Charles Milliard pledges to prioritize Cité-de-la-Santé expansion in Laval
Credit AGM MCL
Quebec Liberal Party leader Charles Milliard has pledged to make the expansion and modernization of Laval’s Cité-de-la-Santé Hospital a priority if his party wins the October 5 provincial election.
Speaking near the hospital on September 7, Milliard said he would move the project toward construction during a first Liberal mandate. The proposed first phase includes 108 additional medical and surgical beds and a new family centre with perinatal, neonatal, pediatric and mental health services.
A hospital facing capacity pressures
Cité-de-la-Santé is Laval’s only hospital, serving a city whose population is approaching 460,000. During the news conference, Milliard stated that Laval has 106 short-term care beds per 100,000 residents, compared with a Quebec average of 190.
According to figures published by Index Santé and consulted for the original report, Laval’s average stretcher occupancy rate over the previous 30 days was 163%. The previous day’s average stay was 7 hours and 40 minutes in the waiting room and 18 hours for patients on stretchers.
“Overcapacity has now become the norm,” Milliard said.
A project awaiting prioritization
The hospital modernization project was added to Quebec’s infrastructure plan in 2018. According to Santé Québec Laval, a first phase valued at $350 million was authorized in 2021, and its business case was submitted to the Treasury Board Secretariat in May 2024.
The project remains under study in the 2026–2036 Quebec Infrastructure Plan and is awaiting prioritization to advance to the planning phase.
Milliard acknowledged that the $350-million estimate would need to be updated. The PLQ has not provided a final cost or an opening date for the new facilities. Its commitment is to advance the project toward construction during a first mandate, not to complete the expansion within that period.
The Liberal leader also emphasized the need for workforce planning, stating that new hospital rooms must be accompanied by the professionals required to operate them.
Part of Laval’s broader infrastructure demands
The announcement follows Milliard’s August 19 visit to several Laval infrastructure sites alongside Mayor Stéphane Boyer as part of the “Laval veut sa juste part” campaign. The regional initiative also calls for the expansion of Collège Montmorency and the extension of the metro’s orange line.
Asked about financing, Milliard referred to the PLQ’s proposal to increase Quebec’s infrastructure plan to $195 billion over ten years beginning in 2027. No detailed funding allocation for Cité-de-la-Santé was announced.
The Liberal leader had also spent September 6 campaigning in Laval, meeting residents at the Fête de la famille and Liberal supporters at Centropolis.
