By Ruby Pratka

Local Journalism Initiative

The Brome County Historical Society has received a $2.21-million grant from the federal ministry of housing, infrastructure and communities to carry out a long-awaited expansion of the Lac-Brome Museum.

The expansion will take the form of a 6,000-square-foot extension to the current reception building, which will hold three galleries (including one featuring a new permanent exhibit on the Abenaki people), an expanded reception area, a collections lab, storage space and “flexible spaces” that can be rented out for events, explained Denis Piquette, executive director of the historical society, which oversees the museum. It will also be equipped with an elevator and washrooms accessible for people with reduced mobility, and a heating system which will allow it to stay open year-round.

Piquette said the expansion had been in the works for several years. “The historical society had an ambitious vision that was redrafted in 2020. At the time, [Premier François] Legault was talking about the Espaces bleus, and he made a statement along the lines of, the regions are filled with dusty little museums. We thought that was not very complimentary, at a time when we were aiming to be a leading museum and archive centre.” The historical society had an initial feasibility study done in 2021, but it wasn’t until late last year that the federal government rolled out a grant program – the Green and Inclusive Community Buildings (GICB) program, focused on developing “community spaces” in official language minority and Indigenous communities using energy-efficient construction techniques – that was adapted to their needs and didn’t require a disproportionate investment of time or money to apply.

“I found out about the program in September, and the deadline was Oct. 13,” Piquette recalled. “Of course, I had to supply an engineering report… but somehow we made it. We got a call from [Brome-Missisquoi MP] Pascale St-Onge on March 11 and then we got a letter [confirming the grant] from Minister [Nathaniel] Erskine-Smith.” Before the recent federal cabinet shuffle, Erskine-Smith was minister of housing, infrastructure and communities, the ministry which oversees the GICB program. The $2.1-million grant, which will cover 60 per cent of the costs linked to the new extension, is among the largest given out to a Quebec-based organization through the GICB program.

“We have a huge collection, a strong following, a long list of members and support from the town, but we’re a bunch of old buildings that need repair,” Piquette said. The extension, he said, would give the society breathing room to carry out further renovations in the future, by allowing it to safely store artifacts.

The historical society needs to co-ordinate with the Town of Brome Lake urban planning department and raise an additional $1.5 million from other sources to ensure construction moves forward. Piquette said he hopes the extension will be completed by fall 2026.