The establishment of the Corporation du Moulin Légaré

Members of the Corporation du Moulin Légaré (CML)’s interim committee, which had been meeting regularly since 1976, quickly decided to constitute CML as a para-municipal corporation. The benefits of that kind of structure were discussed at a meeting held on April 13, 1976. The members present believed such an organization would:

• Ensure the moral support of the city council
• Make the Corporation and its activities sustainable over time
• Maintain and build the trust between industry, merchants and the City
• Give the Corporation greater credibility, since it was approved by the municipal government
• Provide a number of long-term benefits ensuring that the mill would continue to operate after it was acquired by the three levels of government

That was how the CML was officially established on July 2, 1976, when the letters patent certifying its founding were received. The purpose of the Corporation is described in the letters as follows:

• To negotiate and conclude the acquisition of the Moulin Banal, commonly known as the Moulin Légaré
• To organize any fundraising campaigns for the acquisition of the Moulin Légaré, and for its operation and maintenance once it has been acquired
• To promote the use of the Moulin Légaré for cultural purposes
• To use the Moulin Légaré to set up workshops for pottery and various other arts and crafts
• To use the Moulin Légaré as a storage space for souvenirs and other antiques or works of art to be exhibited in the future
• To convert part of the Moulin Légaré into a museum
• To organize tours for tourists and students
• To organize the Moulin Légaré site as an archive and centre for historical research
• To use part of the Moulin Légaré as a dining room for members of the Corporation and their guests.

The letters patent provided and sealed on July 2, 1976, and registered on October 19, 1976, constitute an attestation of the CML’s legal status.

For the past forty years, this structure has ensured the survival of the CML and allowed it to successfully fulfill its mission: to preserve the Moulin Légaré. From the very beginning, the corporation’s vision went beyond simply ensuring that the mill continued to exist. The founding members’ goal was to keep the mill “very much alive”. This meant not only maintaining the physical structure and machinery but also keeping it fully operational and ensuring that there were millers who were able to produce flour in it. It also meant providing access to this heritage treasure to as many people as possible.

Jacques Lecours, one of the first chairs of the CML, explains how the board members pursued this mission.

View this video with a transcript: Jacques Lecours: “a citizens’ project”

Jacques Lecours explains his initial vision for the Moulin Légaré in more detail.

View this video with a transcript: Jacques Lecours: a forerunner of the “economuseum”