The project, located between Dorchester, Caron, Sainte-Hélène and Saint-Vallier Est streets, provides for mixed-use buildings of 6 to 20 floors.
Listening to the community, the developer modified its plans in order to respond as much as possible to different requests.
In the latest version presented in October during a public consultation, Trudel reduced the number of floors of the future hotel, which will have 25 fewer rooms. In return, the developer increased the number of residential units.
The developer also added greening and changed certain materials to better integrate into the landscape.
Despite these adjustments, opinions remain divided. “Some want more underground parking, others less. Half ask to move the building back to Saint-Vallier to add trees. Others prefer to move it forward to widen the cycle path,” lists Trudel CEO William Trudel in an end-of-year interview with The Sun.
Ultimatum to the mayor
Exasperated, William Trudel calls on the mayor to take a decision. “I’m a big advocate of consultation, but at some point you can’t take into consideration the interests of every person.”
Mr. Trudel issues a clear warning to Bruno Marchand. Either the administration adopts the project, or the 100,000 square foot lot will remain a parking lot.
“Our project is of high quality. The international caliber hotel will bring tens of thousands of tourists to Saint-Roch. The grocery store will help lower the price of the grocery basket in the sector. Among the 400 residential units, there are many affordable and social housing units.”
— William Trudel, President and CEO of Trudel
“Humanly, corporately and financially, I am reaching the end of my abilities in this matter. At some point, I stop fighting against a windmill,” he warns.
Why such a blockage?
William Trudel does not understand why the Dorchester block project is so difficult to get underway.
“We applied exactly the same development method as the other projects. We are the same owners with the same desire to work with the community. Are capitalist interests disturbing in Saint-Roch?
— William Trudeau, President and CEO of Trudel
After a thunderous year in 2024, Trudel will begin construction at Galeries Charlesbourg in 2025. The developer will also launch phase two in Fleur de Lys.
The project at Fleur de Lys is progressing faster than expected. (Jocelyn Riendeau/Archives Le Soleil)
“For the next eight years, we are going to have 1000 units leased, 1000 units under construction and 1000 units delivered each year. At the end, we will have invested several billion dollars in our community,” rejoices William Trudel.
Too long delays
Regarding Place Quatre-Bourgeois, the developer says he is very happy with the final version of the project, which was adopted by the city council in the last few days.
But he would have preferred much shorter deadlines.
“As a city, we must do better than that in projects that have very good social acceptability. We bought in 2019, it took five years before we got the green light. We are not rich enough as a city to go without taxes for years. We are even less rich in terms of housing inventory.”
— William Trudel, President and CEO of Trudel
In Mr. Trudel’s opinion, housing is not a luxury, but an essential good. Among other things, he wants an improvement to Law 31, which makes it possible to speed up the issuance of construction permits.
“We saw the limits straight away. The law was not intended for mixed-use projects. But the big projects on the table in Quebec are all mixed use,” he explains.
And to achieve the objective of a zero homelessness policy, elected officials will have to facilitate the work of promoters, insists William Trudel.
FIVE QUESTIONS FOR A MAN OF ACTION
Q. Your projects include hotels. Are there any shortages of rooms in Quebec?
R. Absolutely. According to the Hoteliers Association, there is a shortage of around 1,000 rooms in Quebec. This lack pushes some visitors to choose other destinations, which represents a loss for our city. International tourists look for safe places, and Quebec meets this criterion perfectly. But we still need to be able to welcome them.
This is why we are launching a hotel division within Trudel. We plan to open four hotels on our sites in the next five years, in collaboration with an international brand. We will own it through a franchise model.
Q. What is your vision for the development of Quebec?
R. In recent years, economic development did not seem to be a priority in Quebec. That said, in 2024, we have felt a wind of change. Municipal authorities seem to want to go further. But there is still much to be done for the city to reach its full potential.
Q. Various elections are approaching. Do you receive calls?
R. Five years ago, I never would have imagined being a public figure. Today, I see that this is the case. I get calls to go into politics. But for now, I am fully committed to my role as President and CEO of Trudel Corporation.
We have large-scale projects worth several billion dollars in the Quebec region. Our company, which has 175 employees, should exceed 300 within a few years.
Q. Politics interests you. Is there anything you would like to change?
R. I like to act quickly and efficiently. When I look at politics, I often wonder about delays or inaction on certain issues.
I am a former police officer deployed to Haiti. Recently, a gang leader killed 184 people in Haiti, including 127 elders, under the pretext that they had cast a voodoo spell on his child. The international community did not react. Yet Haiti is in our backyard.
If I were a politician, I would do everything for Canada to take a stronger position. Stabilizing Haiti could help combat drug trafficking and strengthen security at the U.S. border. I do not understand the inaction of Prime Minister Trudeau and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mélanie Joly, in this matter.
If I ever enter politics, I would like to be able to make a real difference and improve the lives of many people.
Q. Do you have a grocery list for the 2025 municipal and 2026 provincial elections?
R. The transformation of the Laurentian highway into an urban boulevard is a project that has been dragging on for years. Redesigning this entrance to the city to make it more user-friendly would reconnect neighborhoods like Vanier, Limoilou, Saint-Roch, Saint-Sauveur and Pointe-aux-Lièvres. This would be a huge benefit for the population and a great way to revitalize these sectors.
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