The president of the Sillery Historical Society doesn’t mince words about the City of Quebec’s decision to demolish the Bignell House, saying city and provincial governments had the means to preserve “a jewel of cultural heritage.”
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“The winner here is the murderer,” says Jean-Louis Vallée on the phone. “We have an owner who injects poison into a building, who then tells us we have to let him die, and we reply, ‘Damn, you’re right!'”
In an interview with Le Journal in September, Quebec Mayor Bruno Marchand concluded that it was too late to save the building abandoned by its owner. The latter has to pay for the demolition of the house from the end of the 18th century and the greening of the lawn.
Bignell House, whose construction dates back to the late 18th century, in better times. Photo provided by the City of Quebec
Nevertheless, in an open letter sent to the media on Saturday, the Sillery Historical Society mentions the new regulation on the occupation of the city of Quebec adopted in November 2022, “which involves the imposition of fines of $10,000 per day on the Owner made possible”.
“From December 1, 2022 to August 31, 2023, Quebec would have collected more than $3,000,000 for the restoration of the house if the municipal regulations had been applied to Maison Bignell,” the letter said.
Jean-Louis Vallée wants the Maison Bignell case to serve as an example and be examined in more detail.
“We have to start acting differently: analyzes have to be carried out,” demands the President of the Historical Society. It is a symbol that must become important. It is the failure of a law and a municipal ordinance that we see there, and it may be the last time we see something like this.”
Commemoration after demolition
Mr Vallée also hopes that after Bignell House is demolished, memorial work will be carried out to commemorate its existence.
“Extensive archaeological excavations need to be carried out. […] “There were important people there, important things happened there,” he says.
For Jean-Louis Vallée, Maison Bignell must become “a martyrdom”. “We need to celebrate her and highlight her grave,” he explains.
He claims to have received assurances from the City of Quebec that steps to commemorate the House of Representatives will “certainly be discussed.”