Summary#
Montréal’s city council adopted a position approving an agreement for Hydro-Québec to bury existing power lines at the Fort-Lorette archaeological site in Ahuntsic-Cartierville, and authorized related spending. The agglomeration council makes the final decision at a later meeting. City staff say the goal is to prepare the site for a future park and highlight its riverfront landscape.
- Hydro-Québec would carry out the civil and electrical work; the City would pay the costs.
- The work includes burying the existing lines, removing poles and overhead wires, reconnecting the lines to buildings and Hydro-Québec’s Simon-Sicard dam, and restoring the site.
- The authorized maximum is $589,539.17, taxes included: $504,058.34 for the work, $50,405.83 for contingencies, and $35,075 for related services.
- The City would contract directly with Hydro-Québec, not through a call for tenders. Hydro-Québec owns the network and is responsible for electricity distribution.
- The agreement provides for two empty underground conduits for future park power. A separate, later decision would be needed to create a proposed permanent Hydro-Québec servitude (a legal right to use part of the City’s land).
What it means for you#
- Residents: This decision does not approve or build the future park. City staff expect the undergrounding work to improve river views and the site; the work itself is expected to take less than a month, in fall 2026 or by spring 2027.
- City and Hydro-Québec: Hydro-Québec would design and carry out the work, and the City would pay. The work also includes a short excavation on Fabrique land; the City requested the Fabrique’s approval.
- Taxpayers: The cost would be funded through an existing agglomeration borrowing bylaw, with a provincial grant covering half of the cost after tax rebates.
Money#
The authorized maximum is $589,539.17, taxes included; after tax rebates, the cost is $538,327.84.
- The Ministère de la Culture et des Communications du Québec would provide $269,163.92, or half the net cost, under the Entente sur le développement culturel de Montréal 2024–2027.
- The remaining $269,163.92 net would be financed through agglomeration borrowing. The City would pay Hydro-Québec’s work costs; the amount includes a contingency because some civil work is billed at actual cost.
- No separate call-for-tenders price or competing bid is reported; the agreement is direct with Hydro-Québec.
What is unclear#
- The required authorization from Québec’s Minister of Culture for work at the classified heritage site had been requested, but the supplied material does not say whether it was granted.
- The exact construction dates are not set; staff describe fall 2026 or, at the latest, spring 2027 as the expected timing.
- The proposed permanent servitude would let Hydro-Québec place, operate, maintain, repair, replace, build, add to, and inspect electrical lines on the City’s land. Its final terms and approval are for a separate decision.
Case for#
- City staff say burying the lines would clear views of the river and help prepare Fort-Lorette for a future public park.
- The work would remove overhead poles and wires and is intended to help protect the electrical network from weather events.
- Hydro-Québec owns the existing network and agreed to carry out the work, which the City says is needed on this site.
Case against#
- The work has a substantial public cost: $538,327.84 net of tax rebates, even after the provincial grant.
- The required heritage authorization was still pending in the supplied material, so the work’s timing was not certain.
- A permanent servitude could give Hydro-Québec lasting rights to use part of the City’s land. Its final terms are not settled by this decision.