Peter Black

May 29, 2024

Local Journalism Initiative reporter 

peterblack@qctonline.com 

A massive former Quebec government building near the St. Charles River had been slated to be demolished. Instead, next year, once extensive renovation work is completed on the abandoned former headquarters of the Commission des normes, de l’équité, de la santé et de la sécurité du travail (CNESST), some 208 apartments will be added to the housing stock of the Vanier district.

The family-owned company Les Immeubles Simard acquired the five-storey structure in 2017, shortly after the CNESST announced plans to move its headquarters to a brand-new building in the D’Estimauville neighbourhood. 

The initial plan had been to demolish the building, opened in 1970, which had become a money pit for renovation work. According to media reports at the time, a $130 million project to upgrade and expand the structure had to be abandoned in 2016 due to cracks in its foundation. Some $20 million had already been spent.

The Simards had to wait five years for the CNESST to move into its new digs in 2022 to be able to start work on their project, which, company executive Jean-Michel Simard told the QCT, was initially imagined as an office building.

The pandemic changed that thinking, and the company, in partnership with construction giant Ogesco, shifted the focus to residential units, which involved transforming an office complex and rehabilitation centre into apartments.

Assured that there were no foundation issues for their project, work to gut the building and bring it up to code began in earnest a year ago, Simard said. Because of the configuration of the building, the units, ranging in size from 3 ½ to 5 ½, will be a different style, capitalizing on the high ceilings, long and narrow width and tall windows.

The marketing material on the website for Le Rivero, the project’s name, reflecting its proximity to the Saint-Charles River, describes the units as New York-style, “characterized by distinctive elements such as exposed concrete and large windows.”

Most of the units will feature what are called loggia, year-round enclosed balconies, heated in the winter and “open to the outside” in the summer. The rent ranges from $1,195 a month for the smaller units to a minimum of $2,295 a month for the larger ones.

The rental office for Le Rivero opened last week and Simard said the response has been very strong. “We’re looking at a market that wants something different,” noting that the apartments on offer have rents competitive with less distinctive units of the same size.  

Apartments completed in the first three phases of the project are slated for June 2025 occupancy, Simard said.

The complex includes amenities such as an indoor and outdoor swimming pool, an interior pickleball court, a landscaped courtyard and a lounge area. 

Simard said that besides the attractive features of the rental units, the big selling point is the building’s location on the St. Charles River and in a section of Vanier undergoing major redevelopment.

Simard said the company has other plans in the works for future phases of the development. 

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This image shows how the former CNESST headquarters in Vanier will be transformed into 208 rental units.  

Image from Graphsynergie

Large windows allow for the creation of year-round loggia rooms, available in many of the units in Le Rivero. 

Image by Étienne Dumas, 3D artist