Quebec will finance the development of the Outaouais Regional Museum (MRO). The Minister of Culture and responsible for the region, Mathieu Lacombe, will make the announcement this Thursday morning in Gatineau. The unveiling of the project will take place on the campus of the Université du Québec en Outaouais, which will become an important partner in the development of the new place of memory. The evaluation of the costs of carrying out the MRO hovered around 30 million in 2021; the budgets of public and private projects have all swelled since then.
Still according to information obtained by The dutythis announcement will put an end to the Blue Spaces project for the region.
In fact, the idea of creating a network of places dedicated to heritage and creativity in each region of Quebec now seems buried. The first four centers in development will be the only ones to see the light of day, if they succeed. The government page dedicated to the blue network only mentions this quartet located in the regions of Capitale-Nationale, Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Gaspésie and Charlevoix.
The MRO project has been supported since 2016 by the Gatineau and Outaouais Heritage Network. Initial plans envisioned the construction of a head office in downtown Gatineau and the installation of antennas in the region. It was impossible to know whether this multipolar deployment is maintained. In any case, the museum will house the public collections of the City of Gatineau, which will be preserved and exhibited according to sector standards.
“It’s good news and we will be there to support our friends at the regional museum. Even if, for the moment, the City has nothing to announce,” said municipal councilor Isabelle N. Miron in an interview. She chairs the Commission for Arts, Culture, Letters and Heritage of the City of Gatineau.
“Outaouais is the only region of Quebec that does not have a museum institution to tell its story,” underlines the elected official for the Orée-du-Parc district. “About 45% of people come from outside the region, often for work. This is my case: I am a Saguenay in exile. It is all the more important to tell the story of this corner of the world. »
Underfunded culture
The Gatineau territory suffers from a significant cultural funding deficit. This delay was further documented by a study submitted in April 2023 by the municipal arts and culture department.
The City spends on average $82 per resident per year in the sector, or 50% less than the national average. Quebec also neglects specialized investments in the region. In 2019-2020, they totaled $52 per resident of Outaouais, compared to $80 in comparable regions. The close proximity to Ottawa poses additional challenges, with the Canadian capital boasting many world-class amenities.
Gatineau is planning the development of other cultural infrastructures: the MRO could therefore possibly tie in with other major constructions in the city center. This includes a central library, a performance hall as well as creation and dissemination workshops.
The Outaouais has long been won over by the Liberal Party of Quebec. Four of the region’s five deputies now come from the CAQ. The region could now find a better ear for its complaints in Quebec.