Culture Minister Nathalie Roy accuses her liberal predecessor, Marie Montpetit, of having authorized the Musée de la civilization to negotiate the sale of the heritage building that is the Maison Chevalier, located in Old Quebec.
Under fire from the liberal opposition, in the House, Mr.me Roy relied on the extract from a minutes of the board of directors of the museum dated April 4, 2018 to retaliate. “I would remind the member for Acadia that it is her colleague, the member for Maurice-Richard, Mme Montpetit, who first authorized the sale, ”she said Thursday morning.
During a press briefing in front of Maison Chevalier, where she asked the minister to prevent the sale to a subsidiary of the operating group Ameublements Tanguay, the member for Acadia, Christine St-Pierre, argued the opposite. “It has surely remained at the level of civil servants,” she said. I asked Marie, if she had heard of it, she said no. “
Mme St-Pierre assured that she would have personally opposed any sale of Maison Chevalier. “People who know me know how I can open my big hatch,” she said. It was not possible to reach Mme Montpetit.
The minutes quoted by Mme Roy, forwarded to To have to by the Museum, refers to a potential buyer, the City of Quebec. “The Museum has obtained the approval of the Ministry of Culture and Communications to conduct the negotiations itself, subject to certain parameters being respected, particularly in terms of the sustainability of this heritage building”, indicates the document, part of which is redacted.
With its partner, the Organization of World Heritage Cities, the City had submitted a promise to purchase $ 2.2 million for the building built in 1752 next to Place Royale, the minutes said. The Musée de la civilization clarified that the authorization was not limited to the offer from the City of Quebec.
” The [ministère] gave us general authorization to seek a buyer and to conduct various approaches and negotiations, depending on the parameters established, ”said spokesperson Anne-Sophie Desmeules.
In February, Mme Roy gave up blocking the sale of the building to Groupe Tanguay. The minister has faced an outcry since the transaction was made public in a government decree in mid-October.
Alongside Mme St-Pierre, on Thursday, Liberal MP Marwah Rizqy, spokesperson for the capital’s cases, commented on reports that heritage conservation groups are studying the possibility of going to court to block the transaction.
“From a legal point of view, indeed, questions arise,” said the deputy, also a lawyer. Did or did the Museum not have the legal capacity to make this sale? “
The duty reported in its Thursday edition that Minister Roy’s office had discussions on Wednesday with the Société historique de Québec, which is asking the government to fund the Museum so that the Maison Chevalier remains open to the public.
An organization that has had its offices for twenty years at Maison Chevalier has obtained assurances from the buyers of the building that its lease, which expires on March 31, 2022, will be respected.
Did or did the Museum not have the legal capacity to make this sale?
Last week, the president of the Tanguay Real Estate Group, Alexandre Tanguay, explained to representatives of the Living Heritage Center that he would not apply the clause according to which three months’ notice is sufficient before occupying the premises, explained the organization’s coordinator, Cassandre Lambert-Pellerin.
Further discussions are planned to determine what the possibilities will be in the years to come. “Of course for us, if we are able to stay a few more years, we would be very happy,” said M.me Lambert-Pellerin.