Work has resumed Monday morning at the Réseau express métropolitain (REM) Marie-Curie station in Montreal after contractor NouvLR had its licence suspended by the Régie du bâtiment du Québec (RBQ). Following news of the suspension last week, some REM workers were sent home, while others were transferred to different construction sites, according to information provided to The Canadian Press. In an email exchange on Friday, NouvLR’s communications team explained that “the licence authorizing certain specialized work had been revoked due to an administrative mix-up” and “the situation is being resolved.” For its part, the RBQ confirmed via email that NouvLR’s licence had been suspended because the contractor no longer met the requirements of Section 71. Under the Act respecting Access to documents held by public bodies and the Protection of personal information, the RBQ is not authorized to disclose the reason why a licence is invalidated. NouvLR declined interview requests from The Canadian Press. Under Section 71 of the Building Act, a contractor’s licence may be revoked for several reasons, including if a contractor is late in paying the licence maintenance fees. The “administrative mix-up” has since been resolved, with the construction site reopening and work resuming at the Marie-Curie station. NouvLR is a consortium comprising AtkinsRéalis, Dragados Canada, Groupe Aecon Québec, Pomerleau and EBC. The opening of the Marie-Curie station has been repeatedly postponed. It was first supposed to open in 2023, before being pushed back to 2024 and then 2025. The station, located in the Technoparc near the Montréal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport, is now scheduled for late 2027. This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Oct. 26, 2026.
