipal campaign this fall.
“These are losses and there are risks. We want it to remain in the community and that local organizations can participate in reflection. We want citizens to be consulted, ”explains Guillaume Béliveau Côté, co-managers for the committee of citizens.
Their message is part of a process of preserving the collective heritage and the defense of community spaces which make the identity of the Saint-Sauveur district.
“We want to put some pressure on the factory and the CIUSSS for example so that the buildings are not sold to the private sector. We say no to privatization, ”finishes Mr. Côté.
Built in 1866, the Saint-Sauveur church has served for the community for 150 years.
The group says that these collective buildings are not simple stone structures and
Brick, but the social fabric of the neighborhood.
Costs
In 2024, the lantern of the bell tower of the Saint-Sauveur church was reinstalled after several years of absence due to restoration work.
The bell tower was dismantled in 2017 due to a subsidence.
The lantern of the bell tower is installed at 225 feet in height, which makes it one of the highest in the sky of Quebec.
Photo Stevens LeBlanc
The Saint-Sauveur church is considered to have an exceptional heritage value. The initial cost for restoring the bell tower was $ 3.8 million. The amounts awarded were funded between the Quebec Ministry of Culture and Quebec City.
