Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Centre Gabriel Fugère?

The Gabriel Fugère Centre (CGF) is a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting adults with intellectual disabilities by offering a safe, supportive, and stimulating environment. We also strive to provide essential respite for caregivers.

Is the Centre a residential facility?

The Gabriel Fugère Centre is not a residential facility, as some may believe, but rather an essential complement to existing housing resources.

More simply, the CGF will offer a “school” for adults with an intellectual disability (ID) and/or autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The term “school” is used to make the concept easier to understand, but in reality it refers to a day centre built according to the standards of a modern educational facility.

What will the Centre include?

The CGF will also include:

social housing units,
short-term respite spaces,
commercial areas integrated into the self-financing model.

The “school” section will accommodate at least 120 different adults per week, meaning that approximately 240 natural caregivers will benefit from respite periods each week.

How will the classes work?

The Gabriel Fugère Centre is inspired by École des Érables in Deux-Montagnes to provide a structured and adapted environment for adults living with intellectual disabilities. Our modern facilities include a gymnasium, a swimming pool, a Snoezelen room, as well as several specialized rooms designed to meet the needs of each participant.

The program is organized into four classes, each welcoming 10 adults and 4 support staff members, with a rotating schedule that allows up to 40 adults to be served each day. Groups are assigned on a fixed basis: one group attends on Mondays and Tuesdays, a second on Wednesdays and Thursdays, and a third on Fridays. This structure promotes personalized follow-up while optimizing access to services.

The Centre operates in three annual sessions — fall, winter, and summer — with registration completed one session in advance to ensure effective planning.

Registration fees will apply for both classes and recreational activities.

What recreational activities will be offered?

Alongside the classes, our facilities are open to adults who wish to take part in adapted recreational activities. These moments provide opportunities to socialize, relax, and explore new interests in a safe and supportive environment.

Participants have access to a variety of spaces and engaging activities, ranging from sports (swimming, gymnasium, relaxation) to creative workshops (painting, music, gardening), as well as moments of rest and well-being in our specially designed rooms.

To ensure optimal organization, reservations must be made at least 48 hours in advance. Depending on available funding, registration fees may apply; however, our goal is to offer as many services as possible free of charge and to ensure equitable access to activities.

Registration fees will apply for both classes and recreational activities.

Will the services have fees?

Fees will be associated with these services; however, the amounts remain to be determined.

What respite will the Centre offer caregivers?

With more than 110,000 people with ID-ASD in Québec, we deliberately chose this model to meet the needs of a greater number of families. For caregivers who wish, short-term respite can be aligned with the days of attendance at the centre, providing two full days of respite.

Where will the Centre be built?

“In November 2025, following the most recent elections, the CGF decided to relocate to another city.” The July 8, 2026 press release confirmed it: “The CGF will keep studying the options it has been offered to relocate the project. More details will follow on our website.”

Read the July 8, 2026 press release

What is the ICRAAA?

In 2026, the Centre Gabriel Fugère set up the ICRAAA. Virtual at first, it is meant to be a true hub, working with universities, research centres, clinicians, support workers and physicians all over the world.

Once the day centre is built, it will make it possible to develop concrete solutions that help autistic people age better: artificial intelligence, training tools for support workers, biological and physiological research.

Discover the ICRAAA

How can I donate, and will I receive a tax receipt?

Direct gift, endowment fund, gift of securities or from abroad: a tax receipt for every gift.

Registered charity: 712102946 RR0001

Choose how to give

What is the CGF – Alain Doucet endowment fund?

Also in 2026, we were extremely fortunate to receive remarkable donations that allowed us to create our endowment fund (fonds de pérennité). An endowment fund is a sum of money invested for the long term to support a mission. The money is not spent directly: it is invested, and the income it generates (interest, returns) is what finances projects.

In simple terms:
• The capital stays intact.
• It produces income every year.
• That income supports a cause or an organization.

It is a way to create a stable, lasting and secure source of financing that keeps supporting the mission for decades. The fund is administered by iA Financial Group (Industrial Alliance).

The CGF – Alain Doucet endowment fund accepts contributions of $20,000 and more. In line with best practices in the sector, 75% of each donation goes into the capital of the endowment fund, where it is invested for the long term. The remaining 25% supports the CGF's mission and keeps its operations going.

Every donor receives a tax receipt. Recognition and exclusive events will be offered according to different giving levels (for example: $100,000 to $150,000, CIRVAA / ICRAAA conferences, VIP evenings with certain researchers, etc.). A very special thank you to Mr. Alain Doucet, whose generosity made the creation of this fund and all of these initiatives possible.