QAHN at 25 and funding the future of heritage

Tashi Farmilo

The Quebec Anglophone Heritage Network marked its 25th anniversary this year, reflecting on a quarter-century of cultural advocacy while directing new support to the communities it was created to serve. Founded in Lennoxville in 2000, QAHN has grown into a province-wide network of museums, archives and historical societies devoted to preserving the heritage of Quebec’s English-speaking communities.

To commemorate the milestone, QAHN released a special publication, adopted a new strategic plan, and hosted public events recognizing volunteers and long-standing contributors. These included a recent conference in Cowansville honouring heritage advocate Marion Phelps, and an awards ceremony held at Maison Louis-Joseph Forget in Montreal. Additional anniversary programming is scheduled for the autumn, including a virtual heritage summit, a heritage fair on October 4 titled Stones and Stories in Morin Heights, and a public screening of QAHN-produced documentaries at the Lac-Brome Museum in Knowlton on October 25 at 1:00 pm.

“This year has been about honouring where we’ve come from but also making sure we continue to serve the people and institutions doing this work across Quebec,” said Matthew Farfan, QAHN’s executive director.

Separate from the anniversary, QAHN also completed the first phase of its new SHARE initiative, a funding programme supported by the federal Department of Canadian Heritage. In June, more than $300,000 in micro-grants was awarded to 25 grassroots organizations across the province working to preserve English-speaking heritage.

In West Quebec, three groups received support through the programme: Fairbairn House in Wakefield, Aylmer Heritage Association, and the Pontiac Archives in Shawville. Each is undertaking a locally focused project rooted in storytelling, preservation and education.

At Fairbairn House, work is underway to develop educational materials for use in local classrooms, with a focus on the intertwined histories of anglophone, francophone and Indigenous communities in the Gatineau Valley. In Aylmer, heritage volunteers are researching and sharing stories related to the town’s architectural and cultural legacy. The Pontiac Archives is digitizing wartime documents and photographs, helping preserve the military history of the region’s residents.

The SHARE programme will continue over the next three years, with future calls for applications planned. For Farfan, the initiative reflects QAHN’s core purpose.

“We’ve always believed in working directly with communities,” he said. “In our twenty-fifth year, that commitment feels more important than ever.”