In the small Quebec town of Alma, the historic Ste-Marie-de-l’Isle Maligne church has found new life as the St-Crème, a quirky blend of hotel, ice cream shop, and event space. Completed in 2023, this transformation exemplifies how dozens of the province's aging churches have been repurposed in recent years into climbing gyms, affordable housing, distilleries, or hybrid community hubs that still host religious services. Yet, as these adaptive projects gain momentum, a growing crisis looms: the Quebec government's suspension of key funding programs for church renovations and conversions, coupled with rising repair costs and a stringent secularism policy, is leaving many sacred buildings teetering on the edge of closure or demolition.
The decision to halt the programs, which expired in March 2025 and disbursed $25 million in the most recent year, has sparked alarm among heritage experts and religious leaders. According to Cameron Piper, an adviser with the Conseil du patrimoine religieux du Québec—the provincial heritage group that managed the funds—church closures have been a persistent trend since the organization began tracking them in 2003. He anticipates an acceleration in the coming years as attendance dwindles and maintenance expenses soar amid inflation.
“I think that our general feeling … is that we’re kind of on the edge of a precipice, where a lot of this is going to start accelerating pretty rapidly in the next few years,” Piper said in an interview. “Just because we’ve noticed that, while we do have already a lot of churches closing and a lot of churches changing vocation, what we have a lot more of are churches that are kind of just on the brink.”
The latest inventory by Piper's group reveals the scale of the challenge. Of the 2,751 places of worship across all denominations cataloged in 2003, approximately 965—or 35 percent—have undergone “mutation,” meaning they were closed, demolished, sold, or repurposed. This figure underscores Quebec's pragmatic approach to its religious heritage, where buildings once central to community life are increasingly adapted to secular needs rather than preserved solely for worship.
The Quebec Culture Department confirmed via email that it chose not to renew the programs in their current form. Spokesperson Catherine Vien-Labeaume explained that a 2025 provincial report emphasized the need for sustainable solutions developed in consultation with stakeholders. “Therefore, the programs, in their existing forms, were not renewed in order to consider the best solutions for religious heritage, including aspects related to financing,” she wrote.
In July 2025, Culture Minister Mathieu Lacombe announced the creation of a committee to study and modernize the province's heritage preservation strategies, with recommendations due by October 2026. Until then, Vien-Labeaume noted, limited financial aid remains available for urgent cases. The suspended funding included grants for religious groups to craft business plans for repurposing their buildings, as well as targeted support for structural repairs like masonry, foundations, and roofs—work that benefited landmarks such as Montreal’s Christ Church Cathedral.
Experts warn that the funding gap could prove devastating, especially in rural areas where small congregations lack the resources to maintain or reinvent their properties. Solange Lefebvre, who holds the chair in cultural and religious diversity at Université de Montréal, described the cuts as “catastrophic,” particularly for small towns. “It’s very surprising that they’re threatening to suspend these budgets, which seem extremely modest to me for the value that this heritage represents,” she said.
Lefebvre highlighted Quebec's global standing in church repurposing, noting that the province has outpaced many European nations by embracing flexibility. “We’re more advanced than many European countries because we’ve accepted not keeping all places of worship,” she explained. “In some countries that was very sacred—they didn’t touch that. We’ve been pragmatic for a long time, aware that some places can change.”
A prime example is the church in St-Modeste, in the Bas-Saint-Laurent region, which now serves as a multi-functional venue hosting religious services alongside the town library, events, and city council meetings. Such hybrid models, Lefebvre and Piper argue, are increasingly at risk due to the province's aggressive secularism agenda, enshrined in the 2019 Act respecting the laicity of the State. While the government has not explicitly linked the funding suspension to this law, both experts contend it creates practical barriers.
The legislation prohibits religious groups from having privileged access to public spaces, a principle Piper acknowledges as broadly agreeable. However, he pointed out that municipalities often struggle with its interpretation when negotiating partnerships or seeking funds, leading to “grey areas” that stall projects. Lefebvre cited a stalled initiative in Montreal where a church was eyed for conversion into a library, but the plan faltered because the religious community insisted on continuing services there.
“With secularism we are quite uncompromising on these issues, so there is also a lack of flexibility,” Lefebvre said. In response, the Culture Department reiterated in its email that modernization efforts must align with the laicity act but insisted there is “no causal link between this act and the non-renewal of the programs.” This disconnect illustrates the tension between preserving cultural landmarks and upholding Quebec's secular framework, which has grown stricter under the Coalition Avenir Québec government.
Quebec's secularism push dates back to the Quiet Revolution of the 1960s, when the province rapidly secularized education, health care, and public institutions, diminishing the Catholic Church's once-dominant influence. Today, with church attendance plummeting—fewer than 10 percent of Quebecers report regular practice, per recent surveys—the focus has shifted to safeguarding architectural and historical value without entangling the state in religious matters. Yet, as Piper noted, the funding freeze arrives at a precarious moment, with construction costs up 20-30 percent since the pandemic, pushing more parishes toward drastic measures.
In response to the void left by provincial support, some religious organizations are innovating independently. The Montreal archdiocese, for instance, established a non-profit real estate arm last year to oversee the sale and redevelopment of surplus church properties. CEO Stefano Marrone said about half a dozen sites currently demand immediate action, including the fire-damaged church of Saint-Eusèbe-de-Verceil, where the parish is seeking court approval to demolish the structure and redevelop the lot for housing in partnership with a developer.
Other potential deals involve transfers to non-Catholic groups, municipalities, or private buyers, often with clauses ensuring community-oriented uses and preventing quick resales. Marrone expressed optimism for the return of government grants but emphasized self-reliance. “If we can auto-finance what we’re doing and reinvest into our properties and not draw from the same well (as other churches), I think that’s a bonus to everybody and we would be that much better off, not just the Catholic Church, but as a society,” he said.
Looking ahead, the fate of Quebec's estimated 1,800 remaining active churches hinges on the upcoming committee's findings. If history is any guide, creative repurposing could save many, but without financial lifelines, experts like Piper fear a wave of losses that could erase irreplaceable pieces of the province's identity. As small towns grapple with empty steeples and urban dioceses pivot to real estate, the balance between secular progress and cultural stewardship remains a delicate one, with communities watching closely for the next steps.