Future of Outaouais religious heritage buildings unclear amid province-wide policy shift

Tashi Farmilo

As churches across the Outaouais stand empty or in slow decline, the Quebec government is overhauling how it manages religious heritage properties. The current strategy, in place since the 1990s, is being revised in response to rising upkeep costs, an accelerating pace of closures, and a steadily secularizing population.

A key influence behind the shift is the Statistics Canada study Religiosity in Canada and its evolution from 1985 to 2019, based on the General Social Survey. The study found that approximately 762 Catholic churches in Quebec—nearly 28% of the 2,746 in existence in 2003—have since been closed and demolished, abandoned, or repurposed. Between 2003 and 2013 alone, 285 churches were converted for new uses, and 40 were demolished.

More recent census data from 2021 shows the trend continuing. The proportion of Quebecers reporting no religious affiliation rose to 27.3%, up from just 5.8% in 2001. Over the same period, the percentage of Christians dropped from 90% to 64.8%. Weekly mass attendance has fallen dramatically—from around 88% in the late 1950s to roughly 2% by 2018. The COVID-19 pandemic also sharply reduced participation in group religious activities across the province.

In response to these changes, Quebec's Minister of Culture and Communications, Mathieu Lacombe, launched a year-long policy review in spring 2024. The effort is being led by former deputy minister Sylvie Barcelo. The revised framework will prioritize heritage interventions based on urgency, safety concerns, and the exceptional cultural value of buildings. “The current strategy is no longer viable given that the requests far exceed our investment capacity,” Lacombe stated, adding that urgent cases will continue to receive support.

To date, no specific churches in the Outaouais have been identified for priority intervention. The Ministry has said that all projects will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis and that funding will remain subject to government approval. Property owners are being encouraged to contact the Ministry for guidance under Quebec’s Cultural Heritage Act, but there have been no announcements regarding regional consultation, funding allocations, or implementation timelines in the Outaouais.

Since the spring, approximately 20 organizations have been consulted, including municipalities, religious groups, and nonprofit organizations focused on church requalification. While none of these have been named publicly, the Ministry has reported unanimous agreement among stakeholders that the current approach is no longer adequate. The Conseil du patrimoine religieux du Québec is expected to play a central role in the province-wide strategy, though its involvement in the Outaouais specifically has not yet been detailed.