Five things to know about Quebec’s unique, two-week-long construction holiday

MONTREAL — It’s one of Quebec’s many idiosyncrasies that in the dog days of summer, when everyone wishes they were on holiday, virtually the entire construction industry and a good chunk of the rest of the province close up shop for two weeks.

On Sunday, Quebec’s annual construction holiday will officially begin. It’s a 50-year-old tradition unique to the province that has a major effect on the region’s tourism industry — and on its roads.

Here are five things to know about the construction holiday.

It started more than half a century ago

In 1970, the Quebec government mandated two weeks of summer vacation for construction workers across the province. The decree went into effect during the summer of 1971.

“This ensures better co-ordination on construction sites and among the different trades that must often be present at the same time to maintain the rhythm of work,” said Johanne Brunet, a public affairs adviser at the Quebec construction commission. “It allows for a better synergy of work.”

These days, the obligatory two-week vacation is enshrined in the construction industry’s collective agreements.

A lot of people will go on vacation

This year, almost 200,000 construction workers will be on holiday from July 21 to Aug. 3, and will receive more than $647 million in vacation pay, according to the construction commission.

The two-week break also has a ripple effect across the economy. Brunet said about 28 per cent of Quebec’s population will take vacation during the construction holiday, more than half of whom will spend their time off in the province.

A 2023 Quebec government survey found that Quebec City and the nearby Charlevoix region were the most popular tourist destinations for people travelling within the province.

It’s partly a question of safety

The two-week holiday comes at the hottest time of the year, Brunet explained. “It’s more and more of a health and safety issue with climate change,” she said. “It’s to give workers a break, because now, more and more, it’s not only those two weeks that are hot.”

There are exceptions

About 80 per cent of the construction workforce will be on holiday, but road work, civil engineering, emergency repairs and renovations can continue.

Brunet said Quebec’s construction industry is affected by an ongoing labour shortage, and workers have put in more than 200 million hours in each of the last two years.

There’s a second annual construction holiday in the winter, which stretches over Christmas and New Year’s Day.

The roads can be dangerous

Because of all the people heading out on vacation at the same time, the province’s automobile insurance board — Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec — is warning about a spike in car accidents at this time of year. Every year during the construction holiday, an average of 19 people are killed on the road, the agency says. Another 83 people are seriously injured and 1,466 people receive minor injuries.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 19, 2024.

Maura Forrest, The Canadian Press