The City of Cornwall, Ontario experienced great prosperity for many years, but with a changing economy in the latter half of the last century, it endured a considerable decline. One neighbourhood badly hit was what is now known as Le Village, former home to the workers of the cotton mills on the waterfront. It is an area of East - Cornwall that has been recognized for its unique character and culture, the spine of which is the commercial artery, Montreal Road.

Staff Picture of the Dundas Mill, Cornwall 1934

In 1976 it was recognized for its architectural heritage, its culture, and its need and abundant potential for rejuvenation. The Commercial District of Montreal Road was labelled the Le Village BIA (Business Improvement Area). This, and a larger surrounding area of the city, had again been targeted for resuscitation; by 1998 the area had acquired the reputation of being run down and home to poverty and crime. In response, a grassroots organization appeared with the appropriate name Groupe Renaissance Group, and the work began.

Groupe Renaissance Group is a non-profit organization aimed at rejuvenating the city of Cornwall. With widespread long-term goals, the group has identified a specific area for the beginning of their work. The area, containing Le Village, has been named Renaissance Phase 1, and it is bounded by Augustus and Danis Streets to the East and West, and by First Street and the Waterfront to the North and South.

1998 - 2002
Financial partners were immediately found which allowed the project to get off the ground. The initial partners were Le Village BIA, La Caisse Populaire de Cornwall, Le Patrimoine de la Nativite, and the City of Cornwall Planning Department. Their contributions enabled the following projects to be initiated.

With the community as its client, the group began formulating its plan of attack very naturally by approaching the citizens. The first step taken by the Renaissance Group was to organize three workshops in the fall of 1998. Residents of Le Village of all ages were invited to give input on what had to be done to make positive change in their community. Participating in the workshops were the residents first, the business community second and interested people at the third.

From their overwhelming response and highly detailed conclusions, Ottawa's Delcan Corporation was commissioned to produce a report on the area and what needed to be done. The Delcan Report was produced and distributed back to the people. It outlined what was to be done and how it was to be done. With its goals and plan of action ready, the group then went on to raise money in order to realize the projects

The expansion of partners was quick and successful; everyone could see the positive change that Groupe Renaissance Group was bringing, and so many joined them in their effort. Among the next big partners to come on board were the HRDC (Human Resources Development Canada), the Cornwall Builders Association, and Via Rail Canada

Next, the group brought in the expertise of Dr. Avi Friedman, head of the Affordable Homes program at McGill University, to give them the in depth knowledge needed to begin work on the houses of the community. The first of Dr. Friedman's many contributions, was his own report on the area: Le Village: A Blueprint For Action. In the following months Dr. Friedman gave numerous talks in Cornwall as well as at McGill University, both to the public and to the business community. With Dr. Friedman at the table, the next step was to look very specifically at every element of the area: Dr. Friedman and a group of his students spent the summer of 1999 working in the Le Village area, and prepared a highly detailed study of 1400 homes therein. Problem areas were identified, demographics were studied, architectural patterns were established, preliminary plans for candidate lots were drawn, and in the end, a report was produced with all the information contained: Le village: Retooling for The Next Century.

Never straying from their goals, and amid their many projects, the group responded to the needs of the children in the area and acquired funding to rebuild and improve playground in the heart of the Renaissance Phase 1 Area. With the Canada Millennium Fund behind them, new equipment was installed, lighting, trees, and flowers added. A mural was soon be put in place, and the shoreline and bike path adjacent underwent improvement.

In another effort, in concurrence with Groupe Renaissance Group's work, a Citizen's Group was formed, the Renaissance Residents Association. Their first major project was to put in place a neighbourhood watch program in Le Village. With statistics showing that the program works, the association invested in the community, which was in need of added safety measures. The program began in October of 1998.

Youth Services Canada (YSC) and TR Léger School have done their bid for Groupe Renaissance Group and provided 14 students to work for the group throughout the summer of 2000. The students did excellent work in painting wherever needed, cleaning out garages, designing and creating a mural, and organizing and overseeing a children's picnic: Kid's Day.

The problem of the absentee-landlord in the area has been clearly identified as a leading factor in the deterioration of the neighbourhood. In response, the city of Cornwall and Groupe Renaissance Group created the Renaissance Housing Renovation Program, which fosters rejuvenation by granting money to homeowners or tenants who wish to invest in improving their properties. For more information about this program or an application, you may contact the Renaissance Group

Work in 2002
In 2002, Groupe Renaissance Group continued it's work to improve the community; various projects have been ongoing from past years, such as the Finishing Mill Loft Project, others have been completed. Working again with students from McGill University under the direction of Dr. Avi Friedman, was accomplished during the summer to keep up the momentum. In 2001, Grow Homes were built as planned on an empty lot on Prince Albert Street. In 2002, buildings were knocked down to make way for more new homes, and then throughout the summer the focus was on a different scale. Work done by the McGill architecture students included; Loft designs for the Finishing Mill building on Cotton Mill Road. Promotional Materials for the Association, renovation plans and Grow Home designs for new lots, as well as a virtual model of the city which will no doubt prove invaluable in the coming years for Groupe Renaissance Group.

Work in 2003/2004
2003/2004 saw a new look Groupe Renaissance Group. GRG was the recipient funds from HRSDC, which resulted in creation of a project team consisting of 10 people for a one year period. Office space was acquired on Montreal Road in the heart of "Le Village".

The GRG staff now included events coordinators, volunteer coordinators, public relations officer, a web designer, a bookkeeper, and two grant applications specialists. The Groupe Renaissance's mandate expanded outside the borders of Le Village BIA to include projects in five counties.

Groupe Renaissance assisted numerous not-for-profit groups in applying for and acquiring funds and grants from various sources.

Groupe Renaissance Groupe continued their participation in various community projects in 2003/2004 including The Cornwall Triathlon and World Changers Projects.

2003 also saw the launch of a new project "Art in Le Village". In this project space was provided to local artists to display their work, making it easily accessible to passers by on the street.

Another two projects focused on community security RPAC and RSP working in conjunction with the Cornwall Community Police Service and the Office of The Solicitor General of Ontario. With RPAC, subsidies were available to local business to install surveillance cameras and new and upgraded alarm systems. Several public meetings were held to inform the public on the topic of home and commercial security throughout the Le Village area.

In 2004, an new partnership was formed that saw GRG and Cornwall Community Police Service hire two students with summer to conduct security surveys in Cornwall. This in turn will help develop the next phase of improved security in the area.

The Finishing Mills Lofts Project entered the next phase of development, the pre-selling of units. This phase will consist of the issuing of a Request For Qualifications or RFQ for the development of the project and the pre-sale of units. This project, when completed will see the revitalization of a Brownfield, an abandoned textile mill, converting it into living space comprising of 44 units.