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La Cabaret-Boutique des Bons Voisins closed for good
Visit members and friends of the Coopérative des Good Neighbors spent a lot of time emptying and cleaning out the premises on rue Bord-du-Lac that until recently housed the Coop's Cabaret-Boutique.
After the termination operations last December, it is with regret that the members of the Coopérative des Bons Neighbors had to empty and clean the premises on chemin Bord-du-Lac last week.
Last Thursday, Cities News met several people who had volunteered to clean up and empty the place. One of the founders, Nathalie Laplante, oversaw the clean-up operation. She told the newspaper what the Cabaret-Boutique meant to the community.
"It's a big loss for the community because the place was one of a kind. We opened it in the Village of Pointe-Claire parce qu’on sentait qu’il y avait un besoin énorme d’un meeting place for the community. That was the primary objective of the co-op," she said.
With the closure last December, the Village of Pointe-Claire and the residents of theWest-de-l'Île in general have lost not only a restaurant serving local food and beverages, but also a performance hall et un lieu d’exposition pour les peintres locaux.
Senneville's Ferme du Zéphyr will also have to find a new partner to distribute its vegetables on the West Island, while Le Cabaret has been serving as a distribution point as well as a host at the weekly market.
"Because the co-op fulfilled all these roles at once, its absence will create a vacuumin the community. No institution will be able to completely replace the co-op, and that's what hurts me the most," said Ms. Laplante.
Viability
The latter mentioned reasons for financial viability to explain the closure of Cabaret-Boutique. Quebec Green Party leader Alex Tyrrell wason site with its press officer on January 9 to help out. He too believes that this is a major loss for the community.
"We think it's really unfortunate that the co-op is closing. It was a vital community organization and it gave a chance to several artists premises to perform. It was also the only place where there was a candidate debate during the last (provincial) election. The provincial government needs to do more to support cooperatives of all kinds," he exclaimed.
