The civic government will only move back to city hall in October 2023, executive committee member Émilie Thuillier announced
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The cost of renovating Montreal city hall has jumped by $28 million to $168 million, city council learned Monday.
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And the restored building at 275 Notre-Dame St. E. won’t be move-in ready until October 2023 — 16 months later than scheduled, said Émilie Thuillier, the executive committee member responsible for infrastructure and buildings.
There are four reasons for the 20-per-cent increase and prolonged timetable, she said:
- The COVID-19 pandemic slowed the pace of construction by causing labor shortages and absences.
- Problems like old wiring, leaky plumbing or asbestos inevitably turn up in historic buildings, leading to unexpected costs.
- There were no bidders for some of the renovation contracts, which caused delays.
- And it has been difficult at times to find artisans with the skills to restore heritage features like windows, marble and plaster mouldings.
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Thuillier said the cost of restoring the Second Empire-style building is about $1,000 per square foot — about the same cost as for new construction.
Opposition leader Aref Salem questioned why the project was getting so expensive.
“There have to be limits on what we’re going to spend,” he said.
But Thuillier said she was confident $168 million will be sufficient to finish the project. She said the investment was necessary to bring the heritage gem up to modern standards. “It’s the maison des citoyens,” — the palace of the people — she said.
The estimated price of renovating city hall has ballooned since 2015 from about $30 million, as the scope of the repairs needed became clear.
Thuillier offered to give a more detailed presentation on the renovations to city council at a later date.