Revamp of Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital 'not going fast enough,' Quebec health minister admits

Maintenance costs are growing at the Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital in Montreal's east end while construction for the long-awaited modernization project appears to be delayed — again.

"I'm pushing the project as fast as I can," Quebec Health Minister Christian Dubé told reporters Thursday morning, adding he'd hoped construction would begin this summer.

During an exchange at the National Assembly Wednesday with Québec Solidaire health critic Vincent Marissal, Dubé said he needs "a few more months" to continue analyzing the project before the shovels can hit the ground.

He said he's hoping to come up with a timeline and precise start date for construction this year.

"I seriously thought we would be able to see excavators on the hospital grounds this year," said Dubé. "I'll be the first to say it's not going fast enough." 

Marissal shot back at Dubé, saying the construction site is "still being planned, but nothing is happening."

Quebec unveiled its budget on Tuesday, which showed the anticipated project to revamp the hospital remained in the "planning" phase in the Quebec Infrastructure Plan (PQI), despite construction slated to start this summer. 

According to Radio-Canada, there is still a possibility that some construction work will begin later this year.

The Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital, whose facilities date back to the 1950s, serves nearly a third of Montreal's population Montreal.

Close to $140 million has been invested since 2014 to help maintain the aging hospital, according to documents obtained by Radio-Canada.

Dubé officially launched the revamp project in 2023, telling Radio-Canada at the time that construction should begin in 2024.

Last year, Christine Fréchette, the minister responsible for the metropolis and Montreal region, said construction would begin in summer 2025 instead.

"There are so many announcements that were rushed, including mine and I'll say it: rushed because we didn't have the right numbers. We didn't have the right analysis," Dubé told Marissal Wednesday.