New general manager at Grand Pré

Degrâce has long history with national historic site

Former Parks Canada superintendent Claude Degrâce has been appointed general manager of the Société Promotion Grand-pré.

Moncton resident Justin Mury, who is president of the society, said he was pleased to make the announcement.

Degrâce will be responsible for the management of the société and of visitor experience.

“We know Mr. Degrâce very well because of his work related to the Grand-pré National Historic Site. Besides having led the development of Grand-pré National Historic Site in the early 2000s,” Mury said.

Degrâce received the Parks Canada chief executive officer Award of Excellence in 2013 for his leadership in the process that resulted in the inscription of the Landscape of Grand Pré on UNESCO’S World Heritage List, Mury noted.

That same year, the Société Nationale de l’acadie appointed him co-chairman of the stewardship board responsible for the governance of the new world heritage site.

In this new position, Degrâce will implement the strategic and operational planning of the Société, which includes developing cultural and tourism programs and services.

“I look forward to supporting the efforts of the Société Promotion Grand-pré. We invite the entire population to come and reconnect with Grand-pré this year, which is marking the 150th anniversary of Confederation,” said Degrâce.

Artist Anika Lirette has also been appointed artistic director in charge of this coming summer’s program at Grand-pré National Historic Site.

“Anika Lirette is a proud Acadian ambassador who has been involved in theatre since 2003,” Mury said. “She has performed throughout Acadie and Louisiana, in Maine, in Saint-pierre-etmiquelon, in Québec, in Germany and in many other places. Anika is also a director, having written and directed three documentaries, one of which was about the Landscape of Grand Pré.”

A detailed schedule for the summer will be announced June 29, but Lirette already has some plans in mind.

“My goal is to create authentic bilingual theatrical experiences that express Grand-pré’s human values and tell of the site’s rich history. I want to create a new feeling of family attachment to the site,” Lirette said.

“Through the interpretation of the past we can reflect on our future and enlighten our role as carriers of humanity on today’s world stage.”