Summary#
Montréal city council approved a 10-year, sole-source contract with CCxA for professional services and a licence to exhibit the artwork 18 Nuances de gai on rue Sainte-Catherine Est. The goal, as described by city staff, is to bring the artwork back as part of the street’s redevelopment.
- CCxA will adapt the original plans and specifications and advise the city during purchasing, fabrication and annual installations.
- The licence lets the city exhibit the artwork on public land from May 1 to November 1 each year for 10 years.
- The city must evaluate CCxA’s performance under the city’s administrative rules.
- Buying and installing the physical artwork are not covered by this contract. The city says those will be subject to a separate call for tenders.
What it means for you#
- Residents and visitors: The artwork is planned for seasonal display on rue Sainte-Catherine Est in the Village. The first display year is not yet settled.
- Taxpayers: The city will pay CCxA under the approved contract. The decision does not set a fee or charge for residents.
- City services: The Service de l’urbanisme et de la mobilité funds the contract. The borough of Ville-Marie is to take over annual installation, removal, maintenance and winter storage of equipment.
- CCxA: The firm receives the contract without a public call for tenders. City staff cite the firm’s authorship of the artwork and its copyright as the reason for using the artistic-services exception.
- This decision does not cover the separate contract for adapting the artwork’s lighting concept, or the physical purchase and installation of the artwork.
Money#
The approved contract totals $984,996.39, taxes included.
- Professional services, including the inflation allowance: $561,074.37, taxes included. The city says this will be funded through borrowing bylaw 23-025-1.
- The 10-year exhibition licence: $423,922.02, taxes included. The city says this will be paid from its operating budget, starting in 2029 or 2030, and funded entirely by the central city.
- City staff also identify a separate planned contract with Ombrages for $138,373.56, taxes included. It is not part of this decision.
- The cost of buying, making and installing the physical artwork is not included in the approved amount.
What is unclear#
- The first exhibition year is still under review: staff list 2029 or 2030.
- No publicly available information in these materials gives the cost of buying, fabricating or installing the physical artwork.
- CCxA has indicated it may consider five additional years of exhibition, but those years would require a new agreement.
Case for#
- City staff say the artwork became an identifying feature of the Village and that bringing it back would support the street’s redevelopment and cultural vitality.
- Using the original creators could help adapt the artwork to the redesigned street; city staff say CCxA holds its copyright.
Case against#
- The city is awarding the contract directly, without competition. The materials explain the legal basis but do not show competing offers or a price comparison.
- The approved contract does not cover the physical artwork or installation, so the total cost of bringing it back is not yet known.