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The city is asking the Québec government to intervene to preserve and restore the windmill
The Mayor of the City of Pointe-Claire, John Belvedere, and the members of City Council are asking the Québec government to intervene for the preservation and restoration of the Pointe-Claire windmill, under the Cultural Heritage Act.
“We have been in talks for several years now with the religious authorities in charge to resolve the situation. The windmill requires major maintenance to remedy the damage caused by time and weather, which is becoming increasingly visible. We are prepared to intervene quickly to preserve and restore it,” Mayor Belvedere said.
Built in 1710, the Pointe-Claire windmill represents one of the first establishments of the seigniory of the Island of Montréal. The heritage value of this windmill is based on its historical importance, its representativeness of a type of industrial building: the flour mill, its rarity and its age.
Classified as an archaeological property by the Québec government in 1983, the windmill is now a central feature of the La pointe Claire heritage site, established in 2013 by the City of Pointe-Claire, and is owned by the Catholic Church. The Cultural Heritage Act, to which the windmill is subject, states that “The owner of classified heritage property must take the necessary measures to preserve the heritage value of the property.”
“We are asking the government to help us reach a favourable and swift conclusion to the negotiations underway with the Archdiocese of Montreal so that the City can move forward in order to preserve and restore it as required, in compliance with the Act and for the benefit of our entire community,” Mayor Belvedere added.
The request has been sent to the Minister of Culture and Communications, Ms. Nathalie Roy, following its unanimous adoption by the members of Council at a public meeting on April 6.