The Legault government will study the business case for the Olympic Park in January, and only then will it reveal the cost of the potential replacement of the stadium roof, Tourism Minister Caroline Proulx said on Wednesday. .
Upon his arrival at the weekly meeting of the Council of Ministers, Mr.me Proulx refused to confirm the information from The Pressaccording to which it will cost taxpayers at least $750 million to replace the roof of the Olympic Stadium.
“We can study it somewhere in January, then we will come back to you with the cost, the timelines and everything involved in the potential replacement of the roof. The decision will be taken by the Council of Ministers in January,” declared the minister.
The Olympic Park announced on Tuesday that exploratory work would be carried out as part of the development of the business case for the roof replacement project, which means that the stadium’s playing area will be temporarily closed.
Last October, Prime Minister François Legault was clear: according to him, a new roof must be installed. He said he wanted to restore the Olympic Stadium to its former glory, even if he knew the operation would be costly.
Long-standing file
The current roof has already passed the end of its useful life. In 2017, the Liberal government of Philippe Couillard announced its replacement, at a cost of $200 to $250 million, with delivery scheduled for 2022.
In 2019, however, the deadline was postponed to 2024, because the complexity of the file was mentioned. This new timeline will not materialize either, and no new date has been set.
On Wednesday, Minister Proulx declared that there were currently 20,000 tears in the roof of the Olympic Stadium. “If we wait any longer, within a year or two, the Olympic Stadium will be completely closed,” she warned.
She added that she did not want, however, to “presume” the decision of the Council of Ministers.
The Olympic Park announced on Tuesday that it was beginning a round of exploratory work necessary for the upcoming renovation work at the stadium, which will deprive CF Montreal of its usual home for its first MLS matches in 2024.
With Duty