Municipal Restructuring and Local Cultural Policies in Quebec Municipalities
This paper discusses the impact of the municipal mergers of 2002 on public policies in the area of the municipal cultural sector for the eight Quebec cities of more than 100,000 inhabitants. An examination of cultural responsibilities and activities in Quebec City, Montreal, Sherbrooke, Gatineau, Lévis, Longueuil, Trois-Rivières and Saguenay, on the one hand, and an analysis of their cultural policies, on the other, leads us to conclude that the links between public cultural initiatives and the municipal territories were weak until the municipal reorganisation. The new regional reality of each city will help foster the development of the municipal cultural sector.