April 1 to June 30, 2022: Quarterly progress report on the Centre Block project

We are restoring and modernizing the Centre Block. We are also designing and building the Parliament Welcome Centre. It is the largest and most complex heritage rehabilitation ever seen in Canada. We estimate the cost to be between $4.5 billion and $5 billion. The targeted completion date is between 2030 and 2031.

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Project health

The following graph provides a snapshot of the project health based on approved cost, scope and schedule, each ranging from 0 (low impact of affecting the project) to 10 (high impact of affecting the project), within the reporting period.

A chart representing project health. See long description below.
Text version for project health graph

Project health is represented by 3 elements: scope, cost and schedule. Each element’s status ranges from 0 to 10, where:

  • 0 to 4 represents the project progressing in line with the planned approved cost, scope and schedule within the reporting period
  • 5 to 8 represents the project progressing but experiencing challenges that may impact the cost, scope and schedule within the reporting period
  • 9 to 10 represents the project progressing but experiencing challenges that have a high likelihood of impacting the cost, scope and schedule within the reporting period

Current status:

  • Overall, the project is progressing in line with the planned approved cost, scope and schedule with a rating of 4
  • Scope is in line with the planned approved scope with a rating of 1
  • Cost is in line with the planned approved cost at rating of 1
  • Schedule is in line with the planned approved schedule with a rating of 6

Over the past 5 months, the project has experienced 2 major work stoppages due to the February convoy demonstrations and the May trade strikes. Each event resulted in a near shut down of the site for many weeks, impacting construction momentum and productivity.

Construction progress

Current construction activities for the Centre Block project.

Excavation of the Parliament Welcome Centre

In spring 2020, excavation of the new Parliament Welcome Centre began. To date, about 30,000 truckloads of bedrock have been removed.

How we are excavating to build the Parliament Welcome Centre

Status: Experienced some delays

Completion: 68% complete

Demolition and abatement

Demolition and abatement activities at the Centre Block are well underway. Demolition and abatement activities only begin once heritage features are either carefully removed or protected in place. To date, about 8.5 million kilograms (19 million pounds) of hazardous materials have been removed.

Preparing the interior of the building

Status: Experienced some delays

Completion: 70% complete

Masonry conservation

We are restoring and repairing the masonry exterior of the Centre Block and have already started on the north façade.

Preparing the exterior of the building

Status: Experienced some delays

Overall completion: 6% complete

North wall completion: 27% complete

Latest progress on the Centre Block project

Cost update

Spending to date on the Centre Block project is $410 million.

The overall budget was established based on a cost report. The report was provided by an independent consultant who validated the method we used to establish cost for the construction.

Dollars spent against dollars budgeted (in billions of dollars)

A bar chart showing dollars spent against dollars budgeted. See data table below.

Financial data as of June 15, 2022.

Text version of Dollars spent against dollars budgeted graph
Dollars spent against dollars budgeted
  Spent to date Budget
Centre Block and
Parliament Welcome Centre
$410,000,000 $4,500,000,000 to $5,000,000,000

Key milestones

The timeline below illustrates the major milestones we are working on this year.

A timeline from June 2021 to 2031, with major milestones marked along the way. See long description below.
Text version of key milestones

June 2021

  • Approve cost, scope and schedule

2022

  • Remove carillon bells (complete)
  • Finalize schematic design (complete)
  • Install the “trompe l’oeil” decorative tarps (complete on the north façade)
  • Begin removing the floor on level 1
  • Obtain federal land use approval
  • Start excavating the courtyard and basement
  • Conserve heritage assets
  • Start scaffolding work on the east and west façades
  • Complete the main excavation for the Parliament Welcome Centre

2023

  • Drill to install geothermal piping
  • Complete the demolition and abatement
  • Start building the main concrete structure for the Parliament Welcome Centre

2030 to 2031

  • Complete main construction

Project spotlight

Each quarter, we highlight an element of work being done on the Centre Block or Parliament Welcome Centre.

Roof

The Centre Block’s new roof has been designed to make space for modern building systems. It will cover the courtyards that used to be open to the elements. This will increase the building’s useable space and make it more sustainable. The design respects the historic roof profile, which means you will not see a big difference if you look at the building from the street. An independent design review panel endorsed the design.

View enlarged image of the architectural drawing of the Centre Block with a glass roof over the courtyards

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