Canadian Heritage Committee on March 22nd, 2018

[Anne-Julie Néron]

We are really happy to hear you say that. It's the gist of a project we have just submitted under the department's Strategic Initiatives program. We are working on that.

People visit the large institutions, but there are a lot of other ones. We are not as big as the Zoo sauvage de Saint-Félicien, which is the big attraction in the region. Individually, we seem a little small, but with nine institutions we become much more visible, and this enhances the number of visits for all of us. It's an ecosystem. We are happy that the big institutions exist and that the large museums share their expertise with us. We are happy that the zoo attracts people to the area. For our part, we then extend the tourists' stay. It's all interrelated.

Indeed, these past few years, we have worked very hard together to attract people and share our clienteles.

[Pierre Nantel, NDP, Longueuil—Saint-Hubert, QC]

Unless I am mistaken, the creation of a kind of network can also increase your local clientele. As opposed to clients from the outside, the people in your area of course will not go to the Louis-Hémon Museum; the 499 other people of the village have all already seen it. However, it could be made more attractive if you offered them memberships in the museum.

We talked about endowment funds. Of course the support has to be as important as the heritage. If we don't want to empty out the regions, we have to make room for these institutions.

Mr. Eglinski, thank you for having reminded us that that is indeed the purpose of our study. We learn from the large ones like the Royal British Columbia Museum. Let's hope that some day there will be an IMAX cinema at the Louis-Hémon house.

[Anne-Julie Néron]

We have a multi-sensory 360-degree film, if you would like to see it.

[Pierre Nantel, NDP, Longueuil—Saint-Hubert, QC]

The Odyssée des Bâtisseurs is a community museum. You have a good mediation program to teach people how to renovate whilst respecting heritage. Could you tell us more about that?

We can talk about the contribution a museum can make to early childhood, but for your part, you are directly addressing people who live in a heritage neighbourhood. I believe I understood that you are teaching them how to renovate.

[Anne-Julie Néron]

Exactly. The service has existed for 20 years and is directed by a built heritage architect. Twenty years ago we realized that we were always having to put out fires in connection with built heritage. So, we work with owners who are renovating their homes. The services are paid for by the municipalities. For our part, we do sketches of their work. We mediate between the municipalities' regulations, which are often very strict, and the owners' needs. Those regulations may concern the windows or doors that the owners can install, and the materials they can use.

This service is unique in Quebec. To our knowledge, there are not many services of this kind elsewhere in Canada, and there is a crying need. That too is a kind of mediation.

[Pierre Nantel, NDP, Longueuil—Saint-Hubert, QC]

Is it also a source of revenue?

[Anne-Julie Néron]

Yes. The service is totally self-financed, 100% of it.

[Pierre Nantel, NDP, Longueuil—Saint-Hubert, QC]

That's super!

[Anne-Julie Néron]

It's a revenue source which can vary from year to year. Sometimes, other services are more profitable. Normally, this type of service is offered by private architects' firms. Our organization is a non-profit organization. We also manage a museum and an archive centre. We have the historical spirit and context, and we can improve our interventions in that way. We can provide architectural mediation because we have the necessary personnel in-house. This does serve to complete our services very well.

[Pierre Nantel, NDP, Longueuil—Saint-Hubert, QC]

Bravo!

I expect my speaking time is over.

I want to wish you good luck so that we can begin our visit to Péribonka, just like in the Maria Chapdelaine novel.

[The Chair, Liberal, Julie Dabrusin]

I thank all of the witnesses.

Thank you for joining us so early in the morning, Mr. Lohman.

That ends this meeting. I think we have perhaps just one more panel on museums, and then we'll be done.

Thank you very much.