Heritage study leaves cegeps looking for help

Vanier College and cegep de Saint-Laurent will be looking to the provincial government for help funding a borough-mandated heritage study. As of September 2016, buildings identified as having heritage value in the Saint-Laurent borough will have to complete a survey before any major renovations can be undertaken.

Vanier says they’ve made a formal request to the Ministry of Education and the President of the Treasury board for help to finance the study, as the buildings are owned by the provincial government. A spokesperson for the minister said no demand has been received, and the Treasury did not respond to TC Media’s inquiry.

“I don’t think anyone is swimming in cash right now,” said Vanier’s director of communications, Darren Becker. “We’re already cutting jobs. We thought it was pertinent to adopt a resolution for the government to cover the cost of the study.”

The school plans on major renovations to the library and other facets of the building. Smaller, interior renovations, are not affected.

The study is not a point of contention with the borough. “We’re in agreement with the concept, but the question is who will pay for it,” he said.

It’s not clear at this point how much the study will cost, but the schools are working with the Eglise Saint-Laurent and Les Soeurs de Sainte-Croix to potentially lower the total.

“We didn’t foresee this in our budgets,” said Marie–Christine Beaudoin, director of administrative services for cegep de Saint-Laurent. “At this moment we’re looking at limited resources.” They intend on posing a similar request to the government. They will be meeting with the borough next week to determine the scope of the study.

Borough

“We gave the schools and church advanced notice, and suggested they work together to bring the cost of the study down,” said Mayor Alan DeSousa. “We wanted to make sure they were aware before applying for any permits or moving ahead with any major projects.” They were notified at the end of the summer.

The mayor said that the regulation was adopted in line with the agglomeration’s new land use plan, and the borough will not be helping foot the bill. “Ultimately, they’re the occupants,” said DeSousa.