This was the third time that the City of Shawinigan had looked into the matter. First, Camp Minogami was asked to do its homework, asking it to flesh out its request. It complied with the demolition committee’s demands, with an engineer’s opinion in support.
Camp Minogami argued that preserving the building would cost $1.5 million to renovate. In its current state of disrepair, the boarded-up lodge posed significant safety issues for the camp’s young clientele, it was insisted.
Dominic Boisvert, a citizen involved in Camp Minogami, had however obtained the chance to set up a preservation project. Following his presentation and his cry from the heart, the demolition committee agreed to postpone the final decision on the future of the Weicker lodge until the end of August. It was up to him to convince the camp authorities of the merits of his approach.
Camp Minogami wanted to complete the demolition before the campers arrived. (Stéphane Lessard/Le Nouvelliste)
The discussions were short-lived, it turns out. “They listened to me, but there was no opening,” says Mr. Boisvert. The man who remains involved in the Minogami camp explains that he did not want to get involved in a confrontation that threatened to get worse. “I didn’t want to get involved in that,” he sighs, disappointed with the turn of events.
As soon as it was evacuated, the file was brought back to the table of the municipal committee, which sided with the arguments of the holiday camp authorities. From then on, the hours of the Weicker lodge were numbered.
Gabriel Bigaouette, general manager of Camps Odyssée, owner of Minogami, maintains that it was primarily a safety issue. Some 500 young people visit the place each week during the summer season, he emphasizes. In particular, the aim was to prevent some people from getting the idea of sneaking into the boarded-up building and causing an accident.
“We had a window of time to act, before the summer,” says the manager. He recalls that the camp is committed to “leaving a trace,” in the form of a commemorative plaque or interpretation panels.
Until 2016, Weicker Lodge served as a cafeteria for Minogami campers. (Stéphane Lessard/Le Nouvelliste)
“The City must act upstream”
Alerted by the demolition permit which had been given to the Minogami camp, Action Patrimoine, an NPO which has worked to raise awareness and educate on heritage issues for nearly 50 years, had directly contacted Mayor Michel Angers to try to block the destruction of the “centenary symbol representing a bygone golden age.”
“This building is now threatened with demolition at the request of the owners, who cite its “end of life” state and unsanitary conditions. However, archive photos appear to show a solid and well-built building capable of lasting over time. Made from noble materials such as wood and stone, one may wonder what maintenance has been carried out over recent decades for such degradation to occur.”
— Extract from the Action patrimoine letter addressed to Mayor Michel Angers
In its letter, Action patrimoine reminds the City of Shawinigan that it is required “by 2026 [de] maintain in force a regulation relating to the occupation and maintenance of buildings”. Adopted in 2021, Bill 69 provides in particular that “the municipality may require, in the event of dilapidation or disrepair of a building, renovation, repair or maintenance work on it”.
It is The Nouvelliste who informed Action patrimoine that its request had been unsuccessful and that the Weicker lodge had been demolished. Chloé Breton, responsible for opinions and positions within the NPO, said she was disappointed to hear the news.
Ms. Breton assures that it is not a question of pitting security issues against heritage concerns. “Of course, human security must come before anything else,” she agrees. It is also the City’s duty to act upstream to avoid being faced with such a dilemma, the specialist insists.
“The owners have been there since 1963. We wonder until today, what maintenance has been done so that in 2024 we are told that there are millions of works to be done on the lodge?”
— Chloé Breton, head of opinions and positions at Action patrimoine
“The City has done its homework”
Asked to respond to the release of Action patrimoine, the city hall sent us a written response in which it was assured that “it was not with a light heart that the demolition committee ratified the demolition of the Lodge Weicker.”
It should be noted that at the outset of the file, the Local Heritage Council was contacted for an opinion on the request from Camps Odyssée. The council recommended “the conservation of the building due to its significant heritage value at the regional and possibly provincial level. Its association with the history of hunting and fishing clubs, a characteristic element of the history of Mauricie and more particularly that of Shawinigan, reinforces this heritage value,” the City reports.
“As the building dates from 1910 and has retained its original purpose for over a century, that of welcoming young people, this increases its value. If other buildings from this period are still present on the site, we should also ensure that they are protected.”
— Excerpt from the recommendation of the Shawinigan Local Heritage Council
However, despite the position of the heritage committee, it appears that no avenue considered or proposal put forward could lead to the saving of the building, maintains the city hall.
“The City considers that it has done its homework before coming to the conclusion that demolition was the only possible scenario,” it is estimated.
