The city confirms that the former greenhouse of the former Quebec Zoo will actually be demolished

Closed to the general public for 15 years, the city of Quebec confirms that the Indo-Australian greenhouse in the former Zoological Garden will actually reach the peak of demolition in a few weeks, which will not play a savior.

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Built at a cost of $ 14 million, this large-scale lightning-fast infrastructure has been abandoned since 2006. Those who wanted to save it by begging for a second life and a new career were very frustrated and already in a scandal.

Negotiations between the Quebec City and the Premiers-Signuaries School Services Center, campus owner, could not find a solution to keep the greenhouse, which opened in 2002.

New Mayor Bruno Marchand has been preparing souls for the past few weeks. He acknowledged that they had “some powers” and a “limited role” because the land did not belong to the city, but to the First Signiers School Services Center, which inherited land from the regional government last June.

At a press conference on Thursday, Borough Council President Claude Laoi (EMJS) confirmed the task awaited by the president for the Greenhouse. “I am not happy to be here this morning. We like to provide you with positive news, but depending on the amount of information we receive, the restructuring will take place. ”

Preparatory work has already begun. The School Services Center has confirmed that the “deconstruction” of the greenhouse will take place next January. “The site will be restored in an eco-friendly manner. Maximum materials, including tree-fountain, will be recovered or recycled from the greenhouse, which will be placed in the open classroom. Note that the reception building will be kept to serve the community,” a press release said.

Consultation for the future of the site

The city plays a role for the future of the site. “We’re really going to sit down with the School Service Center after the holidays to find a new career for this site,” he said. Councilor Mary-Pierre Boucher (QFF), who sits on the executive committee, added, “The important thing for us now is to see what we’re doing and to share with citizens.”

In another joint press release, the city and school services center confirmed that Quebec citizens will once again have access to this “living space” in the future. The development of the campus will be subject to “broader citizen participation”. In the past, remember that many calls for projects related to the greenhouse “failed”. Deconstruction is said to be “the only possible solution”.

The city did not really consider buying the building, which would require $ 7.5 million in repairs, along with several hundred thousand dollars in annual maintenance costs. Furthermore, the reconstruction of the greenhouse is said to be the “preliminary” stage for the construction of two schools to be built on the site, Ms. Boucher said some of the land will be used for the development of the retention basin. ..

The CAQ is “responsible,” Dorian said

The reactions did not take long. Quebec Solidarity Deputy Catherine Dorian, who campaigned for greenhouse conservation, accused Jonathan Julian and Genevieve Gilbolt of the Coquist government of being “really responsible” for the demolition and of not wanting to be heard from by many citizens.

In the last few weeks, More than 13,500 people signed the petition hoping to protect the infrastructure.

The school services center’s planned demolition was condemned by several pressure groups, which refused to invest much in the management of the unused greenhouse, preferring to focus its financial resources on student services.

M^Me Dorian also denounced the “lack of fighting” of Quebec’s new mayor Bruno Marchand in the file. “I very much hope that this pose will not be an omen in the next four years.”

“Shameless waste”

For its part, Jordin’s de la Capital did not throw a stone at the new Marchand administration, but did not see the possibility of reviving this greenhouse “unique in America” ​​against government and school services center leaders.

“It simply came to our notice then. This is the shameless waste of the Quebec government and the complete lack of publicity of the first Seigneuries School Services Center. The city of Quebec has done a lot to try to open the minds of these people … the Quebec government is putting a lot of pressure on the city, ”Michel Lagas responded in an interview.

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