Activities & Events
Bringing community together.
FACILITATOR: Quebec City Reading Council
Join QCRC staff for an exciting outing to kick off the year!
Transportation will be provided from Eastern Quebec Learning Centre. Enjoy 45 minutes browsing the wonderful selection of products at Cassis Monna & Filles, followed by a 60-minute guided tour of the Maritime Museum, and finish with a delicious lunch at Goéliche.
Cost: Each participant is responsible for their own lunch. Please register by Sunday, September 13. Space is limited to 18 participants for this outing.
The Board and Staff of Quebec City Reading Council are pleased to invite you to our Annual General Meeting (AGM). This is your chance to:
- Learn about the highlights and impact of our programs from the past year;
- Hear from our dedicated staff and board members;
- Connect with community partners who help us make a difference.
Light refreshments will be served immediately following the meeting.
To kick off the 2026-2027 year, QCRC warmly invites you to its first Family Day!
Join Catherine for a special blend of Early Learning Café and Toddler Time and hear about program updates while enjoying refreshments and exploring QCRC's Community Library. Children can enjoy free play with educational toys and story time led by Catherine. This is a free activity, but registration is essential. Registration will open September 2026.
Enjoy a relaxed environment while browsing our library collection and getting helpful literacy tips at Early Learning Café.
Our October conversation will be about ‘to be determined’. Light refreshments will be available. Children aged 0-5 are welcome and can enjoy story time and unstructured playtime. We now also offer access to our reading resources through our collection of Bob books; these are easy-to-read phonics books designed to teach young children how to read. Every new family attending will receive selected copies of the Bob Book resources to support early reading at home. Registration is free, but essential. Registration opens September 2026.
FACILITATOR: David Mendel
Today the image of Quebec City is defined, for most people, by its history as the birthplace of French civilization in North America. In certain important ways, however, it is the unique combination of French and English influences that gives this historic town its special character.
The city experienced one of its greatest periods of economic expansion after 1806, when Napoleon’s blockade cut Great Britain off from its sources of wood in the Baltic region. The British then turned to their colonies, and Quebec City became one of the most important centers for the export of wood in the British Empire. By the mid-19th century almost 40% of the population of the city was English-speaking.
Architects and builders created buildings that displayed both English and French characteristics. Most of the houses in the old city, for example, are very similar to London town houses in their interior floor plans. However, they retain certain characteristics of the architecture of the French regime for practical reasons, such as fire walls, as well as steep roofs, so that the snow will slide off easily.
As you will discover, it was Lord Dufferin who saved Quebec’s fortifications form the wrecker’s ball at the end of the 19th century. Ironically, many of the most important features that create the beauty and romance of this historic French speaking city would probably not exist today had it not been for the efforts of a British Governor General.
Important businesses and institutions that were founded by English-speaking people in Quebec City in the 19th century include the Jeffery Hale Hospital, La Maison Simons, and Holt Renfrew. Although today English-speaking people now make up only about 2% of the population, evidence of British heritage is everywhere around us.
Registration opens October 2026
FACILITATOR:Mamie Stewart
Christmas traditions, like other traditions, are the bringing together of family and cultures. Do you know what your traditions are? Today let us add friendship to that list as we enjoy a Christmas dessert, play bingo and toast the end of 2026.
Registration opens October 2026.
