The preservation of one of the most striking heritage houses in Baie-Saint-Paul is still not resolved. “It’s one to midnight,” says the mayor, Michaël Pilote, about the elegant century-old residence ravaged by the unexpected floods of the 1er May 2023. Will it finally be demolished, as the owner, Johanne Robin, now wishes?
Mme Robin filed a 42-name petition in support of the demolition of his home at a city council meeting on January 15. The municipality promises to decide on February 12.
Built in an eclectic style, with molded cornices and vast galleries, the house at 50, rue Saint-Joseph has not failed, for more than a century, to catch the eye of passers-by. It is reputed to be one of the most beautiful in Baie-Saint-Paul, a municipality that is growing due to tourism, but which actually has only 7,000 residents.
The government lets it happen
This residence enjoys a “higher heritage value”, according to various evaluations. The heritage directories of the City of Baie-Saint-Paul, the regional county municipality (MRC) of Charlevoix as well as the Quebec state all consider this residence to be of very great interest.
The mayor of Baie-Saint-Paul, as reported The duty, had initially thought it appropriate to have the premises demolished, as the owner proposed. Then the municipality changed its mind, to explore possibilities for the preservation of the place.
It was the Ministry of Culture and Communications (MCC) which asked the municipality to redo its homework. But does he intend to intervene directly in the matter?
Joined by The dutythe MCC recalls having announced, on December 21, the payment of aid of $750,000 to the City of Baie-Saint-Paul for a financial assistance program intended for owners of heritage buildings affected by the floods of 1er May 2023. In the eyes of the ministry, the ball is now in the court of the municipality, or even of the MRC to which it falls. Baie-Saint-Paul can in fact, under the law, grant a demolition request for this house, indicates the MCC. But he adds that the MRC “could also avail itself of its power to disavow the City’s decision and prohibit the issuance of the permit if it deems it appropriate.”
Another request for demolition
After seeing her demolition request rejected, the owner of the house appealed to the municipality. Then, on Christmas Eve, Mme Robin announced that he wanted to sell it to the highest bidder. “Given that the City of Baie-Saint-Paul had given itself the mission of finding a buyer for my house and that no offer, except one for $1, has been received for four months, I see myself in the obligation to attempt the impossible,” wrote Johanne Robin.
She has “neither the energy nor the financial means” to renovate this house, according to her own words. “For the moment, I am out of breath,” Johanne Robin told Duty. The starting grant of $385,000, offered by the Ministry of Public Safety to disaster victims, is conditional on the demolition of the premises. So much so that demolition remains its main option today.
She offered potential buyers the opportunity to benefit from the government subsidy for the immunization of the property, to the tune of $485,000, as well as another of $75,000, for exterior renovation. “In addition, if there is a sale, I will waive government assistance, which will allow the buyer to receive assistance during the next flood,” she indicates in writing. To her knowledge, the house had never experienced flooding of this kind in decades, she explained to Duty.
Which solution ?
“We made new requests to the ministry,” says Luce-Ann Tremblay, the municipality’s communications director. “We are waiting for answers. » The municipality would like to be able to save the building, but says it cannot afford to buy it. “We have already just acquired the house of the painter René Richard, which now needs to be restored. »
For his part, Mme Robin appealed the demolition committee’s decision. According to one company’s estimate, lifting the house and redoing its foundation would cost more than $335,000. Which only corresponds to a fraction of the costs of the necessary repair. A decision must be made at the next meeting of the municipal council on February 12. The mayor, Michaël Pilote, indicated that it was “one minute to midnight”.