Summary#
Montréal city council unanimously adopted a position recommending that the agglomeration council award a contract to Excavation René St-Pierre inc. for decontamination and deconstruction work at three buildings at 1092–1106 Clark Street in Ville-Marie borough. City council’s decision does not itself award the contract; the agglomeration council makes the final decision at a later meeting.
- The recommendation is to award the contract to the sole compliant bidder for $708,047.09, taxes included.
- It also recommends approving $141,609.42, taxes included, for unforeseen work, and $70,804.71, taxes included, for surveying and extra sampling if needed. Together, the recommended spending is $920,461.22, taxes included.
- The work includes decontaminating and taking down the buildings; sorting, recovering and disposing of materials; disconnecting services; filling and levelling the site; basic landscaping; and securing it.
- The recommendation includes evaluating the contractor’s performance. The work is scheduled to start in October 2026 and end in February 2027.
- After the buildings are taken down, city staff say the lots are to be transferred to a non-profit organization for a social-housing project.
What it means for you#
- People nearby: If the contract is approved, the buildings will be decontaminated and taken down, and the site will be secured. The decision does not set out specific arrangements for nearby residents during the work.
- People seeking social housing: City staff say the site is intended for a future social-housing project. This contract does not build housing, set eligibility rules, or say when homes would be available.
- Taxpayers: The agglomeration is to bear the full cost because city staff classify the work as related to social housing and assistance for people who are homeless.
Money#
The recommended spending is $920,461.22, taxes included, split between 2026 and 2027.
- The work costs $708,047.09, taxes included ($646,541.37 net of tax rebates).
- The contingency budget is $141,609.42, taxes included ($129,308.28 net of tax rebates). It is 20% of the work contract and is for unforeseen site conditions.
- The incidence budget is $70,804.71, taxes included ($64,654.14 net of tax rebates). It is for surveying and extra sampling if needed.
- City staff say the funds are available in the operating budget of the Service de la stratégie immobilière et de l’habitation.
What is unclear#
- The materials do not specify what the future social-housing project will include, when it will proceed, or who will be eligible.
- They do not say how much of the contingency or incidence budgets will actually be spent.
- The decision does not give a detailed schedule for the work within the October 2026 to February 2027 period.
Case for#
- City staff say the buildings are vacant, badly deteriorated and have serious structural problems. Taking them down would address the condition of the site.
- The sole compliant bid was far below the professionals’ estimate. City staff say the estimate used more conservative assumptions and that the contractor’s equipment and material-recovery network help explain its lower price.
- The site is intended for social housing after the buildings are removed.
Case against#
- Only one bidder submitted a bid. City staff note that the work’s complexity may have limited interest, so there was no competing compliant bid to compare.
- The bid was 64.40% below the professionals’ estimate. Staff say they checked the contractor’s understanding of the work and consider the bid realistic, but the large gap still raises a question about whether the estimate or bid fully captures the work’s costs.
- The decision does not provide details of the future housing project or a timeline for it.