Montreal General tops list of Quebec hospitals in desperate need of repairs

A new assessment of Quebec’s hospital network has revealed a grim reality: the state of the province’s medical infrastructure is worse than ever before, with the number of buildings in poor condition more than doubling in the past year.

According to data updated by Santé Québec and compiled by Radio-Canada, 38 per cent of the province’s 594 hospital buildings were considered to be in “poor” (rated D) or “very poor” (rated E) condition by the beginning of 2026.

Overall, the number of dilapidated buildings increased from about 100 in early 2025 to 227 a year later.

As a result, the cost of repairing the network has exploded. The property maintenance deficit for hospitals, which was about $900 million last year, has now exceeded $2 billion.

epicenter of the earthquake montreal

Nearly half of the province’s most dilapidated hospitals are located in Montreal. Topping the list of most serious cases is Montreal General Hospital, followed by Douglas Mental Health University Institute. Location of recently burst water pipes.

Just last year, Montreal General received a “B” rating, indicating it is in good condition. This year, its status dropped to “E”, the lowest possible grade, whereby the infrastructure is considered to be in “very poor” condition.

“This is a really serious situation,” said Colleen Timm, executive director of the McGill University Health Center (MUHC).

Tim revealed that there have been 260 water leaks at the hospital since the beginning of 2024, many of which have had a direct impact on patient care.

He said the building’s entire plumbing and electrical systems needed to be replaced. The hospital’s maintenance deficit is estimated at $249 million.

a provincewide problem

While Montreal General is a vivid example, it is far from the only facility in crisis.

Sainte-Quebec figures show that the Douglas Mental Health Institute in Montreal, the Hotel-deu de Québec in Quebec City and the Saint-Jérôme regional hospital each need about $100 million in repairs.

Sonia Dugas, vice-president of finance at Sainte-Québec, called the rapid decline of the network “alarming.”

He explained that the sudden increase in poor ratings is partly due to a long-pending update of the province’s infrastructure data.

“This is work that was not done for many years – to properly evaluate (the buildings) so we can prioritize and manage the budget for an updated picture,” he said.

Dugas said the province needs to ensure its older buildings are properly maintained before building new buildings.

The financial backlog is huge. Sainte-Quebec currently has a maintenance budget of $1 billion, but Dugas believes the actual cost of making the necessary repairs will be at least double that amount.

Look A pipe burst in Douglas, causing major damage:

Flood cleanup begins at Montreal’s Douglas Hospital. Employees worry it could take weeks

A pipe burst at the Douglas Mental Health University Institute in Montreal flooded nearly half of its research building, according to staff. The regional health authority blames the cold weather and aging infrastructure.