Quebec to spend $870M on a new roof for the Olympic Stadium

Quebec on Monday morning confirmed that repairs to the Olympic Stadium's roof and ring will come with a price tag of $870 million.

The move is part of an action plan signed in 2018 to revitalize Montreal's east end. The government also wants to further commercialize the Olympic Park by doubling its capacity for tourists, increasing the number of events held at the stadium and making room for large-scale concerts, conventions and trade shows.

Tourism Minister Caroline Proulx said at a news conference that the Olympic Stadium would be ideal for large international concerts, pointing to mega-stars like Taylor Swift, Beyoncé and Bruce Springsteen who didn't tour in Quebec last year.

The government predicts that, with its new roof, the stadium will attract larger events, possibly generating as much as $1.5 billion from tourism and other sources over 10 years.

It also expects to make $61 million in gross revenue per year from the Olympic Park, while the stadium itself could generate tax revenues of more than $20 million per year.

The roof will be fixed, rigid and feature a transparent glass hoop, so the tower will be visible from the inside. It will also flood the stadium with daylight and offer a view of the night sky.

The work will be done in three phases and is expected to take four years to complete, starting this summer. The stadium will be closed during this time, but the rest of Olympic Park will still be accessible.

This is the second time the roof has needed fixing after it tore in 1991. This one should last 50 years, said Proulx. 

WATCH | Montrealers know the story of the Big O, or the Big Owe, very well: 

Is Montreal's Olympic Stadium worth saving?

1 year ago

Duration 3:32

From an ambitious design that took a decade and a half to build, to the saga of the failing roof, Montrealers know the story of the Big O, or the Big Owe, very well. But despite its astronomical and ongoing cost, the story isn't likely to end.

Proulx said the stadium would finally "be able to reach its full potential." 

At the moment, the stadium has to stay closed between November and April due to snow. The fixed roof would allow it to be open year-round and host up to 150 events per year — up from the 30 or so it holds yearly.

Demolishing the Olympic Stadium was simply not an option as it would have to be dismantled "brick by brick" as to not damage the surrounding park and Metro line, which would cost about $2 billion, said Proulx. 

But Moshe Lander, a professor in the economics department at Concordia University, says it would still be a better idea to "put it out of its misery and knock it down."

Though it would cost more to do so, "it's only once," he said. 

Lander points out that construction projects never meet their deadlines. With inflation, labour costs, delays and unexpected factors, it could take twice as long and cost twice as much to replace the roof, he said.

The Olympic Stadium also doesn't have a tenant since major league baseball is not coming back, the Alouettes are not playing there and neither is Montreal's MLS soccer team. As for concerts, Lander says the acoustics of the "concrete bowl" aren't sound.

"Ask anyone who went to see Metallica there," he said. 

"I don't know how much attachment there is. We lovingly call it 'the Big Owe,' I don't think that's out of love. I think it's a sign of everything that's wrong with Montreal: cost overruns, corruption, delays, misuse of government funds," said Lander. 

"It's not a term of endearment, it's a term of embarrassment."