Uncertainty surrounding the future of the Rouville-Campbell manor

Two years after receiving the emblematic Rouville-Campbell manor as a gift from a wealthy businessman, the City of Mont-Saint-Hilaire still does not know what it is going to do with it.

Since 2022, a series of scenarios have been considered. There was talk of installing a Blue Space in the mansion, but the CAQ government abandoned this project in March 2024.

There has also already been talk of moving the city hall there.

The last preferred scenario was to entrust the management of the manor to a private sector hotel operator. However, Mont-Saint-Hilaire has canceled two calls for tenders launched with this objective in recent months.

The second call for tenders was completed, but only two bidders came forward. One ended up withdrawing their bid, and the other did not qualify.

“Sometimes we have small setbacks. […] The mansion exercises my perseverance a little,” admitted the mayor, Marc-André Guertin, in an interview, adding however that he totally refuses to give in to pessimism at this stage.

“We give ourselves the time to carefully evaluate what we have just experienced in the last few weeks to be sure that we make the best decisions,” he confided.

Our Bureau of Investigation has already reported that a firm owned by André Imbeau, one of the extremely wealthy founders of CGI, was given a tax receipt of 31 million by the City in 2022 for its donation. At the same time, the municipal assessment of the mansion was barely $11 million. Imbeau himself acquired the mansion from comedian Yvon Deschamps in 2006 for an undisclosed sum.

Committee of Wise Men

The decision to go to tender itself stems from a report produced by a committee of wise people on the direction to be given to the manor. Tourisme Montérégie has granted a subsidy of $50,000 to Mont-Saint-Hilaire for this purpose.

The mayor, however, did not rule out that the mansion could be sold outright to a private actor, even if this is not the preferred scenario at the moment.

High costs?

The only significant source of income last year was the filming of a reality TV show by Karine Vanasse, Les Traitors, which brought in $300,000.

Pierre Nault, of the Association of Citizens of Mont-Saint-Hilaire (ACMSH), estimates the cost of the mansion to the City at least $500,000 last year.

The mayor judges that it is much less than that, barely $60,000, excluding non-recurring expenses, such as expert and lawyer fees, which he has not however quantified.

Constant care

The mayor recognized that the 19th century building^e century needed constant attention.

“Is it perfect and everything is manicured like when you go to Château Frontenac? No. But believe me […] it is very well maintained. […] We do it within the capacity of a City,” he assured.

– With the collaboration of Marie-Christine Trottier.

A VERY ADVANTAGEOUS DONATION

According to tax expert Nancy Mc Dermott, of the Moquin Amyot firm, the donation of the manor is even more tax advantageous given that it includes wooded areas with ecological value and a cultural building. Not only is the donation 100% tax deductible, but the resulting capital gain is not taxable either.

WHAT THEY SAID

“An old building is a bottomless pit. It takes a lot of love and attention to keep up to date. […] This file is a hot potato.” – Pierre Nault, ACMSH.

“The next step, […] “We are completing the evaluation process to fully understand why the many operators who had expressed interest did not do so.” – Marc-André Guertin, mayor.

SOME DATES

• May 2022: Donation of the Rouville-Campbell manor by André Imbeau’s firm, Gestion G5, in Mont-Saint-Hilaire.
• September 2023: A report from the table of wise men is submitted on the future of the manor.
• October 2023: The City receives a $50,000 grant from Tourisme Montérégie.
• December 2023: A first call for tenders is launched.
• Avril 2024: The first call for tenders is canceled and a second is launched.
• May 2024: Two offers were submitted for the mansion, but neither was successful.