Le Chic Restopop and Rayside Labossière

2024 Governors’ Awards

The National Trust for Canada’s Board of Governors is proud to recognize Le Chic Restopop and Rayside Labossière for the transformation of the Saint-Mathias-Apôtre church in Montreal’s Hochelaga-Maisonneuve district.

Le Chic Resto Pop, a social economy and community action organization, has been operating in Montreal’s Hochelaga-Maisonneuve district since 1984, providing low-cost meals and training services to over 600 people a day.

In 2008-2011, the once vacant and underused Saint-Mathias-Apôtre church was redeveloped to meet the needs of Chic Resto Pop’s growing programming. Thanks to the work of Rayside Labossière Architectes, the church was transformed into a dynamic center that houses a restaurant, community kitchen and offices for Chic Resto Pop’s programs, while respecting the space’s original architectural and stylistic components.

More than a decade later, the transformed church continues to serve as a vital space for community gathering, well-being and support.

The National Trust for Canada’s Board of Governors has chosen to present a Governors’ Award to Le Chic Restopop and Rayside Labossière for demonstrating that heritage conservation is about meeting the needs of today’s communities, not just preserving something that existed in the past.