Quebec City Construction Holiday: 5 Things to Know About the Tradition

It is one of Quebec’s many peculiarities that on the hottest days of summer, when everyone would really like to be on vacation, virtually the entire construction sector and much of the rest of the province close down for two weeks.

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

Five things you need 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 in the province. The decree went into effect in the summer of 1971.

“This allows for better coordination on construction sites and between the different professionals who often have to be present at the same time to maintain the work rhythm,” says Johanne Brunet, public affairs advisor at the Quebec Construction Commission. “It allows for better synergy of work.”

Nowadays, the mandatory two weeks of vacation is laid down in the collective labor agreements of the construction sector.

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Many people go on holiday

According to the building commission, nearly 200,000 construction workers will be on vacation from July 21 to August 3 this year and will receive more than $647 million in holiday pay.

The two-week pause will also have a knock-on effect on the economy. Brunet said about 28 percent of Quebec’s population will take vacations during the construction holiday, with more than half of them spending their free time 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 matter of safety

The two-week holiday falls at the hottest time of the year, Brunet explained. “It’s increasingly 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 just those two weeks that are hot.”

There are exceptions

About 80 percent of construction workers are on vacation, but roadworks, civil engineering, emergency repairs and renovations can continue.

According to Brunet, Quebec’s construction sector is facing a persistent labor shortage, with workers working more than 200 million hours each of the past two years.

There is a second annual winter construction holiday, which runs from Christmas through New Year’s Day.

The roads can be dangerous

With so many people taking vacations at the same time, the provincial auto insurance board — Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec — is warning of an increase in the number of car accidents at this time of year.

According to the agency, an average of 19 people die on the road each year during the construction holiday, another 83 are seriously injured and 1,466 are slightly injured.