‘No turning back’: Premier Fréchette confirms $700M for Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital project
Posted April 23, 2026 11:22 am.
Last Updated April 23, 2026 8:32 pm.
The Quebec government has confirmed $700 million for the 10-year expansion and modernization of the Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital in Montreal’s East End.
The funding is $400 million more than the $300 million that had reportedly already been committed to, but not confirmed earlier this month.
The province says nearly $400 million of the $700 million is being earmarked for the acquisition of three properties near the hospital; the relocation of essential infrastructure; the construction of a tunnel linking the existing and future buildings; and the start of construction of the new multi-level parking garage.
“There’s no turning back possible because we are buying new lots,” Quebec Premier Christine Fréchette said. “Also we are putting machines on the land in order to proceed, and therefore there’s no turning back.”
The Fréchette government also confirmed an overall budget of more than $300 million for the continuation of the design phase of the new hospital and the development of detailed plans.
Fréchette made the announcement at a press conference at the Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital on Thursday afternoon alongside Minister of Health Sonia Bélanger, Minister of Housing Karine Boivin-Roy, and the minister responsible for the Montreal region, Chantal Rouleau.
“I am very familiar with the Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital modernization project,” Fréchette said. “Today, it’s a reality. Each step brings us closer to a modern, high-quality hospital, one that meets the standards Quebecers deserve. For too long, our infrastructure has been neglected. Now, we are making up for lost time, particularly in our hospitals, by giving ourselves the necessary resources to move projects forward.”
The government’s goal remains to welcome the first patients by 2036. Once complete, the hospital complex will have 720 single-rooms, operating rooms and related areas, a medical imaging unit as well as laboratories and an animal facility for the research sector.
“You will see the excavators appear on the ground in the coming weeks, and this summer as well,” promised the new premier, specifying however that “there are still a few months of work before the plans and specifications are completed.”
“Today we are taking an important step by confirming the funding needed to continue this major project for patients and staff,” said Bélanger.
The first call for tenders is expected to be issued in early May.
“Where we are in the project, you know, starting the real building stuff, this is what we want to see and the schedule is so short, you know, it’s going to start right away,” said Dr. François Marquis, intensive care unit chief at the Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital. “It’s not like some unprecise date in the future. No, it’s like next month. So obviously I’m going to keep my eyes open, but today I’m very happy.”
“We’re looking forward to see the construction begin and this is a step that helps reassure us also that the full project will eventually be done, because of the when you’re talking about 700 million, it’s hard to step back from that project in the later months ahead,” said Dr. Marc Brosseau, a respirologist and ICU doctor at the hospital.
The hospital that borders Rosemont-La Petite-Patrie and Mercier-Hochelaga-Maisonneuve has repeatedly made headlines for issues linked to its aging infrastructure.
A storm-driven power outage last April put the hospital’s dilapidated state in the spotlight. Several critical units were plunged in darkness and emergency surgeries were delayed. Ambulances were diverted towards other hospitals, staff were trapped in elevators, and some of the building’s windows were shattered. Hospital staff later came forward with reports of rodents, bats and ants inside the aging building.
Faced with the outcry, the CAQ government — then led by François Legault — hastily released $85 million to begin construction of the parking lot.
A major part of the $400 million announced Thursday is the purchase of three “strategic” properties near the hospital that will allow for the construction of the future pavilion; as well as the relocation of infrastructure like water, sewage, electricity and telecommunications that will allow the site to be prepared without disrupting patient care.
Also included in that portion of the funding is money for the start of construction on the 1,050-space parking lot for patients and staff.
The entire hospital expansion project, with a reported budget of about $5 billion, is scheduled to be completed by 2035.
–With files from La Presse Canadienne
