Quebec and Ottawa will invest $196 million in cultural infrastructure

Industry Minister Mélanie Joly speaks as she heads to a Cabinet meeting on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Tuesday, June 9, 2026. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press)

MONTREAL — The governments of Canada and Quebec announced Friday a joint investment of $196 million to “modernize” cultural infrastructure in the province.

Half of these funds—$98 million—come from the federal government, through the Local Impacts Component of the Building Strong Communities Fund, said Federal Minister of Industry Mélanie Joly, who was in Montreal for the announcement.

She was accompanied by Quebec Finance Minister Eric Girard, Labour Minister and Minister Responsible for Canadian Relations Jean Boulet, and other local elected officials.

Quebec, for its part, has committed to providing “a matching contribution” to that of the federal government, as specified in the agreement reached between the two governments.

“We were able to (reach the agreement) fairly quickly,” Joly noted.

“We felt it was important to move quickly and keep the processes very simple,” she added.

Joly estimates that at least 98 projects will receive funding under this program. Each institution will be eligible to receive up to $2 million for the renovation and repair of cultural venues.

The task of identifying and selecting cultural facilities with urgent needs will fall to the Government of Quebec.

The first institutions to benefit from this funding package have been announced: the Théâtre Denise-Pelletier in Montreal, where the press conference was held; the Musée POP in Trois-Rivières; and the Germaine-Guèvremont Library in Laval.

“Like any great heritage site, this venue needs major renovations,” said Louis-Karl Tremblay, artistic director of the Théâtre Denise-Pelletier, during the press briefing.

This building, constructed in 1928 in the Mercier-Hochelaga-Maisonneuve borough, welcomes 70,000 spectators each year, the vast majority of whom are students on field trips.

“We will be able to begin our project to bring the facilities up to code, secure our spaces, and ensure accessibility to our auditoriums,” Tremblay explained.

The POP Museum, for its part, is grappling with several problems caused by the aging of its buildings, including the old Trois-Rivières prison.

In fact, the Quebec government had already announced $12 million in funding at the end of May to repair the roof and windows of the old Trois-Rivières prison, built in the early 19th century. The ventilation and heating systems in the museum’s storage area, which houses the Robert-Lionel-Séguin collection, will also be replaced.

In addition to these funds from the Ministry of Culture and Communications’ Capital Assistance Program, the $2 million announced on Friday will be provided.

The federal government has announced another $119 million in funding over four years, with the funds earmarked to support “community infrastructure projects in the areas of recreation, tourism, and leisure that reflect local priorities and stimulate regional economic growth.”

This funding, administered by Ottawa, includes $21 million for Indigenous projects.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on July 10, 2026.