5 Unique Facts About Quebec’s Construction Holiday

Construction workers on the site of the Réseau Express Métropolitain (REM), a major public transit project, in Brossard, Quebec, on May 11, 2020. Paul Chiasson/The Canadian Press

Quebec’s annual construction holiday kicked off this week, upholding a 54-year tradition that grants the province’s construction workers a two-week summer vacation.

The annual vacation period, which began July 21 and will run through Aug. 3, has a significant impact on the province as nearly the entire construction industry comes to a halt.

Here are five facts to know about the province’s construction holiday.

It’s a 54-Year Tradition

The 14-day summer vacation has expanded beyond the construction sector since its implementation in 1970.

The two-week paid holiday is guaranteed in construction industry collective agreements and applies across the industry, according to the Commission de la construction du Québec.

The time off  “ensures better coordination on construction sites and among the different trades that must often be present at the same time to maintain the rhythm of work,” said Johanne Brunet, a public affairs adviser at the Quebec construction commission. “It allows for a better synergy of work.”

It Impacts a Lot of People

More than 193,000 construction workers will receive in excess of $647 million in vacation pay during the two-week shutdown, according to the construction commission website.

That includes more than 51,000 workers in Laval, the Laurentides and Lanaudière regions, 41,000 in the Montérégie region, more than 32,000 in Quebec City, and 19,000 on Montreal Island.

The 14-day break has a significant impact on Quebec’s economy as roughly 28 percent of the population takes time off during the construction holiday, Ms. Brunet said, adding that more than half of those on vacation spend their time in the province.

A 2023 provincial survey found Quebec City and the nearby Charlevoix region were the most sought-after tourist destinations for people travelling within Quebec.

There are Exceptions

While approximately 80 percent of the construction workforce are using the next two weeks to relax, civil engineering and some emergency road work will continue, the construction commission said.

Despite a labour shortage in Quebec’s construction industry, workers have still managed to amass more than 200 million hours in each of the past two years, according to the commission’s website.

A second annual construction holiday is slated for this winter during the Christmas and New Year’s holidays.

It’s a Health and Safety Measure

The two-week summer break is slated for the hottest time of the year, Ms. Brunet said, adding that the holiday is just as much about health and safety as it is about upholding a tradition.

“It’s to give workers a break, because now, more and more, it’s not only those two weeks that are hot,” she said.

In Montreal this week, for instance, the Weather Network is predicting temperatures to be above 30 degrees each day with the humidex.

The Roads Can Be More Dangerous

Société de l'assurance automobile du Québec, the province’s automobile insurance board, says the two-week construction holiday coincides with an increase in car crashes each year.

An increase in the number of people on vacation within the province also results in more fatalities, the agency said. On average, 19 people are killed on the road during this period each year.

The Canadian Press contributed to this report.