MONTREAL -- Precisely seven years after the railway tragedy that decimated dozens of its families, the City of Lac-Megantic will inaugurate the Espace Mémoire Monday.
The memorial will be erected on the site of the former Musi-Café, the establishment where several victims of the tragedy were when the derailment occured.
The deadly July 6, 2013 train derailment left 47 people dead in downtown Lac-Megantic.
The Architects Pierre Thibault and Jérôme Lapierre conceptualized the Espace Memoire which is meant to help everyone to remember, in their own way, the events that marked the community forever.
The inauguration will take place on Frontenac St. starting at 11 a.m. Due to the impossibility of holding a major gathering; the inauguration will be streamed online.
The bells of the Sainte-Agnès church will also ring at midday, Monday, in a tribute to the victims.
The City of Lac-Mégantic also announced that for a second consecutive summer, the heritage station is hosting the exhibition entitled “La Solidarité au côeur de notre mémoire,” an exhibit for reflecting on the events of July 6, 2013.
In addition, the City confirmed that no train will run on Lac-Megantic tracks on July 6. Mayor Julie Morin said it’s the least CP Rail can do for the population who continues to see trains pass in the heart of its downtown every day.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 1, 2020.
