By Ruby Pratka
Local Journalism Initiative
A former religious retreat centre in downtown Sutton is the object of a tug-of-war between the Town of Sutton and the administrators of the non-profit organization that oversees its maintenance.
The Villa Châteauneuf is a former convent and school that was built in 1911 on a 25-acre plot donated by philanthropist and politician Eugene Dyer, who stipulated that it be used for educational purposes. In 1971, it was transferred to the Foyers de la Charité, a network of religious retreat centres-slash-utopian communities based in France and affiliated with the Catholic Church. In June 2023, amid declining religious participation and the impact of COVID restrictions, the papal delegate of the Foyers de la Charité decreed the closure of the entire network; the last six permanent residents of the Sutton centre, elderly laypeople who shared all their goods in common, moved out in September.
Since then, the building has stood empty, maintained by members of a volunteer governing board. Board members want to donate it to Le Chaînon, a Montreal-based organization for survivors of domestic violence. The town wants to acquire the complex – which has eight buildings with a total of 60 bedrooms, a chapel and a maple grove and is worth about $15 million according to the board – for use as a community centre, replacing the aging Centre John-Sleeth. Sutton mayor Robert Benoît said the vast facility could also be used for a daycare, meeting rooms, housing for temporary workers and/or a hub for local nonprofits. “It’s a magnificent place…and it should be given back to the citizens of Sutton,” he said.
“As noble as the mission of Le Chaînon may be, we believe the project we are presenting respects the vision of the land’s original owners,” Benoît said, referring to the Dyer family, who have veto power over any project. He added that the Diocese of St-Hyacinthe would also have to participate in any discussions. Sutton resident Ann Dyer, Eugene Dyer’s great-great-granddaughter, opposes the Chaînon plan, saying the board is “trying to give away the convent” to an organization with no connection to Sutton or Eugene Dyer’s stipulations.
Dyer said she and her sister, Diana Dyer, who oversee the family trust, were “in full agreement” with the property going to the town. “We propose a joint venture with the Church and the town to keep this going,” she added.
City officials said in a statement that there are “two ways to resolve this situation reasonably – either Le Chaînon gives up the donation, or the chair of the board of directors agrees to meet, with representatives of the diocese, the municipal council and citizens to discuss the terms of a harmonious transition with a view to the creation of a community centre in the Foyer de charité building.”
Board chair Serge Poirier said the board received four proposals from various nonprofits in the past few months, and no proposal came from the city. Benoît denied this, saying he and Poirier had what he assumed to be a constructive meeting about the building’s future in mid-September before the board cut off communications.
Vice-chair Victor Marchand said the board decided to donate the complex, which still has “sheets on the beds and dishes in the cupboards” to Le Chaînon because of the “expertise and solidity” of its proposal and the lack of services for domestic violence survivors in the area. He said the board “learned about the community centre project [on Dec. 6] when it came up in council.”
Benoît said the notice of reservation, which needs to be approved by the Ministry of Housing and Municipal Affairs (MAMH), could be the first step of an expropriation process. However, he said, “We don’t want to expel [Villa Châteauneuf]; we want to talk to them.” He noted that the notice of reservation doesn’t block Villa Châteauneuf from selling the building.
Poirier said he didn’t trust the city to maintain the Villa Châteauneuf complex, and the Le Chaînon donation represented “a golden opportunity” to create a rural retreat for vulnerable women. He was not optimistic about the outcome of a potential meeting between the board, the city and the diocese. “They invited us to a meeting last week, but instead of letting us in on the discussions from the beginning, they have a preconceived idea,” he said.
Le Chaînon communications director Ségolène Roederer said she was aware of the board’s intention to donate the property to her organization, but preferred not to comment further “because officially, there hasn’t been a donation.”
“If everyone decides to sit at one table and talk about this, we’ll find a solution, but if we’re stubborn, [the conflict is] going to last a while,” said Benoît.
Representatives of the Diocese of St-Hyacinthe and the MAMH could not comment in detail before the BCN went to press on Monday.
If you think “bizarre tug-of-war” is editorializing, feel free to dial it down.