The Municipality of Clare is pleased to see a lot of progress has been made at the Major’s Point Acadian Cemetery and Chapel site.

Led by the Société historique acadienne de la Baie Sainte-Marie, this project, which aims to mitigate flood risks and preserve the site against the effects of climate change, is being completed in collaboration with the Sustainable Communities Challenge Fund (SSCF) and the Municipality of Clare. The project is broken down into the six following milestones:

Milestone 1: Improvements to the Chapel

This milestone stabilized the chapel to minimize future flooding impacts and included some work on the chapel to repair previous floodwater damage. This milestone was achieved by local contractor Gaston Saulnier during the summer of 2024.

Milestone 2: Detail Landscape Design

This milestone, led by landscape architect Joy Elliot, planned the site layout and completed research on suitable plants and vegetation for the site. This milestone is underway, but will only be completed in May 2025, once the weather is suitable to finish the planting.

Milestone 3: Regrading the site

This milestone prepared the site to minimize future flood damage by re-grading the surface to form a crowned surface and improving beach access. This milestone was achieved at the end of October 2024, by Spec Resources. 

Milestone 4: Slate Crosses

This milestone included replacing the rotting wooden crosses with durable engraved slate tombstones hand crafted by local artist Marc Graff. This milestone was achieved in October 2024.

Milestone 5: Stonework

This milestone included replacing the wooden fence around the site with an 18” stone wall designed and developed by Graff Stoneworks, replacing the wooden platform in front of the chapel with a slate walkway a porch in front of the chapel, and adding a steppingstone walkway through the cemetery. This milestone was also achieved in October 2024.

Milestone 6: Planting

This milestone relates directly to milestone 2: Detail Landscape Plan. It includes all landscaping in the cemetery and throughout the site. It includes planting spruce trees and shrubs and adding bark mulch around the trees and shrubs. Both of which have been completed in October 2024. In May 2025, ground covers and plants will be added to the site.

Funding

The project funding is divided as follows:

• Sustainable Communities Challenge Fund: $112,502.44 (78.4%)
• Municipality of Clare: $28,994.25 (20.2%)
• Société historique acadienne de la Baie Sainte-Marie : $2,000.00 (1.4%)

Total project funding: $143,496.69

The Municipality of Clare contributed an additional $4,274.75 to the project, for costs that were not directly eligible for this project, bringing the total amount contributed by the Municipality to $33,269.

Images

Here are some images of the progress that has been made so far:

Image description: a picture of the work that has been done on the project site, includes an 18" high stone wall around the cemetery, new stone walkway, a regraded and crowned surface, and a refreshed chapel.

Image description: a picture of the work that has been done on the project site, includes the new stone tombstones, stone pathway through the cemetery, regraded and crowned surface, and the stone walls around the cemetery site.

Image description: a picture of the work that has been done on the project site, includes the new stone tombstones, stone pathway through the cemetery, regraded and crowned surface, and the stone walls around the cemetery site.

Image description: a picture of the work that has been done on the project site, includes stone walls around the cemetery site, a regraded and crowned surface, and refreshed exterior on the chapel.

Image description: a picture of the improved beach access trail.