ANNUAL REPORT 2020 TABLE OF CONTENTS MISSION PAGE 03 MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR OF THE BOARD PAGE 04 MESSAGE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR PAGE 06 BOARD OF DIRECTORS PAGE 08 COMMITTEES AND HERITAGE MONTREAL TEAM PAGE 09 OUR VOLUNTEERS: PASSIONATE AND DEDICATED ALLIES PAGE 10 POLICY PAGE 13 ENGAGEMENT PAGE 22 EDUCATION PAGE 26 PUBLISHING AND COMMUNICATIONS PAGE 33 FINANCIAL SNAPSHOT PAGE 39 IN MEMORIAM PAGE 40 THANK YOU TO OUR PARTNERS AND DONORS PAGE 40 CREDITS PAGE 42 ARCHITECTOURS, McTAVISH STREET. PHOTO: HERITAGE MONTREAL, 2020. HERITAGE MONTREAL 1 Heritage Montreal’s mission is to promote and protect the architectural, historic, natural and cultural heritage of the Greater Montreal area. At the heart of an extensive network of partners, this private, not-for-profi t organization works through education, representation and concerted action to raise awareness of, enhance and enrich the identity and unique qualities of Greater Montreal as Quebec’s demographic and economic centre and as home to the largest ensemble of heritage sites in the province. PHOTO: PIERRE LAHOUD, 2020. 2 ANNUAL REPORT 2020 HERITAGE MONTREAL 3 MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR OF THE BOARD 2020: A Year of Turbulence and Vigilance Also in 2020, the Government of Quebec began reforms to the Cultural Heritage Act. Among other things, Bill 69 grants municipalities and regional county municipalities (RCMs) increased powers and responsibilities in heritage protection and management. Though the intentions are laudable, we remain skeptical as to the eff ectiveness of the mode of governance. Given that, Heritage Montreal submitted a brief to the parliamenta- ry committee studying the bill, in which we welcomed certain improvements but also expressed our reservations and made proposals. To provide support and guidance to municipalities and property owners who sorely lack the required expertise and means, and to equip them to properly fulfi l the role they are being given, we believe it is essential to create a pool of high-level expertise, resources and tools dedicated to built heritage. Moreover, in concert with others this past year, we proposed the creation of an independent central authority that would have the exclusive Who could have imagined, at this time last year, that we were headed into a time of mandate of ensuring the protection of built heritage and monitoring the state of built such uncertainty and upheaval? We had no idea of the scale of the tsunami that was heritage in Quebec. about to engulf Montreal and the rest of the planet, or of its repercussions on our lives, individually and collectively. Priority fi les of ongoing concern to Heritage Montreal include the condition and future of the Bibliothèque Saint-Sulpice the Royal Victoria Hospital, the Molson Brewery site, and This chaotic period is quite revelatory in many respects—notably, what it tells us about the Université de Montréal campus. the importance of our living environments. The stay-at-home orders and shuttering of various sites showed us the importance of a quality home environment, but also the vital roles played by local sites—be they stores, restaurants, arts and culture venues, or places of worship—to which access was suddenly barred or curtailed. This enthusiasm for the built environment translated into a huge surge in real estate activity in Montreal and elsewhere in the Montreal Metropolitan Community, as well as in Quebec’s regions. While this represents an opportunity to restore and enhance properties with heritage value, we must nevertheless remain vigilant with regard to the urban impact of these new projects . For example, the ramping up of major public-works projects as part of a large-scale economic recovery program can pose a threat to certain buildings and sites or to the authenticity of certain neighbourhoods. The REM de l’Est Carole Deniger light-rail expansion project is a telling example; Heritage Montreal is concerned about Chair of the Board of Directors the impact of its elevated structures on the city’s skyline and how they would create a permanent fracture within the city. 4 ANNUAL REPORT 2020 HERITAGE MONTREAL 5 MESSAGE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR An exceptional year in many ways That was precisely the position we adopted with our citizen alerts platform when it was launched in 2015. Known as Memento since September 2020, it aims to reach more people in the Montreal metropolitan region and provide a way for them to express their interest in and concerns about heritage buildings and sites in their neighbourhoods and cities. A dedicated, impassioned team of experts As was the case for all cultural organizations, the pandemic required us to forgo most of our programs of activities, resulting in a sharp drop in registrations and, consequent- ly, in revenue from ticket sales. Whereas we had set a record in 2019 with more than 4,000 people attending our various activities and talks, in 2020 fewer than 400 were Citizen Communications Policies and Programs information and and community able to take part in our ArchitecTours in person, which had to be curtailed to ensure regulations and activities compliance with the public-health measures. More details about the impact of the engagement relations pandemic on our operations are found in the fi nancial snapshot section. Reaching new audiences using our digital platforms Focused on our four areas of action, the members of our team are fi elding increasingly Realizing that our members and participants would be eager to stay informed on built more requests for information and intervention, and producing more and more content. heritage, we quickly decided to pivot to production of a variety of original content for broadcast on our digital platforms. We completed more than 20 such productions We are grateful to them for their commitment and great professionalism. (Around the Block, ArchitecTours and InspirActions in virtual mode), and made our City Talks series (co-produced with the McCord Museum) and Home Renovation Lessons Thank you to our members, donors and partners. available via the Zoom platform. These initiatives not only helped us reach a larger audience, but also allowed us to invite more people to attend our talks and guided tours in real time as well as in “catch-up” mode. More information on the reach of our content with target audiences is available on the following pages. Raising awareness and engaging more people in all neighbourhoods and municipalities Inform Mobilize Commit In her report made public in June 2020, Quebec’s Auditor General wrote that “[. .] Robert Turgeon Executive Director citizens as a group determine what is representative of their heritage, for example, through the attachment they feel toward certain buildings that awaken their sense of belonging or help shape their cultural identity [. .].” 6 ANNUAL REPORT 2020 HERITAGE MONTREAL 7 BOARD OF DIRECTORS COMMITTEES AND HERITAGE MONTREAL TEAM (As of December 31st 2020) HERITAGE AND COMMUNICATIONS MEMBERS DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE Paloma Castonguay-Rufi no COMMITTEE (COCOM) Nancy Elias (COPA) Philémon Gravel PRESIDENT Gabriel Laferrière PRESIDENT Marcel Barthe Olivier Lajeunesse-Travers Michel A. Tremblay Carole Deniger Robert Y. Girard Bruce McNiven Pierre Taillefer Marcel Barthe Jean-Philippe Laliberté SECRETARY Léa Papillon SECRETARY Audrey Pouydebasque Amélie Roy-Bergeron Dinu Bumbaru François Séguin Taïka Baillargeon MEMBERS Geneviève M. Senécal Carole Deniger MEMBERS Ann-Marie Gagné Marcel Barthe Hélène Godin TEAM Carole Deniger Nancy Dunton Hugo Girard-Beauchamp Félix-Antoine Joli-Coeur Olivier Lajeunesse-Travers Mary Leslie Aitken Martin Houle Claudine Déom Jean-Michel Nahas EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Nancy Dunton Robert Turgeon Robert Turgeon Philémon Gravel Anne Thomas Mary Leslie Aitken POLICY DIRECTOR Marie Lessard FINANCE Dinu Bumbaru, C.M. Marie-Dina Salvione COMMITTEE Marie-Odile Trépanier (COFI) DEPUTY POLICY DIRECTOR Robert Turgeon Taïka Baillargeon Marie Senécal-Tremblay Pierre-André Ouimet Michel Tremblay PRESIDENT ACTIVITIES Bruce McNiven, C.M. DIRECTOR, PROGRAMS AND ACTIVITIES CHAIR ADMINISTRATORS AND SERVICES SECRETARY Amélie Renouf Carole Deniger Marcel Barthe COMMITTEE Laure Barrachina (Maternity leave Communicator, Geographer (COSA) Robert Turgeon VICE-PRESIDENT replacement) Robert Y. Girard Nancy Dunton PRESIDENT MEMBERS Partner, Fasken s.r.l. / s.e.n.c.r.l. Consultant, Projects on Architecture Nancy Dunton Carole Deniger COMMUNICATIONS AND MEDIA STRATEGY SECRETARY Hugo Girard-Beauchamp, CPA, CMA Robert Y. Girard COORDINATOR Bruce McNiven, C.M. Founding President - Maître Carré SECRETARY Hugo Girard-Beauchamp Audrey Pouydebasque Counsel Amélie Renouf DS Avocats Félix-Antoine Joli-Coeur Laure Barrachina THE FUTURE EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES Executive V.P., Legal and Corporate Aff airs Entrepreneur and executive consultant GENERATION COORDINATORS MMI Montreal Medical International Inc. IdéesFX MEMBERS COMMITTEE Joëlle Perron-Oddo Olivier Lajeunesse-Travers Kate Busch (CORE) TREASURER Amélie Roy-Bergeron Associate Architect - Microclimat Gyslaine de Grandpré Pierre Taillefer, CPA auditor, CA, CFE, CISA Andréanne Jalbert-Laramée CO-PRESIDENTS Partner, BDO Canada, LLP s.r.l. s.e.n.c.r.l. Mary Leslie Aitken PROJECT COORDINATOR - Catherine Lennartz Paloma Castonguay-Rufi no Architect Nicolas F. Létourneau MEMENTO PLATFORM Andréanne Jalbert-Laramée Mathieu Boisclair Pierre-André Ouimet Joëlle Perron-Oddo Honorary Member Amélie Roy-Bergeron SECRETARY ADMINISTRATIVE AND Consultant Amélie Renouf FINANCIAL TECHNICIAN Marie Senécal-Tremblay Mathieu Boisclair