Canada/A breath of fresh air at Nédélec

The Municipality of Nédélec, Témiscamingue, inaugurates its new intergenerational terrace on Saturday with a corn roast.

The new terrace, located at the municipal rest area, can accommodate over sixty people under its roof.

It's there to welcome citizens who want to picnic in the shade, and also for various community and social activities. It's also available to campers, because our campground is adjacent to the municipal park," explains Mayor Lyne Ash.

The terrace is a gathering place for people of all ages in the community. In Nédélec, intergenerational activities are a priority," emphasizes Ms. Ash. A closing activity for the municipal day camp, for example, is planned for the near future, and the entire Nédélec population is invited to attend.

Several ideas for activities that could be held on the terrace are already germinating in the minds of citizens and members of the municipal council. There's nothing concrete yet, but we certainly want it to have a very multidisciplinary vocation," adds the mayor.

A new community hall to come

Construction of the municipality's new community center is scheduled to begin this fall. The old Centre des loisirs had to be demolished in 2021, as it had become unsafe and non-compliant.

The new center will be built on the same site as the previous one, near the new terrace. It's going to be pretty much the same size as the old center we had. It's going to be more modern, that's for sure," says Ms. Ash.

There will also be a kitchen. The center will enable families and organizations to get together.

The new building should be ready next spring, if all goes well. We want it to be ready as soon as possible, because we already thought [the center] would be ready by December," says Ms. Ash.

The projects receive a major boost from Quebec City. We're one of the devitalized municipalities, so we've been able to get some interesting sums for our various projects (...) Citizens aren't asked to contribute so much for all these projects. We still want to protect them a little, because the tax burden is always a little heavy," explains the mayor.

One year later

One year after the loss of two businesses on her territory, Lyne Ash notes that the repercussions are still being felt.

Of course, these are still big losses for Nédélec, and they haven't been replaced. L'Gros Trappeur is closed and won't be coming back. Barbe-Broue, they still want to sell their business. They're still brewing, but there's no activity like we've seen in years past," she maintains.

We're hoping that some promoters will be interested in trying their luck in Nédélec.

A quote from Lyne Ash, Mayor of Nédélec

The mayor affirms that the municipality is focusing its efforts on the development of social and community life. We're working hard to set ourselves apart.

The Château Darveau is also in the process of being renovated. An organization is managing the project, but the Municipality remains involved.

Source: ici.radio-canada.ca/