Page 10 - Library and Archives Canada (LAC) New Preservation Centre (Gatineau 2)

Photo courtesy of Plenary Properties Gatineau.
Inc., PCL Constructors Eastern Inc., B+H Architects
and ENGIE Services Inc. PPG is responsible for the
construction of Library and Archives Canada’s (LAC)
new preservation facility, enhancements to LAC’s
existing preservation centre and maintenance of
both facilities for 30 years. The project's total cost
is estimated at $330 million, excluding the cost of
operating and maintaining the two facilities over 30
years.
Ethier says the federal government has had limited
experience utilizing Public-Private Partnership
infrastructure projects in the past. However, Ethier
believes it was worth it. She says all the studies
and consultations the government conducted
in advance, combined with the experts they
hired, drove Library and Archives Canada's new
presentation centre project forward.
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"Considering that we wanted the greenest facility
possible along with a preservation facility that was
huge, it was a challenge," Ethier says. "The design
and the construction are done in parallel in a P3
because they have a certain completion time that
they have to follow... you don't have time for red
tape. You need to have strong governance to push
issues forward and resolve them as quickly as
possible."
When asked which aspect of the project she's most
proud of, Ethier cites outstanding teamwork, leading to
innovative solutions. "I'm so proud of our team," Ethier
says. "They've done exceptional work, setting the tone
for future P3s and the Government of Canada," Ethier
says her office gets many phone calls from different
organizations nationally and internationally, asking
about lessons learned during the New Preservation
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