Summary#
On February 16, 2026, Montréal city council unanimously approved an agreement between the City and the Société de transport de Montréal (STM). It sets the parties’ responsibilities for building the Irma-LeVasseur park pavilion and installing masonry cladding on the Wiseman metro ventilation building in the borough of Outremont. The stated goal is to allow the work to proceed while protecting the ventilation building’s operations.
- The City is responsible for designing and carrying out the work, while ensuring the ventilation building can operate safely, continuously and without interruption.
- The City must reimburse the STM for preparatory work, including removing and reinstalling exterior equipment and replacing exterior pipes.
- The STM must work with the City and provide technical help in areas where it or its contractors have relevant expertise. The STM will own and maintain the masonry cladding.
- The agreement takes effect when all parties have signed it, and ends once its obligations are complete.
What it means for you#
- People using the park or nearby area: The planned pavilion will include public washrooms, storage and a technical room. City staff say the park is planned to open fully in 2026; the agreement itself does not guarantee that schedule.
- Metro users: The City must carry out the work in a way that allows the Wiseman ventilation building to keep operating safely and without interruption.
- City and STM: The agreement assigns responsibility for the work and related support. It does not award the future construction contract.
Money#
The City is responsible for the pavilion and cladding work, but the agreement sets no total cost.
- The City must reimburse the STM for the listed preparatory work. The cost is to be included in a later decision on the pavilion construction contract.
- City staff say the project costs will be covered by the Service de l’urbanisme et de la mobilité as part of the MIL Montréal project. No amount for this work is given here.
What is unclear#
- The agreement’s full text is not included in the supplied materials, so its detailed conditions and safeguards cannot be checked.
- The cost of the STM’s preparatory work and the total cost of the pavilion and cladding are not stated.
- The agreement takes effect after the last signature, but the signing date is not given.
Case for#
- The agreement assigns who will do, pay for and maintain different parts of the work.
- Requiring the City to protect safe, uninterrupted ventilation operations addresses a key risk of building beside an operating metro facility.
- City staff say delaying approval could delay the pavilion and park work, putting the planned 2026 opening at risk.
Case against#
- The agreement assigns costs to the City without stating their amount here, so the public cost cannot yet be judged from these materials.
- The full agreement is not provided, limiting what can be assessed about its detailed conditions and protections.