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Government announcement
23 April 2018

The Government of Québec unveils its very first real estate vision


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QUÉBEC CITY, April 23, 2018 – The Government of Québec’s real estate holdings are a source of collective wealth for all Quebecers. The government must ensure that it has a long-term vision to preserve and develop this asset for the benefit of citizens. It is therefore entrusting the Société québécoise des infrastructures (SQI), the Québec government’s real estate expert, with implementing the first-ever Québec real estate vision for the 2018-2023 period.

Thus, the SQI will:

  • Increase the size of real estate holdings by optimizing the ratio of owned to rented office space by March 31, 2023;
  • Prepare a 10-year long-term plan of the real estate needs of government ministries and agencies and conduct an annual review of needs;
  • Review the approval thresholds for acquiring and disposing of buildings for more transparent transactions;
  • Develop a new evaluation grid for government decisions to own or rent a building;
  • Improve the leasing of space by having more regular recourse to the market;
  • Introduce new workspace layouts in at least 50% of the total area of renovation projects that are 1,000 m2 or larger by March 31, 2023;
  • As project manager, ensure more effective management of public infrastructure projects with the goal of delivering better projects in a more timely fashion.

Quotes:

The coming years will require significant investments to maintain, renovate and build public infrastructure. It is the government’s duty to ensure that these investments are made with the utmost transparency and with public interests in mind so as to effectively contribute to the prosperity of Québec. The management of these investments, which are part of the collective wealth of all Quebecers, requires the intervention of teams of specialists that control the entire production and building management chain. They will be able to achieve the best benefits and savings for citizens.

– Pierre Arcand, Minister responsible for Government Administration and Ongoing Program Review and Chair of the Conseil du trésor

In its interactions with public bodies, the SQI acts as strategic advisor and project manager. The financial, contractual and technical advice it provides helps organizations specify their needs. This allows them to identify the best solutions to these needs and establish a framework for carrying them out, all while respecting the government’s priorities and the targets of the Québec Infrastructure Plan.

– Yves Ouellet, President and CEO of the Société québécoise des infrastructures

By adopting clear guidelines, the Québec government aims to make the management of public buildings a model of efficiency, diligence and innovation.

Link to the Government of Quebec’s 2018-2023 real estate vision