Quebec’s construction holiday begins this weekend

Construction sites across Quebec will go quiet this weekend as the province’s mandatory construction holiday gets underway, sending 200,000 workers home for two weeks.

This year, construction holiday will officially begin on July 19 and will end Aug. 1.

That said, most workers wrapped up their shifts by noon Friday.

According to the Commission de la construction du Québec (CCQ), workers logged 216 million hours on job sites across the province last year, translating into nearly $727 million in wages.

“The vacation is truly well-earned,” said Mélanie Malenfant, VP of communications, strategy and innovation at the CCQ.

According to the CCQ, this represents a 3 per cent increase from the previous year, setting a new record.

The CCQ says about 80 per cent of the industry’s workers and employers will be off.

However, not every sector is stopping.

Malenfant noted that civil engineering and road construction crews will continue working through the holiday, since their schedules are dictated by weather and the seasons.