The ownership and operations of three municipally owned and operated community centres in The Nation Municipality is being transferred to three different community organizations.
The affected community centres are the Caledonia Community Centre near St-Bernardin, the Fournier Community Centre, and the St-Albert Community Centre.
At a special meeting of municipal council on December 11, 2025, a motion was adopted to enable a phased transition which began on January 1, 2026. The municipality will retain ownership and property insurance of the facilities until March 31, with community groups assuming operational expenses and responsibilities as tenants/operators under a short-term transition lease. Operational expenses may be supported by the municipality, with any funds advanced to be deducted from the final negotiated contribution amount from each organization.
The decision was made to respect the January 1 deadline previously set by council for the divestiture of the community centres. Plans to transfer ownership and operations of the facilities began during the preparation of the 2025 municipal budget as part of measures to reduce expenses and the tax levy increase.
At a council meeting on December 8, 2025, Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) Pierre Leroux explained the short-term leases allowed for the municipality and each community group to have the time to finalize financial agreements and the transfer of responsibilities.
On December 27, 2025, the St-Bernardin Historical and Cultural Society announced it is taking over the Caledonia Community Centre.
The Riceville Agricultural Society is the new owner/operator of the Fournier Community Centre. An agreement for the transition of the facility was announced on December 29, 2025.
The Groupe Communautaire de St-Albert is assuming ownership and operations of that village’s community centre.
If agreements had not been in place before January 1, 2026, the community centres may have temporarily closed. However, at a special meeting of The Nation council on December 11, 2025, an amendment was made to permit the St-Bernardin Winter Carnival to go ahead. Ward 1 Councillor Tim Stewart, who represents St-Bernardin and Fournier, said further discussions were required for St-Bernardin.
Brière expressed openness to discuss details and ensure transparency throughout the process. Said no matter what the decision, his approach to cooperation would remain the same and negotiations would continue to ensure there was eventually a plan in place for each of the three facilities.
However, Stewart was also concerned about significant unexpected events like funerals which could also require the use of a community centre. He expressed disappointment that the Fournier facility was not being given consideration like St-Bernardin. Stewart cast the only vote against the transition recommendation on December 11.
