Quebec is busy “building a case” about the recent demolition of the Domaine-de-l’Estérel, and the Minister of Culture, Nathalie Roy, is committed to ensuring that the grounding of this jewel of the he modern architecture of Quebec is not without consequences.
“We are building a case that will be transferred to the DPCP, to the Director of Criminal and Penal Prosecutions, and we will apply the law,” Minister Roy said at the Salon Bleu on Wednesday. But “I will not interfere in the judiciary,” said the elected, while nevertheless promising that “there will be sanctions”.
The elected official was pressed with questions from Liberal MP Christine St-Pierre. “The law allows [à la ministre] to go to Superior Court to ask for an order to have it rebuilt. It must do it, it is its duty to do it, it is it which must protect the cultural heritage of Quebec”, launched the critic of the official opposition as regards culture during the period of the questions.
Mme St-Pierre was referring to the Cultural Heritage Act. This stipulates that the Minister may turn to the Superior Court to “have the work carried out” required so that a property complies with the conditions that the Minister “could have imposed if an application for authorization had been made to him in accordance with [la] law, to restore property or to demolish a structure.
In the opinion of M.me Roy, this legislative provision does not allow him to demand the restoration of the Domaine-de-l’Estérel. “The right to reconstruction does not exist,” she insisted. The law, on the other hand, provides for “major penalties” exceeding one million dollars for “people who contravene and who attack a listed building, as was the case with the Estérel”, underlined the minister.
Unsupervised work
The Domaine-de-l’Estérel was destroyed on May 13 despite its heritage status. In Art Deco style, the set had been erected by Belgian billionaire Louis Empain between 1936 and 1937. Its owner wanted to demolish the rear part and had obtained the approval of the Ministry of Culture and Communications to do so. However, the whole building finally fell under the peak of the demolition workers, as part of the work, the lack of supervision of which was denounced by architects and a heritage defense group.
“Unfortunately, lamented Christine St-Pierre, the Ministry of Culture did not see fit to send inspectors to monitor the work. We are talking about a deliberate act. The Liberal MP demanded that the Minister take “concrete action” in this file, not without taxing her with being “the champion of demolitions in Quebec”.
Minister Roy said she was informed of the demolition of the Domaine-de-l’Estérel “by text message”. “My blood ran three times, it’s absolutely scandalous, it’s revolting. It goes against the Cultural Heritage Act, ”she said. She added that the destruction of the building also contravened “municipal regulations”, and this, “because it is a wild, illegal demolition, without a permit from the municipality, without the authorization of the minister”.
In the months preceding the demolition of the building, the real estate developer who owned the Domaine-de-l’Estérel, Olymbec, acquired the grounds of the Club de golf Estérel for the sum of $4.7 million, as well as other land in the area. In this resort area dotted with posh residences, such spaces have been coveted for years by several real estate groups who wish to realize their projects there.