Windmill Day blows into town

Saturday’s event commences with simultaneous tours of the windmills in Pointe Claire (1 St. Joachim St.) and Ile Perrot (2500 Don Quichotte Blvd.) at 10 a.m. The guided tours will be followed by a bilingual conference by windmill experts starting at 1 p.m., to be held at École Marguerite-Bourgeoys (1 Ste. Anne St., Pointe Claire Village).

Claude Arsenault, who has been lobbying for years on getting the city and provincial government to restore the Pointe Claire windmill, has invited historian Alan Stewart and Chris Gibbings, a mill researcher based in France, to help him share knowledge with the public about these heritage sites at the conference.

“I will to tell them why the mill is so important,” said Gibbings, who plans to inspect the 18 historic mills in Quebec during his three-week visit this month. “Mills were a great invention. Bread has been part of man’s basic diet for 1,000 of years. Mills were also at the heart of the industrial revolution.”

Arsenault said while no date has been set to refurbish the Pointe Claire windmill, which dates back to 1709, the preliminary plans are to first restore and repair masonry, doors and windows. Phase 2 would see a new roof and working sales set up. The third part, which would only start after the nuns in the nearby convent relocate downtown, will see mechanical parts installed in order to allow the mill to actually make flour.

“I’m happy the sisters have protected the mill,” Arsenault said. “I’m grateful it’s still around to restore.”

The mill was declared a heritage site in 1982.

Funding issues still have to be ironed out as well as who can actually carry out the repairs since no one in Quebec has the expertise, he said.

For more information, call 514-693-9114 or check www.patrimoinepointeclaire.org.￿