This text is part of the special Culture Montérégie notebook
While a study made public a few days ago shows that the arts and culture community in Montérégie remains underfunded, certain cities in the region are managing all the same to offer a diversified cultural life to their citizens. Meeting with two mayors who have this vision at heart.
“In both Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu and the Haut-Richelieu MRC, culture is considered a vector of economic development. We are aware of the underfunding per capita from the Quebec government, so we compensate by offering a significant cultural offering,” indicates Andrée Bouchard, mayor of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu. She gives as an example the amount invested by the City in culture in 2022, which was nearly $6.5 million, representing nearly 4% of the total operating budget. She estimates that what the City invests in culture can yield double the returns, without however providing figures.
For meme Bouchard, one of the city’s greatest successes in the cultural sector in recent years is Domaine Trinity, open to the general public since 2017 and where artists can exhibit their works. “It is one of our cultural flagships. Domaine Trinity is an old church which was renovated in 2016. It is an important cultural hub in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu,” she explains, with a touch of pride.
Culture for better living
Nadine Viau, mayor of Beloeil, shares Andrée Bouchard’s point of view regarding the economic contribution of the arts and culture community to the vitality of a city. She sees this area not only as an economic lever, but also as a DNA for the community. “The cultural aspect is fundamental for a city, because it is what allows citizens to develop their sense of belonging and their identity,” she believes.
This is why nearly $2.5 million is directly devoted to culture in the operating budget, she says. “But what we are transporting is much greater than that amount,” adds the mayor.
Thus, a $21 million project is underway to modernize the city’s cultural center. “This takes up a lot of space in our current priorities,” explains the mayor. She also mentions that “in recent years, the City has worked hard to increase the fees given to artists, even if it means doing fewer shows. We also increased our fund for the acquisition of works of art.”
According to Nadine Viau, to succeed in prioritizing culture within a city, you must first “believe in it”. “We must calculate culture according to its repercussions in the community. And you have to animate it continuously. It takes a drive in the community to do it. I’m thinking of a music school or multipurpose spaces, for example,” she says.
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