Construction costs: UMQ asks Quebec to reduce red tape
Posted December 12, 2025 1:13 pm.
Last Updated December 12, 2025 1:14 pm.
The construction costs of municipal projects have exploded over the past 10 years, mainly due to rising prices in the industry, but also due to regulations.
This is the conclusion of a report by the firm Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton (RCGT) commissioned by the Union of Quebec Municipalities (UMQ), unveiled in Montreal on Friday.
The firm analyzed eight categories of municipal projects. Between 2015 and 2025, these typical projects experienced cost increases of between 51 per cent and 123 per cent.
The UMQ commissioned this study as construction prices are rising faster than municipal revenues and inflation.
The trend could also continue, due to the increases granted in the new collective agreements for construction workers, warns Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton.
While the increase in wages and material prices is the main cause, a “significant part” of this increase stems from regulatory requirements, worries UMQ president and Mascouche mayor Guillaume Tremblay.
He argues that it is time to “review and simplify” certain standards.
The report estimates that the regulation results in additional annual costs of between $900 million and $1.5 billion.
–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews
