SNC-Lavalin locked in dispute with government over MUHC superhospital cost
Construction phase completed, hospital scheduled to open by the end of April 2015
Construction on the new McGill University Health Centre superhospital has wrapped up, but a dispute over the cost of the building has cast a shadow over the new medical centre.
The budget for the hospital was $1.3 billion, but SNC-Lavalin ran up an extra $172 million.
The provincial government and SNC-Lavalin have gone to a mediator to negotiate the payment.
The engineering giant is asking the government to cover the extra costs, but Health Minister Gaétan Barrette said the government is not going to pay a penny more than the original price.
"The issue is that some work has been done, with or without authorization – depending on whom you’re talking to. This has to be negotiated and reviewed, but at the end of the day if we don’t have any demonstration that we are responsible, we will not pay. Period," Barrette said.
The hospital is scheduled to open by the end of April 2015.
Now that the keys have been officially handed over to hospital management, the next step will be moving in equipment and preparing for patients.
Barrette said the hospital will provide "maximum quality care."
'It's very well equipped — top of the class without any doubt in Quebec. On top of that it’s on time. Patients will be there on schedule," he said.