Historic Maison Boileau in Chambly finally demolished
Former PQ candidate Christian Picard was arrested on site for trying to stop demolition
A 200-year-old historic building in Chambly, Que. was demolished on Thursday after more than two years of debate over its heritage value.
The Maison Boileau belonged to René Boileau, a notary and politician in the city 25 kilometres southeast of Montreal.
Citizens had been rallying to get the house protected as an official heritage building, but the municipality, which acquired it in 2016, said it was in a state of disrepair and would cost $2 million to renovate.
Despite opposition from heritage advocates, the town's general manger Michel Larose ordered the demolition to take place Thursday.
There was talk of turning the building into a tourist information centre, but the Town of Chambly ruled that the infrastructure itself was already "irreversibly damaged."
At the height of a citizen-led campaign to save the building, the mayor of Chambly promised to find a way to keep it intact. But on Thursday, Larose said the mayor was aware of the plan to raze it.
Maison Boileau à Chambly, des citoyens s’interposent pour empêcher la démolition de l’édifice patrimonial. Intervention de la police <a href="https://twitter.com/le1518?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@le1518</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/icimontreal?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@icimontreal</a> <a href="https://t.co/5amUFC1AxW">pic.twitter.com/5amUFC1AxW</a>
—@ReneSaintLouisHe added that the town did not need to obtain a permit to tear down a building it owns.
Many people were surprised by the news of the demolition, including Education Minister Jean-François Roberge, who is the the local MNA.
Roberge told Radio-Canada that he was "stupefied" by the news, and said he was never informed that any decision had been made about the future of the property.
"I was surprised and disappointed by the decision of the Town of Chambly to order the destruction of this more than a century old building," he said.
Roberge said he plans to meet with the culture minister in order to prevent another such situation from unfolding.
During the demolition, a number of citizens gathered to watch and police were on hand to maintain a perimeter around the building.
One man, former Parti Québécois candidate Christian Picard, was arrested by the local police force for refusing to keep a safe distance from the site.
"I'm protecting our heritage," he said. "It doesn't make sense to to destroy our history like that."
If charged, he could face a fine of up to $1,000.
Picard came in second in the riding in the October election.
With files from Radio-Canada's Jérôme Labbé, Sébastien Desrosiers and René Saint-Louis.