While on the road, we decided to stop in Bathurst where the newly created workshop coop, La Barque, will soon open its doors. We’ve met with Euclide and Jean-Luc Chiasson who are co-piloting this project in collaboration with a large number of highly motivated participants. The structure, inspired by a bark, has been made from scratch by Euclide and his friends with wood from his own land. The coop aims to provide access to fabrication shops much like Sherbrooke’s La Fabrique. On March 8th, a general meeting took place during which was established an interim committee composed by six members.
The coop will operate in a space of 27,000 square feet, a former school that had to close its doors due to the decrease in the number of students. La Barque will offer woodworking workshops, a genealogical research centre, weaving machines, textile workshops, a community kitchen and metal workshops. In the future, a Fab Lab could also be launched.
Obviously, this project is not without its challenges. Fundraising, ensuring to be accessible, and making their project known, are new waters that the La Barque community are teaming up to navigate.
… : Euclide and Jean-Luc.
