One year after the devastating fire that swallowed up the historic Chapel of the Good Shepherd, on May 25, 2023, this vast, emblematic building of Montreal is not on the eve of reopening its doors. Its occupants remain concerned, while the reconstruction work on this historic building has still not started.
A year later, Caroline Hétu burst into tears. ” Excuse me. It’s terrible in life, such a thing, in the middle of the housing crisis. I lived there for 24 years. My children were born there. » Overnight, she found herself with nothing.
Vice-president of the board of directors of the Sourire à la vie housing cooperative, Mme Hétu claims that 50 new housing units could have been delivered in 2026 if the file moved forward. Only, everything is slower than slow, she regrets. “We hold it at arm’s length, voluntarily. It’s almost a full-time job. » Almost all the money so far has been used to secure historic sites. “We redid a temporary roof which will have to be demolished. We are in the middle of a housing crisis and it is still barricaded, a year later. […] We are out of breath. »
“If, in Paris, they were able to rebuild Notre-Dame, I am confident that with the government of Quebec and our other partners, we will be able to rebuild [le monastère du Bon-Pasteur] », declared the mayor of Montreal, Valérie Plante, following the fire.
Five years after the destruction of the cathedral in Paris, its complex reconstruction is almost complete. Meanwhile, the reconstruction announced for the Monastery of the Good Shepherd has still not begun, regrets Dominic Trudel, general director of the Conseil québécois de la musique. “For a year, no news! The City of Montreal told us that it was still in the plans to rebuild, but we received no indication of a timeline. »
Cultural homelessness
On May 25, 2023, the flames swallowed the historic Chapel of the Good Shepherd and the cooperative living spaces where several cultural organizations housed, as well as housing.
“Among the members of our housing cooperative, we had two centenarians who we kept at home,” explains Caroline Hétu. “Can you imagine what it’s like to rehouse all these people in the middle of a housing crisis? It will take discretionary envelopes to overcome this. It’s endless. Nothing is moving,” she regrets.
Is it up to a cooperative of ordinary citizens to assume a heavy part of the reconstruction of a historic building whose view and existence nevertheless benefit all citizens, she wonders? The meetings have multiplied, indicates Caroline Hétu. Volunteer, she says she can’t take it anymore.
Several cultural organizations found themselves homeless, including the Émile-Nelligan Foundation, responsible for some of Quebec’s most important prizes in the arts and letters. The Foundation, indicates its president Marie-Andrée Beaudet, has found temporary refuge at the House of Writers. “We hope to return to the monastery of the Good Shepherd, hoping that the particularity of the place will be respected, with its mixed vocation. We must find the beautiful chapel! This is essential for music. But for the moment, nothing is changing much. »
A haven for classical music, the historic Chapelle du Bon-Pasteur was used for recordings and residencies for artist development. Richard Desjardins also recorded there Do you love mea record that became famous.
In an interview, the general director of the Conseil québécois de la musique recalled that the chapel had, for years, been a popular concert hall. “We want the places to be rebuilt. But obviously, we are worried. We should have had news. There, they carried out work to secure the premises, to clear debris and to protect the structure. Last year, following the fire, we were told it would take a year. We are therefore waiting for a plan, news…”
For its part, the organization Les Impatients, which helps people with mental health problems through art, found temporary accommodation in a church basement in another neighborhood. He had occupied the building of the Good Shepherd monastery for 24 years.
Its founder, Lorraine Palardy, explains to Duty : “The fourth floor where we were no longer exists. This space has been very important for us to become who we are. » But all hope of finding him one day soon is gone. A new permanent address for Les Impatients should be announced shortly, she says, and it will be far from the monastery.
Housing
A member of the Sourire à la vie housing cooperative, Amélie Escobar does not know if she will one day return to the monastery. “I don’t know if I will be able to wait several years. Currently, I have found cooperative housing, but a 4 ½ instead of a 5 ½, which poses a challenge. » She nevertheless affirms that she is still very attached to the life of her cooperative. “I hope that it can continue and get through this ordeal with the support of the different levels of government. » But for the moment, a year later, nothing seems certain to him.
Pascale Huberty and her husband have thrown in the towel. At the end of their patience, they left the coop. Following the disaster, they had to move four times in less than a year. They now live with two other families of victims. The hope of seeing reconstruction has faded. “We know that it will take years between trials, the cost and the energy that it requires, we prefer to leave this place behind us and look forward,” says Mme Huberty.
Several low-cost housing units have been offered since 1986 within this housing cooperative. This collective enterprise launched by families of Chilean origin had 27 housing units; it now displays “closed”. Seniors were also sheltered under the same roof, but under another brand: that of Maison Aurélie-Cadotte, a non-profit organization. Closed too.
Everyone went their own way, struggling to find new accommodation, often at great expense, as Caroline Hétu observes, exhausted by this stalling struggle.
In the absence of information on the planning of the work, are several individuals and cultural organizations housed in these places for years taking root for good elsewhere? “The programming of the chapel was transferred to the Canadian Center for Architecture,” notes the general director of the Conseil québécois de la musique. “The collaboration with the CCA is good. »
Knowing that a possible reconstruction project will take years, Dominic Trudel wonders what footing to take. On the occasion of the first anniversary of the fire, he questions the lack of responsiveness of public authorities. It seems to him in the order of things to finally obtain a timetable and clear news.
In the offices
At the office of the mayor of Montreal, we indicate to Duty that, “the day after the fire, we expressed our desire to work with the government of Quebec to rebuild the building and that is still what we want.”
Since the fire, the priority has been to relocate the people affected, says Valérie Plante’s office without giving details of a possible timeline. “Judicial proceedings are involved in the case, so we cannot comment on it precisely. But what is clear is that we must repair the damage in a lasting manner. This building was of exceptional heritage quality and forged the musical history of Montreal and Quebec; it deserves a restoration worthy of its importance. »
At the office of the Ministry of Culture and Communications, we responded to the Duty that “the minister will not make a statement” on this subject.
With Jeanne Corriveau