Youth centre to occupy lower level
By Jack Wilson
A June 27 ceremony inaugurated the Maison Margot, which will house women during periods of transition, many of whom are escaping domestic violence, alongside the new Maison des jeunes de Fleurimont, a youth centre. The Maison Margot will comprise of 12 rooms on the two upper floors of the new building in Sherbrooke’s Fleurimont borough, while the youth centre will occupy the basement. “This dual living environment is a wonderful example of a well-thought-out project,” said Saint-François MNA Geneviève Hébert.
The Maison Margot is named in honour of Margot Lavoie-Véronneau, a local social worker who died in 2013. Her son, Pierre Véronneau, described his mother as a feminist who stood up against injustice. The centre, he said, is a “tangible symbol of her legacy and of her impact on our lives and the community.”
Sherbrooke MP Élisabeth Brière, Hébert, Mayor Évelyne Beaudin and Desranleau councillor Danielle Berthold all spoke at the event. All levels of government cooperated to realize the project, Beaudin said. “We can see with the Maison Margot the power of the three levels of government aligning in one direction,” she said.
“When we work together,” Brière said, “we can realize great things.” Financing for the project came in part through the federal Rapid Housing Initiative, which contributed $1.9 million.
