Minister doesn't yet know cost to replace deteriorating Montreal Olympic Stadium roof

Quebec Tourism Minister Caroline Proulx says she's not able to say how much it would cost to replace the deteriorating roof of Montreal's Olympic Stadium. Proulx said today cabinet will study the issue in January, declining to comment on a report in Montreal's La Presse that said replacing the roof will cost at least $750 million.

Premier François Legault said in October that the stadium will need a new roof and that he wants to restore the venue to its former glory. It will be a major task, as Proulx says there are now more than 20,000 tears in the stadium's roof.

A 2017 plan by the pervious Liberal government to replace the roof by 2022, with an estimated cost of between $200 million and $250 million, was postponed in 2019.

Parc Olympique, which manages the stadium, announced on Tuesday that a round of exploratory work related to the potential roof replacement will force the closure of the stadium's playing field for months.