No plans for former Brasseurs du Temps building, 2 years after brewery's closure

More than two years after the brewery it housed turned off its taps, a historic former water treatment plant in Gatineau, Que., has deteriorated and remains empty, with no firm plans for its future.

The early 20th-century building on rue Montcalm was home to Brasseurs du Temps, a pioneer of the region's craft brewing scene when it opened in 2009.

The brewery closed in November 2023, citing economic challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Since then, the municipal heritage building's condition has deteriorated to the point where it will require a "significant investment" for it to be usable again, according to a French-language statement from the City of Gatineau.

The discussion about the building's future — and the municipality's ability to cover the cost of any improvements — come as the city is in the midst of its 2026 budget negotiations.

"[It's] not in great shape," said Hull-Wright Coun. Steve Moran in an interview Thursday.

Before the brewery left, there were "problems with the roof and the heating," Moran said.

According to the city, the building's old pipes mean that water has periodically leaked into the basement, leaks that are correlated with the water level of the nearby Brewery Creek.

Additional damage was caused when a pipe recently burst in the building's ceiling, the city said.

Key part of Hull's history

Built between 1902 and 1905, the rue Montcalm building is notable for both its early 20th-century architecture and its historic importance, according to a city heritage statement.

The land initially belonged to lumber baron Philemon Wright, who built whisky distilleries there and later opened a brewery to quench the thirst of soldiers and workers recruited to build the Rideau Canal.

That initial brewery inspired the name of the creek that flows past it.

The facility was also one of numerous projects built around that time to improve the drinking water in major Quebec cities. It supplied Hull with potable water until 1971, according to the heritage statement.

"To be honest, the city doesn't have the money right now to be able to do [the work].- Hull-Wright Coun. Steve Moran

"It's one of the key parts of the history of Hull. Our industrial history is carried there. So it needs investment," Moran said.

"To be honest, the city doesn't have the money right now to be able to do that. We've got a crunch, we've got an infrastructure deficit ... so the question is, who's going to be able to pay for it?"

The city is exploring possible "partners" who could help cover those costs, but not before a full audit of the building's needs is carried out, he added.

Gatineau council will be given a presentation on the former plant, as well as other vacant city-owned buildings, at an unspecified future date, the city said.