During the regular meeting on March 13, Russell Township council authorized the sale of the building at 893 Notre Dame Street. The building was sold for $750,000 to Homestead Pub, another local brewery in Embrun that currently operates out of 968 Notre-Dame Street. The pub says it has outgrown the smaller building and is excited to move into larger premises and expand further.
The current tenant of 893 Notre Dame Street is another local brewery called Étienne Brulé Brewery. Now that the sale has gone through after almost a year of being on the market, the brewery must find a new building to operate out of before Homestead takes possession and moves in. However, the brewery has admitted that the search has thus far been in vain.
“We haven’t found a venue yet,” the brewery said. “If we can’t find somewhere by the time Homestead moves in, we’ll most likely have to sell the equipment and close up shop.”
The news has not come out of nowhere, however. Étienne Brulé’s lease with the township expired in December 2020, and according to multiple statements released by the township, it has been in constant talks with the brewery about possible solutions. In addition to allowing Étienne Brulé to stay at 893 Notre Dame Street at below-market rental rates beyond the expiration of the lease, it also “accepted the ongoing issue of missed rent payments” and “offered multiple options to the tenant.”
According to the statements, none of the offers were accepted. The Township finally had no choice but to sell the building as part of the 2022 budget in order to pay for much-needed infrastructure repairs.
“In our 2022 budget, the sale of this property will help considerably reduce the financing costs to rehabilitate a municipal bridge; without these funds, it would have necessitated a tax increase,” said Mayor Pierre Leroux in a statement. “We are always willing to work with the tenant in finding a solution that is beneficial to both parties; however, Council does have a responsibility to all businesses and residents, not only one.”
“I wish to congratulate the new owner on the next step of their business’s evolution and thank the current tenant for their years of industry service to our community.”
There is no set date for the move, but Homestead has indicated they anticipate sometime around the end of summer this year.
