Grenville-sur-la-Rouge (GSLR) Council is seeking provincial funding to stabilize and restore the historic Calumet railway station, a heritage building dating back to 1877. On Tuesday, March 10, Council unanimously adopted motions aimed at securing financial support to preserve and repurpose the station as a community, cultural, and intergenerational hub.
The wooden Eastlake-style station is one of the oldest railway stations still standing in Québec. It has officially been recognized as a historic monument since 2011 and is considered a building of national heritage interest.
The station will mark its 150th anniversary in 2027.
Council is submitting funding requests to provincial and other government partners for the urgent stabilization, heritage restoration, and conversion of the building. Municipal staff have reported that the structure is facing advanced structural deterioration.
A report to council noted that the municipality previously requested $1,709,625 for the Calumet project through the Municipalité régionale de comté (MRC) d’Argenteuil. However, the Québec government offered only $235,000 in total for all projects within the MRC, an amount the municipality says is insufficient to move forward with the restoration.
Council is now asking the province to reconsider and increase the funding allocation, arguing the current offer jeopardizes the preservation of the historic site.
Council authorized municipal staff to continue discussions with provincial officials, including the Minister of Culture, the minister responsible for the Laurentides region, the local Member of the National Assembly (MNA), and the MRC d’Argenteuil, in an effort to secure the additional funding needed for the project.
