Montreal’s Royal Vic conversion to student housing will cost $845 million: CDPQ Infra
Posted February 8, 2026 2:56 pm.
Last Updated February 8, 2026 3:10 pm.
The conversion of the Royal Victoria Hospital buildings into student residences would cost $845 million due to structural work needed on the heritage buildings.
In a press release Friday, CDPQ Infra, a subsidiary of La Caisse, which was behind high-profile projects like the REM said that a feasibility study showed that turning the six heritage buildings into 1,150 student residences would require major intervention due to “an advanced level of degradation” in three of the buildings.
The estimate puts the cost per bed of a student residence at $735,000, nearly 80 per cent of that going toward the structural repairs and reconstruction.
“The report is based on in-depth technical assessments as well as an information and exchange process with many stakeholders,” CDPQ Infra said.
“It concludes that the transformation of the site is technically feasible, while identifying major heritage interventions needed to make the site suitable for development, regardless of the redevelopment project considered.”
CDPQ Infra said it the study was conducted by a multidisciplinary team of architects, engineers, urban planners and other stakeholders, over 18 months based on a mandate by the Quebec government.
