Summary#
Montréal city council unanimously adopted a position in favour of exercising the second six-month extension of two contracts with Recyclage Notre-Dame inc. and authorizing an additional $3,269,055.43, taxes included. The agglomeration council makes the final decision at a later meeting. The stated goal is to keep food-waste treatment services going until Montréal-Est’s new treatment centre is officially in service.
- The extension would run from September 1, 2026, to February 28, 2027, and cover a forecast 18,475 tonnes of food waste from the eastern part of the agglomeration.
- The contracts cover receiving and loading the waste at Recyclage Notre-Dame’s transfer site in Montréal-Est, transport to treatment sites, and composting. The contractor must also manage the compost and/or biogas produced.
- The additional amount is split between Lot 1 ($1,611,058.44) and Lot 2 ($1,657,996.99), taxes included. The total for both contracts would rise to $13,730,032.81, taxes included.
- The contracts allow the City to end them with 30 days’ written notice if the Montréal-Est centre is ready earlier. No price adjustment for the extension is provided for.
What it means for you#
- Residents in the eastern territories: The decision would continue treatment of collected food waste while the new centre is not officially in service. It does not change what residents may put in the food-waste collection or how collection is organized.
- Taxpayers in the agglomeration: The added contract cost would be paid entirely by the agglomeration.
- Recyclage Notre-Dame inc.: The company would continue providing the contracted services for up to six more months if the agglomeration council approves the extension.
Money#
The proposed additional expenditure is $3,269,055.43, taxes included.
- The amount would be charged to the operating budget of Montréal’s environment and ecological transition service; the agglomeration would pay 100%.
- The original contracts were awarded after a public call for tenders that received one bid. The supplied materials do not give a new price comparison for this extension.
What is unclear#
- The materials do not say how the forecast tonnes would be divided between the two lots or treatment sites, or how much would be composted versus treated by biomethanization.
- They do not explain what arrangement would follow if Montréal-Est’s centre is not ready by February 28, 2027.
Case for#
- City staff say the extension is needed because the Montréal-Est treatment centre has not yet received official confirmation that it is ready to operate.
- Keeping the contracts in place could avoid an interruption in food-waste treatment while the centre is being brought into service.
- The 30-day termination option could let the City end the contracts early if the centre is ready before the extension ends.
Case against#
- The extension adds more than $3.2 million in spending, but the materials do not compare its price with other available treatment options.
- The original public tender received only one bid. The materials do not show whether the extension price was tested against the market.
- The extension could last through February 2027, but the materials do not give a firm date for when the Montréal-Est centre will be fully in service.