Summary#
On 11 May 2026, Montréal City Council adopted its position for a later vote by the agglomeration council, which makes the final decision. It voted to support awarding Roxboro Excavation inc. a contract to build a 15,000-cubic-metre stormwater retention structure at 800 rue des Seigneurs in the Sud-Ouest borough. City staff say the project aims to reduce sewer overflows and limit flood risks.
- The proposed contract price is $56,872,630.80, taxes included.
- The resolution also authorizes $8,655,465.42, taxes included, for contingencies and $3,079,698.07, taxes included, for other project impacts, bringing the total to $68,607,794.29, taxes included.
- The work includes an underground basin, related sewer and pumping infrastructure, and rebuilding the east part of Oscar Peterson Park, including a synthetic soccer field. It also includes street and sidewalk work, electrical utility work, traffic-light upgrades and a BIXI station.
- The contract came from a public call for tenders: four bids were submitted, but only Roxboro’s bid met the requirements. The resolution also directs the city to evaluate Roxboro’s performance.
What it means for you#
- Residents and park users in Sud-Ouest: If the agglomeration council approves the position, construction would affect Oscar Peterson Park and nearby streets. City staff say soccer players could use a new synthetic field in nearby Parc Vinet during the work.
- Taxpayers: The decision authorizes the stated project spending, but the materials provided do not show how the costs are divided among the city, borough, utility or grant funding.
- Residents generally: The council’s position is not itself the final contract award. It does not set out a construction schedule or explain how residents can raise concerns during the work.
Money#
The adopted position authorizes a total project expense of $68,607,794.29, taxes included.
- This includes the contract price, a contingency budget and a budget for other project impacts.
- Earlier contracts are also listed in the staff summary, including a 2024 engineering and architecture contract. They are separate from this construction contract.
- The staff summary says the project received approval toward a disaster-mitigation grant and that work must finish by the end of 2027, but the supplied material gives no grant amount or funding breakdown.
What is unclear#
- The supplied material does not give a construction start date, contract duration or completion schedule.
- It does not include the city’s project estimate, so the bid’s value compared with that estimate cannot be assessed.
- The material does not explain the allocation of costs among city departments, the borough, the electrical utility or grant funding.
Case for#
- City staff say the retention basin is intended to store sewer water during lower-intensity rain and reduce overflows into the St. Lawrence River.
- Staff say it is also intended to reduce flood risks during heavy rain and improve the nearby sewer system’s capacity.
- The work combines the basin with park upgrades and a synthetic soccer field, rather than addressing the sewer infrastructure alone.
Case against#
- Only one of four submitted bids met the requirements. That leaves little price competition among compliant bids.
- The staff summary says 28 of the 32 firms that obtained tender documents did not submit bids. It notes some cited full order books, project complexity or unmet requirements.
- Staff say there was no negotiation with Roxboro because of the schedule and grant deadlines. The materials do not show whether another procurement approach or schedule was considered.