The shovels are nowhere near breaking ground on the CHUM super hospital, but again the French mega project is digging up controversy.
Premier Jean Charest launched a call for tenders Monday in the public-private partnership now valued at $ 2.5 billion, including the hospital and research centre and contingency costs.
However, the nurses' federation believes the consortium that wins the contract will pay higher interest rates on the financing of the project than the government would. They believe it could be as much as 2 per cent extra.
"When you sign the agreement on the PPP you agree with the promoter and the constructor on the cost any overruns are done at their expense not at the expense of the government," Charest said.
The project, announced in 1998 will be located at the corer of Viger and St. Denis, and will be twice the size of Place Ville Marie.
There will be 39 operating rooms, 772 beds, and extra office space for doctors.
Demolition has begun on a city of Montreal office block south of Viger. Construction is scheduled to start in September 2010.
Once the construction begins, it will happen in two parts: The new location for the Notre Dame and Hotel Dieu hospitals, to be completed by 2013; and the demolition and rebuilding of the St. Luc hospital, Scheduled for 2018.
