On October 25, the Committee on Demolition Requests (CDD) refused to demolish the front part of the building. This decision was confirmed by the elected representatives.
Of the 20 elected officers present, 16 voted to maintain the resolution and 4 voted against.
“By supporting the CDD’s decision, we are making a bold decision,” said Councilman Steve Moran.
“We’re sending a clear signal that the city of Gatineau is defending its heritage. »
– A quote from Steven Moran, Councilor for Hull-Wright
Mr Moran acknowledges the situation is difficult but adds that the justification for the demolition has not been demonstrated, that the value of the heritage [de la maison] underestimated and the poor condition of the building exaggerated.
Steve Moran, Hull-Wright Borough Councilor. (file photo)
Photo: Radio Canada / David Bates
We’re not at the end of the process, it’s just the beginning, he acknowledged. This house needs help, our support.
There are many things to be done to ensure its survival and celebration as part of our legacy of work that is so tarnished, concluded the chosen one.
“We need tools,” pleads one consultant
The councilor of the Manoir-des-Trembles-Val-Tétreau district, Jocelyn Blondin, is among those who voted against. The latter considers the options to be limited, despite the good will of the city and the owner.
“In this case, given the condition of the building and the powers the City of Gatineau has, nothing gives me assurance that we will keep this building or renovate it,” he said minutes before the vote. We won’t get it back.
Jocelyn Blondin, municipal councilor of the Manoir-des-Trembles-Val-Tétreau district. (file photo)
Photo: Radio Canada
“We need tools for the preservation of historical buildings. »
— A quote from Jocelyn Blondin, municipal councilor of the Manoir-des-Trembles-Val-Tétreau district
Mr Blondin would have preferred that we come to an agreement with the planning advisory board and the client that they could save architectural elements from the facade.
Among the other councilors opposed to maintaining the decision we find Mike Duggan, Denis Girouard and Mario Aubé, representing the districts of Pointe-Gatineau, Lac-Beauchamp and Masson-Angers respectively.
Mario Aubé, chairman of the Demolition Requests Committee, believes the whole row house demolitions debate has sensitized the council to the importance of heritage and paved the way for a more scathing municipal charter.
The goal in all of this is to take this house and make it a turning point and say that it has allowed us to talk about heritage. We will have a study on matchstick houses, we will have a regulation that will have more bite, we will see what the best practices are elsewhere, he commented in an interview on Wednesday morning.
The chairman of the committee for demolition requests initially spoke out in favor of the demolition of the matchstick house. Since then he has reconsidered his position. (file photo)
Photo: Radio Canada
Mr Aubé said he wanted an inventory of the territory to establish exactly how many highly authentic houses there are and where they are located.
I would like to see them on a map and for developers or anyone else looking to buy a home know where they are and that they are serviced.
Mario Aubé also came up with the idea of a tourist circuit to highlight Gatineau’s historic houses, lest they be forgotten.
Towards a settlement with more bite
Councilor Daniel Champagne, who supported keeping the matchhouse, said he was pleased with the outcome of the vote but now wishes the city would be given regulatory leverage that would allow us to take a global rather than necessarily individual view have.
We want a settlement with more teeth [aller voir] what is being done elsewhere, what is being done in other big cities, how can we adjust our regulations so that people who buy a so-called heritage house don’t find themselves in a situation where he can just let it fall into disrepair, destroy it and move on , he commented.
Daniel Champagne, Versant Borough Councillor. (file photo)
Photo: Radio Canada
The President of the Association of Residents of the Island of Hull (ARIH), Claude Royer, hailed the news as a first victory, adding that there is still work to be done to protect cultural heritage.
We are very pleased that the board has taken the committee’s decision into account [sur les demandes de démolition] was the right one and all [la maison] deserves a chance to survive as a listed residential building. This is now a first step. Of course we have to go beyond that. [pour déterminer] and how to preserve it and how to present it here in context.
For the latter, it is essential that we continue to expand it and not let it tear down at the first gust of wind.
Claude Royer, Chairman of the Planning Committee of the Isle of Hull Residents’ Association. (file photo)
Photo: Radio Canada / Marie-Lou St-Onge
The debate over the matchbox on rue Notre-Dame-de-l’Île echoed in the office of Minister for Culture and Communications Mathieu Lacombe. He welcomed the Gatineau Council’s decision. The MNA for Papineau hopes the city will build on this decision to move towards broader and more framed heritage regulation.
I think it needs to be handled more broadly across the city. In addition, the law passed by our government last year provides for this, that is, an obligation for the cities to carry out an inventory of everything that can be protected on the territory, so that we avoid always treating cases piecemeal case at the moment, responded he in an interview on Wednesday.
Mathieu Lacombe welcomed the City of Gatineau’s decision. (file photo)
Photo: The Canadian Press / Jacques Boissinot
We need to get an overall picture, then agree on what we need to protect because we can’t save everything, and then make every effort necessary to get there, the minister adds.
With information from Nathalie Tremblay