Over budget, behind schedule: Opposition criticizes Montreal City Hall restoration project

The work at Montreal's City Hall building is being called one of the largest heritage restoration projects in the province, but now the work is behind schedule and costs more than what taxpayers were told.

The city confirmed Monday that the project will be $56 million over budget — that's $28 million more than the city projected back in May.

It was also supposed to be completed by October, but now officials say the date has been pushed back to December.

The goal is to restore and modernize the aging building, built in 1926, in a highly detail-oriented renovation. Everything from the moulding and ceiling details to the paint on the walls and the ventilation system is being redone.

Émilie Thuillier, a member of Montreal's executive committee, said the rising inflation is partly to blame for the cost overruns.

"We need to extend the contract, for example, of Pomerleau and to extend other contracts so they can finish it," she told reporters Monday.

"We have inflation … And the contracts that we are giving at this moment, they cost a little bit [more] than we estimated years ago."

The total cost of the heritage restoration is more than $200 million.

The opposition at City Hall called it an example of the Valerie Plante administration's "mismanagement."

"Since its election five years ago, the budget for the restoration of City Hall has increased from $140 million to over $210 million. During the presentation of the last city budget, the Plante administration lied to Montrealers by assuring them that there would be no new cost overruns," said Aref Salem, leader of the official opposition party at City Hall, in a written statement. 

"It only took a month for the truth to catch up with them as we learned today via a presentation that there will be new expenditures of close to $30 million.