Summary#
Montréal city council unanimously approved a direct-award contract with La Messe Basse to create and install Contact77, an immersive, interactive experience at the Montréal Planetarium. It also approved the service agreement and a separate budget for related construction impacts. City staff say the goal is to mark the 50th anniversary of the Voyager probes and offer visitors a new experience.
- The contract is for $862,312.38, taxes included; the decision also authorizes $57,487.50, taxes included, for project-related costs.
- Contact77 is planned to open on December 1, 2026, and be presented for two years. It will replace the Rouge 2100 exhibition.
- La Messe Basse will lead the artistic work and deliver the experience in six stages, from scheduling and final design through installation, testing and warranty.
- The Planetarium will provide access to spaces and equipment, and staff with technical, scientific and museum expertise.
What it means for you#
- Visitors: The Planetarium plans to offer Contact77 from December 1, 2026, for two years. City staff say the design considered physical and cognitive accessibility, but the materials do not specify particular accessibility features.
- Taxpayers: The city centre will pay the full $919,799.88 authorized by this decision. The Planetarium will also provide staff support and access to its spaces and equipment.
- La Messe Basse: The company receives the direct-award contract. The decision does not describe a competitive tender or report bids.
Money#
The decision authorizes total spending of $919,799.88, taxes included.
- Of that amount, $862,312.38 is for La Messe Basse’s contract and $57,487.50 is for project-related costs, including moving two exhibition walls and building display cases and seating.
- The spending is planned across two financial years: $790,453 in 2026 and $129,346.88 in 2027, all taxes included.
- Work on the walls and built elements will be tendered separately; its cost is not given here.
What is unclear#
- The supplied material does not include the full service agreement and its detailed list of deliverables. Payment, acceptance and warranty terms cannot be verified from it.
- The cost of the separate construction work is not stated.
- The materials do not specify the experience’s final content or its accessibility features.
- City staff expect the exhibition to increase attendance and revenue, but the materials give no estimate or guarantee of that effect.
Case for#
- City staff say La Messe Basse has relevant experience creating immersive works and telling stories about Voyager. Continuing with the company that developed the concept may support continuity from design to installation.
- The exhibition is intended to combine science, art and interactive elements around Voyager and its Golden Records. City staff say it could support learning about space science and the cultural history of the records.
Case against#
- The city awarded the contract directly, without a call for tenders. The materials provide a rationale for choosing La Messe Basse but no comparison with other possible providers or prices.
- The total spending does not include the separately tendered building work, so the full cost of preparing the space is not known here.
- The expected gains in attendance and revenue are city staff’s projections; no figures are provided to assess them.