Busy construction year in Quebec nets workers $617 million in vacation pay

Construction activity in Quebec was high, earning workers $617 million in vacation pay in 2023. Workers are seen on a condo tower under construction as a completed one towers behind it in Coquitlam, B.C., on Tuesday, May 16, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

The Quebec Construction Commission (CCQ) has just sent out 192,522 "vacation pay" cheques in advance of the construction holiday starting in less than a month. They total nearly $617 million.

This year, the traditional "construction holiday" will run from July 23 to Aug. 5.

Employers are responsible for paying the CCQ the holiday and vacation pay stipulated in the collective agreements, on a monthly basis.

The sums now being paid to workers were accumulated between July and December 2022 in the obligatory annual vacation pay and statutory holiday fund, which is administered by the commission.

The sum of $617 million is higher than the $553 million collected the previous year.

The increase is explained by constant high levels of activity on Quebec construction sites. This "exceeded forecasts in 2022, reaching 210.2 million hours" of work, the CCQ reported.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on June 26, 2023.