Tiny council offering commemoration options on ‘Loup’ house

Facing the wrecking ball, Tiny now wants to preserve part of its history before it's gone for good.

At a recent committee of the whole meeting, Tiny council supported several heritage advisory committee (HAC) options for preserving the historic “Loup au Lafontaine” house at 4 Potato Court.

Once belonging to the protagonist (Théophile Brunelle) from the legend of the “Loup au Lafontaine” story, the 1870 two-storey house was approved for delisting from the municipal heritage register last year after falling into a state of deep disrepair.

Public outcry prompted action from Tiny council to preserve the piece of Lafontaine history as best they could, given the circumstances.

From the HAC meeting last month, it was recommended to council that the most appropriate way to commemorate the history of the dwelling would be to:

* retain a consultant to create 3D drawings of the outside of the building;

* install a bilingual plaque at or near the site to recognize the history;

* have the Heritage Advisory Committee work with the Festival du Loup and Living Museum committees to determine if and how any artifacts can be stored and displayed;

* and, change the name of the road from Potato Court to a name that would recognize the Brunelle family history if the affected owners were not opposed.

Coun. Cindy Hastings noted an additional initiative involving the local Culture Alliance.

“We were doing the video series, ‘Do You Remember When?’, and we were hoping to have former residents of the Brunelle home participate,” Hastings explained.

“We can’t get the residents that are in long-term care to come out, so we are looking at an alternative means. We have a couple of people that are willing to go in and capture those video stories and video history from them.”

Mayor George Cornell added that it was a great idea. Council voted to carry the resolution as a matter for consideration.

The heritage advisory committee resolution for 4 Potato Court commemorative options can be viewed within the agenda page located on the Tiny Township website.

Archives of council meetings are available to view on Tiny township’s YouTube channel.