Reallocation of Funds Still Available From The Cultural Development Agreement

Conclusion of the cultural development project mission

At the meeting of April 6, the Town Council of Sutton announced the end of the Village Core Cultural Development Project, as the conditions for carrying out the mandate as planned have not been met. This project was part of the Cultural Development Agreement concluded with the Ministry of Culture and Communications of Quebec (MCCQ) in 2017. The process of reflection on the future of our village core, undertaken by the firm Les Mille Lieux, and supported by a roundtable created in 2020, was interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Three reports were, however, produced by Les Mille Lieux in 2020 – Les besoins des Suttonnais en aménagement (The needs of Suttonnais in development), Éléments d’identité culturelle (Elements of cultural identity) and Carnet d’activités (Activity book) – which provided valuable information on the development needs of our municipality. They will be simultaneously published on the Town’s website and are currently used to support the work in progress to update our master plan.

Remaining funds to be used for the benefit of new unifying projects

The Cultural Development Agreement, which focused on the realization of several projects between 2017 and 2019 (including a radioroman, the Glen Sutton heritage circuit, the Blue Muse route, and an inventory of built heritage sites), has been extended, as an exception, until December 31, 2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, there is currently an amount of $36,009.49 left in the budget that will be invested in the following cultural projects, for the benefit of our community:

  • The creation of ten advice sheets by Patri-Arch for homeowners, housing developers, and members of the urban planning and sustainable development advisory committee (CCUDD) containing recommendations related to heritage renovation, the transformation of old houses, and the construction of buildings that fit into the built environment;
  • An analysis of current built heritage protection measures and recommendations, mandate given to Bergeron Gagnon consultants;
  • The Sutton Academy Memory Project, which has been entrusted to Héritage Sutton, in order to document and preserve – as was done for the Filtex project – the history of the Sutton Academy school, once the Ave Maria school before becoming the current John-Sleeth Community and Cultural Centre;
  • Several cultural mediation projects promoting a rapprochement between Sutton’s residents, artists and cultural and community organizations.

The council is delighted to be able to initiate such actions aimed at preserving the history and heritage of Sutton, while stimulating its artistic and cultural life. Additional information on these projects will be communicated in due course.

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