The municipality of Rivière-Éternité, in Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean, is in the process of purchasing the statue. notre Dame de Saguenay, A monument that is very popular with tourists.
The infrastructure is in such poor condition that it has been out of the public's reach since last summer. It has been at the top of the Fjord-du-Saguenay National Park for 140 years. The Saguenay Historical Society, which has owned it since the 1950s, is preparing to sell it.
What the Historical Society wants is this statue. Notre Dame de Saguenay Last as long as possible. “We care about this heritage symbol and want to be part of the solution,” affirmed the organization’s director general, Joel Hardy.
The monument to the municipality of Rivière-Éternité should be sold for the symbolic sum of one dollar.
Tourists have been unable to access it since this summer because it is in such poor condition. Its wood and lead structure is seriously deteriorating.
“We have evolved our thinking regarding the statue because it represents our brand image. We know that the statue is not only dedicated to Rivière Eternité, but to a large part of the population of Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean who use the monument to attract tourists,” said the mayor of the place, Rémi Gagné.
A company is currently working on a plan to stabilize the structure. However, restoring it is considered impossible. And while it is not yet clear who will pay for any work, the mayor of Rivière Eternité plans to raise funds to ensure the future of the symbol.
“Installing the monument. After that, there will be a second round of fundraising to renovate the monument because the time will come. From there, when we went to the notary, I want to remove the foundation of the statue,” Mr. Gagné confirmed.
At the moment, it is not known how much money will be needed to renovate the infrastructure. It is also impossible to know when the statue will be available to the curious again.
