Quebec government settles lawsuits over two large Montreal hospitals
MONTREAL — The Quebec government is paying $233 million to settle lawsuits over extra costs related to the construction of two large Montreal hospitals, including one that is at the centre of bribery allegations involving a former chief executive of SNC-Lavalin.
The province will pay $125 million to the Centre Hospitalier du Universite de Montreal (CHUM) and its partner, Collectif Sante Montreal (CSM). The group had claimed $367 million in its lawsuit.
Quebec will also pay $108 million to the McGill Health Real Estate Group, a partnership between SNC-Lavalin (TSX:SNC) and Innisfree Ltd., to settle the $360 million claim of two lawsuits over the McGill University Health Centre.
The first settlement was reached more than a year ago, but kept confidential to avoid interfering with the McGill suit. It covers two phases of the $3-billion downtown project. The first opened in September and a second one is to be completed in 2021.