Ready to shape Greater Montréal’s future?
Join us on May 4, 2026, at the Palais des congrès de Montréal for the 20th edition of the Strategic Forum on Major Projects. Each year, this landmark event gathers public leaders, business executives, developers, investors, and innovators to explore the projects driving the future of the metropolis.
For two decades, the Forum has served as a leading platform for showcasing and discussing the major projects that have shaped Montréal. This anniversary edition continues that legacy, with a focus on current and future projects, the decisions ahead, and the conditions needed to move them forward more quickly.
Housing, infrastructure, mobility, major assets, and project delivery conditions will be at the heart of the discussions. Special attention will also be given to technology and applied innovation, including artificial intelligence, data, smart infrastructure, and construction productivity, which are now key drivers for accelerating project delivery.
Political addresses, announcements, expert panels, and case studies will offer participants a clear understanding of priorities, opportunities, and concrete levers to engage in the major projects that will transform Greater Montréal in the years ahead.
Conferences and transformative projects
See, understand, and anticipate the city of tomorrow
Attend conferences, panels, and presentations highlighting the projects transforming Montréal. Discussions will explore topics such as housing, infrastructure, innovation, technology, and the key drivers of the smart city.
Smart networking
The right conversations at the right time
Take advantage of dedicated moments to expand your network throughout the day, from registration to the networking breaks. To facilitate meaningful and targeted exchanges, the Forum relies on an intelligent matchmaking tool.
By registering, you will gain access to the our networking platform, which allows you to identify and schedule meetings with relevant partners, experts, and decision-makers both before and during the event, as well as access the networking lounge.
Exhibition space
Discover field-tested solutions
Explore a dedicated exhibitor area enhanced for the 20th edition and connect with exhibitors from real estate, urban development, and technology sectors. Leave with concrete ideas, valuable contacts, and potential collaboration opportunities.
Program overview
8:00 a.m. ‒ Doors Open
8:30 a.m. – Welcome Remarks
Ceremony Host
8:35 a.m. – Opening Remarks
8:40 a.m. – Political discussion
8:55 a.m. – Downtown Montréal: Legacy, change, and future directions
Explore the evolution of downtown and discuss solutions to improve the experience, encourage mixed-use development, and adapt real estate to changing realities.
9:10 a.m. – Namur–Hippodrome District: GALOPH, a major urban project in progress
Explore the challenges, decisions, and success factors surrounding the development of the GALOPH project.
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Pierre Boivin C.C., C.Q.
Co-Chair of GALOPH
Vice Chairman of the Board, Claridge Inc.
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Claude Carette
Assistant General Manager – Urban Planning, Mobility and Infrastructure
Ville de Montréal
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Clément Demers, O.Q.
Project Director, GALOPH
Architect and Urban Planner
BLOCK 1
BLOCK
1
Real estate development and infrastructure maintenance: Removing barriers, accelerating solutions
In response to housing pressures, this session opens a strategic dialogue on how to accelerate residential development in Greater Montréal. Discussions will explore regulatory, financial, and operational levers to overcome barriers and bring project delivery across the metropolis.
9:30 a.m. - Facilitating access to homeownership
Discover how new tools and mechanisms can support access to homeownership and create more accessible pathways for the next generation.
9:45 a.m - Mobility at the heart of major projects
Explore the role of mobility as a lever for urban transformation and the conditions required to deliver the major projects of tomorrow.
10:00 a.m - From design to construction: Taking concrete action on productivity
Explore key levers to improve construction productivity, from project organization to accelerating project delivery.
10:10 a.m - Infrastructure crisis: Acting now to avoid tomorrow’s fracture (and bill)
Aging infrastructure, complex decisions: the Ordre is putting forward strategies to improve planning and intervention across Quebec.
10:25 a.m. – Networking Break
11:00 a.m. - Subsidized and Affordable Housing: A Key Lever to Reduce Precarity and Improve Safety
Discover a new study presented by Centraide and McKinsey & Company highlighting the impact of inaction on housing and its consequences for the development of the metropolis, as well as the importance of acting now to meet current and future needs.
11:15 a.m. - Rethinking student housing: Innovative collaboration models
Dive into concrete examples and current insights on developing sustainable and inclusive student living environments, as well as partnerships, and discover student housing projects underway and on the horizon.
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Laurent Levesque
CEO
UTILE
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Charles Nadeau
Vice-President for Administration, Finance and Digital Transformation
Université du Québec
11:30 a.m - Political Address
11:45 a.m. - Political discussion
11:55 a.m. - Carré Laval: When Urban Development Aligns with Mixed-Use and Accessibility
Review the progress of development projects in Laval and the region, and the approaches being used to meet affordable housing needs.
12:10 p.m. - From Insight to Action: Bringing About the Conditions for Success
An interactive exercise designed to transform a shared assessment into clear, actionable conditions for success.
12:30 p.m. – Lunch Break and Networking
Enjoy a break to network and explore the exhibition areas.
BLOCK 2
BLOCK
2
Major projects, major assets: Pillars of Greater Montréal’s growth and influence
This block will highlight major structuring projects that are shaping Greater Montréal’s attractiveness and competitiveness. Through strategic hubs and iconic infrastructure, neighbourhood revitalization efforts, and major urban projects, discussions will focus on the ability of these places to attract investment, talent, tourism, and events, as well as the key conditions needed to accelerate their development and transformation.
1:20 p.m. - Montréal’s attractiveness: Strengths, challenges, and priorities
Explore the dynamics shaping Montréal’s attractiveness and the priorities to consider in the coming years.
1:35 p.m. - Major infrastructure projects as drivers of Montréal’s influence and growth
Review the role of major infrastructure projects in Montréal’s development, attractiveness, and influence, and the visions shaping their future evolution.
1:55 p.m - Transforming Montréal’s neighbourhoods through mural art
Explore concrete examples where mural art supports revitalization efforts and helps redefine the identity of Montréal’s neighbourhoods.
2:00 p.m - Quartier des Spectacles: A key metropolitan asset
Discover why preserving the assets of the Quartier des Spectacles is a strategic priority for downtown, visitors, and the urban legacy of the metropolis.
2:10 p.m - When infrastructure becomes a lever for social impact
Discover emerging approaches that leverage the built environment and infrastructure to support social action and communities.
2:25 p.m - Metropolitan mobility: Findings and outlook
Explore the results of a mobility study designed to support thinking on transport planning and metropolitan development.
2:40 p.m - YUL Montréal–Trudeau Airport: More accessible and better connected
With investments of over 10 billion dollars to enhance the capacity of both landside and airside infrastructure, YUL will undergo a major transformation over the next 10 years. Join us to discover how Aéroports de Montréal, its teams, and its partners are building the airport of tomorrow.
2:55 p.m - Longueuil: Innovation Driving Metropolitan Development
Explore how the airport hub and aerospace innovation zone support economic growth and strengthen the region’s attractiveness.
3:15 p.m. - The 1976 Montréal Olympic Games: Drivers of urban development and international influence
Dive into the architectural legacy of the 1976 Olympic Games, highlighted by the exhibition currently on view at the McCord Stewart Museum, and explore the current relevance of these iconic infrastructures.
BLOCK 3
BLOCK
3
Transforming the metropolis: Innovation, technology, and local expertise driving performance
Today, technological innovation has become an essential lever for building more efficient, resilient, and connected cities. Discussions will focus on digital solutions and smart infrastructure that modernize the planning, management, and execution of major projects, while strengthening the metropolis’s sustainability and adaptability in the face of climate, social, and economic challenges.
3:25 p.m - Innovating in Montréal: Concrete solutions to transform the city, presented by the Ville de Montréal
With the support of the Ville de Montréal, discover innovative Montréal-based companies that are helping transform the way we design, build, and evolve the city. In just a few minutes, each presentation will highlight concrete approaches in areas such as smart buildings and construction, infrastructure resilience, smart mobility, and other urban innovations that contribute to a more efficient and sustainable metropolis.
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Louise Morgan
Executive VP and Partner
Archidata
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Simon Emery
Business Development & Account Director
BusPas Inc.
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Eddy Dureuil
Vice-president
Ecotime
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Francis Mercier
COO and Cofounder
Munera Intelligence
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Myriam Lamouni
Projet Director – Industrial and Commercial Collective Real Estate
PME MTL Centre-Est, Pallier
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Gaëlle Généreux
Project Manager – Local Economic Development
PME MTL Centre-Est, Pallier
3:40 p.m. - The Future of Event Tourism Is Being Built Through Our Infrastructure and Destination
Discover how Parc Jean-Drapeau is strengthening Montréal’s event attractiveness by evolving its infrastructure to better meet the needs of the city’s cultural and events industries.
3:55 p.m - When innovation transforms municipal action
Dive into the innovation and artificial intelligence levers deployed by the Ville de Montréal to transform municipal action and improve service performance.
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Alexandre Teodoresco
Member of the Executive Committee
Responsible for Artificial Intelligence, Innovation, and Municipal Performance Optimization
City Councillor
Loyola District, Borough of Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce
Ville de Montréal
4:10 p.m - Closing Remarks
4:15 p.m -Closing Cocktail
A must-see exhibition space
Explore Montréal’s innovation where it translates into concrete solutions. In the exhibition space, several booths will allow you to discover practical approaches, engage with field experts, and leave with actionable ideas for your projects.
Featured exhibitors:
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Innovative solutions, presented by the Ville de Montréal
Discover a showcase of diverse solutions featuring more than 10 companies from Montréal’s ecosystem, designed to meet the needs of local organizations, particularly in construction management, smart mobility, smart buildings, and urban resilience.
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MU
Highlighting 20 years of creation at the heart of Montréal, MU showcases the link between mural art, territorial vitality, and space revitalization, through projects that leave a lasting mark on neighbourhoods and downtown.
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And many more exhibitors to discover