Montreal Construction Is So Messy & Pervasive, The City Is Holding A Summit To Fix It

"Look around your neighbourhood — construction sites with those orange cones will be there," opposition city councillor Alan DeSousa said to his peers in a city council meeting this week. He has a point: construction in Montreal is notorious for a reason, and it's not slowing down anytime soon.

Following up on a campaign promise made in 2021, Projet Montréal confirmed it will hold a summit on the subject of construction across the city. La Presse was the first to report this story.

According to the party platform, the goal of the summit would be to better "facilitate, coordinate and align" the disparate construction projects taking place across the city, many of which aren't managed directly by the municipal government, Projet Montréal councillor Émilie Thuillier explained.

"In Montreal, only 30% of construction in our streets is done by the city and its boroughs," she clarified. That leaves 70% of construction projects managed by other groups.

DeSousa, looking somewhat aggrieved, charged that a significant number of construction projects aren't even listed on the appropriate websites, making it difficult to access information about what disruptions to public life.

The opposition councillor emphasized the importance of giving Montrealers access to clear, up-to-date information about construction consequences like changes to parking and traffic.

Thuillier promised Project Montréal would work with construction project managers to ensure more information is available on the appropriate city websites.

For now, Montrealers will just have to wait until the planned 2023 summit to learn how the city plans to tackle the massive bureaucratic and logistical knot that is construction.