Despite the promise of public funding of nearly $10 million, no permits have been issued by the borough of Ville-Marie to carry out restoration and transformation work at the Centre Cinéma Impérial (CCI) since its closure eight months ago, it has been learned The Press.
On February 21, Canadian Heritage had committed to paying $3 million (rather than the million initially planned) to support the heritage building transformation project. This sum was in addition to the $5.6 million promised by Quebec and the million granted by the City of Montreal. Public funds that will be paid once the project is completed, both levels of government confirm.
Imperial’s board of directors spokesperson, Benoît Clermont, welcomed the news, despite the fact that he was asking the federal government for a contribution identical to that of Quebec. The non-profit organization (NPO) then intended to continue its efforts to carry out a financial update of its project and its parameters, based on the announced public funding.
But since then, it’s been radio silence.
The doors of the Imperial are boarded up and there are no workers on site. After checking with the Ville-Marie borough, no permits have been issued to carry out work. The last permit issued by the City for this building dates back to December 2018, for masonry work.
What is the Imperial’s plan? What work needs to be done? What is the schedule for this work? When will it reopen? Benoît Clermont, who is also president of the production company Déferlantes, owned in part by Québecor, did not answer our questions. “We are in the process of evaluating and planning the work,” he limited himself to telling us in a written communication.
At the beginning of the year, Mr. Clermont had expressed the wish “to renovate the performance hall to broaden its vocation and accommodate all artistic disciplines.” But it was not possible to learn more about the exact nature of the work that the CA wishes to undertake.
Heritage value
As for the various levels of government that are funding the project, the information is fragmentary. “We have agreed for several months to support the project, and we are eager for the next steps to begin,” Canadian Heritage simply told us, having not heard from the CCI since February.
For its part, the Quebec Ministry of Culture and Communications, the main funder of the project, is not more aware of the planned dates for the submission of the final plans or for the launch of the call for tenders and the awarding of contracts. The Ministry did inform us that the firm Omnia had been mandated to plan the work.
The Ministry also told us that it had participated in an information meeting with Imperial and the Ville-Marie borough on August 13. It was not possible to find out who represented Imperial, whose telephone number is no longer in service.
According to the Ministry of Culture and Communications, “a budget exercise is underway and should be submitted at the end of September.”
“The Ministry is supporting the owner to ensure that the planned work will respect the conservation objectives applicable to the listed property and that it will preserve its heritage value, as well as its characteristic elements,” the firm specified in a written communication sent to The Press.
Let’s recall that Quebecor bought back the cinema’s $5 million mortgage debt in 2017 to allow the Imperial, which was run by Serge Losique, to survive and avoid a takeover procedure by its creditors. The company run by Pierre Karl Péladeau, who is the “main tenant” of the venue (and not the owner), has reportedly invested $8.5 million since then to maintain the building built in 1913.
François Beaudry-Losique, son of Serge Losique, later held the position of general manager of the non-profit organization, but he has since been removed from management. Following the announcement of the cinema’s closure, Manon Blanchette, vice-president, development of Cinéma Impérial, at Québecor, was initially tasked with documenting the work to be done.
Quebecor also invested in the Imperia real estate project, a 221-unit condo tower next to the Imperial Cinema, built at the corner of Bleury and Mayor streets. DevMcGill (a division of Cogir Immobilier) and Omnia, which is now responsible for planning the work, also invested in this project.