City extends funding for digital centre study

Summary#

This Montréal city council decision sets the City’s position on an amendment to its financial contribution agreement with the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM). The council unanimously supported extending the agreement to October 31, 2026, without increasing the original $75,000 contribution, and changing the year of the final payment to 2026. The agglomeration council makes the final decision at a later meeting.

  • The agreement funds UQAM’s feasibility study and business plan for a proposed downtown Montréal centre for digital creativity innovation.
  • The work schedule moves the business plan from July–October 2025 to October 2025–October 2026.
  • The final $4,000 payment, originally planned for 2025, is to be made in 2026.
  • This decision does not create the centre; it extends the time for UQAM to complete the study and plan.

What it means for you#

  • UQAM: The proposed amendment gives UQAM until October 31, 2026, to complete the work under the agreement. The original $75,000 contribution stays unchanged.
  • Montréal residents and taxpayers: The decision does not add to the City’s contribution. City staff say the expense is fully paid by the agglomeration.
  • The public: The decision funds planning work, not the construction or operation of a centre.

Money#

The City’s $75,000 contribution does not increase, and the final payment year changes from 2025 to 2026.

  • The contribution is paid in three instalments: $36,000, $35,000, and $4,000.
  • City staff say the project’s total cost is $284,000, with $100,000 from Quebec’s Ministry of Economy, Innovation and Energy and contributions from private-sector partners.
  • The City’s contribution is funded through the economic development budget’s Réflexe, axe Innovant envelope. City staff say the agglomeration covers 100% of the expense.

What is unclear#

  • The materials do not say when the study and business plan will be delivered beyond the revised schedule, or what reporting will be required.
  • The decision does not say whether the proposed centre will be created or how it would be funded or operated.

Case for#

  • City staff say the project’s coordination with public- and private-sector partners made the original schedule difficult to meet. More time could allow UQAM to complete the study and business plan.
  • The extension keeps the original contribution amount unchanged.

Case against#

  • The work is taking longer than planned: the business plan’s expected completion moves from autumn 2025 to October 2026.
  • The decision extends the agreement but does not guarantee that the study will lead to a centre or that the centre would receive funding.