The Ministry of International Relations and La Francophonie (MRIF) is giving up selling the heritage building of the Délégation générale du Québec à Paris (DGQP), which will be renovated at a cost of $25 million by 2024, a project welcomed with some doubts in opposition.
Minister Nadine Girault said needs have been reassessed due to teleworking which has become widespread since the COVID-19 pandemic and rising property prices.
“We need less square footage,” she said in an interview with To have to. The area required at the DGQP has been reduced. The option of redeveloping the premises has become very conceivable. »
Before the Coalition avenir Québec (CAQ) came to power in 2018, the Liberals began a project to sell the building at 66 rue Pergolèse, on the northwestern outskirts of Paris, where the flagship of diplomacy quebecoise has been installed since 1964. The objective was to acquire a new building in an area closer to places of power.
From 54 million to 25 million
Shortly after his arrival in government, the CAQ became aware of the project. In 2019, the cost of acquiring a new building was estimated at $74 million, said Ms. Girault. The market value of 66 Pergolesi was 20 million, which brought the total cost of the transaction to 54 million.
“The choice was based on the fact that we needed more space,” explained the minister. We wanted to move to a borough with greater potential for economic development. »
This assumption has, however, been revised with the impact of the pandemic on the organization of work and the surge in property prices, said Ms. Girault.
“The DGQP is a very prestigious, historic address, we’ve been there for 60 years,” she said. The beauty is that you don’t have to move and you save costs by renovating instead of selling and then buying. »
According to information obtained under the Access to Documents Act, DGQP employees will be relocated elsewhere for 18 to 24 months because of the work. In May 2021, the MRIF predicted that the redevelopment and upgrading work would be completed “no later than spring 2023”.
In an interview, Ms. Girault said that the schedule now set the end of the project “no later than 2024”. The DGQP website also indicates that its services have moved temporarily.
Works supervisor
By abandoning the sale and purchase project, the MRIF announced to the Société québécoise des infrastructures (SQI) that it would no longer need its services.
“I thank you for the services rendered to date and confirm that the ministry will take charge of the continuation of the work and will directly contract the local contractors”, wrote in May 2021 the deputy minister Sylvie Barcelo, at the SQI.
The law governing the MRIF provides in particular that it is responsible for “building and maintaining all property” necessary for the activities of its representatives abroad.
Ms. Girault indicated that the services of a local project manager have been retained to oversee the planned work.
“It was more practical to go and find people at the local level,” she said.
The project provides for the development of open-plan offices in the building.
Doubts
Former Minister of International Relations, Christine St-Pierre expressed serious doubts about the planned budget of 25 million for the renovations. Very important work, postponed for years, was necessary to bring this building up to standard when she decided that it should be put up for sale.
“At 25 million dollars I think it’s really utopian, she said in an interview with the To have to. I’m not an expert, but it’s a building that needs a lot of renovations. There is no asset maintenance on Quebec properties abroad. »
Before the defeat of the Liberals, three buildings had been visited, but no transaction had been concluded. According to Ms. St-Pierre, the market value of 66 rue Pergolèse was estimated at 30 million when she was in office, and not 20 million as Ms. Girault said.
“We thought it was more effective for Quebec diplomacy to buy a new building,” she explained.
The building, according to the former Liberal minister, was in a pitiful state which was detrimental to representation activities.
“The delegate, when she met prominent people, received them at the residence because the delegation did not have what it needed,” she said.
With Dave Noel