Bell Canada installs its head office on the Island’s north point

The Bell Campus along the Bonaventure autoroute, on the Island, will be comprised of three six- to eight-floor buildings, which will occupy approximately 55,000 square feet of land. Bell CEO, Michael Sabia, will have his office there, as well as other main managers.

During a telephone interview, vice-president, Ventes Grandes Entreprises, for Quebec and the Public Sector, Claude Rousseau, spoke to Le Magazine about this important project. He explained that the future building will house employees who are currently working in four different locations and it will be very beneficial to have them all in one building.

He also stated that environmental factors also played a major role in the decision. Proximity to the river and the prestige of I.D.S. were also important elements. The new buildings will comply with the LEED norms (Leadership in environmental and energy design), which means that a number of conditions must be respected, with regards to the protection of green spaces and energy conservation. The 1,600 parking spaces will be located in an underground parking. Emphasis will also be placed on public transit and a free shuttle bus will be made available to employees, between the train and the metro.

It’s expected that many Bell employees might take advantage of the exceptional quality of life that can be found here and make their homes on the Island. Without divulging all details of the agreement, Mr. Rousseau revealed that a long-term lease has been established between Canderel (Proment) and Bell. The developer will build the buildings according to the specifications of the tenants.

It is expected that occupation of the new buildings will take place sometime at the end of 2008, because that’s when the leases of the buildings Bell employees are currently housed in, come to an end.

Construction is expected to commence soon and it’s imperative that the new access routes, announced previously by the City of Montreal, materialize as soon as possible. It’s already known that this work will result in a new entrance and exit for the Island. New roundabouts will also become necessary, on the north point.

In another article, Le Magazine will be presenting mayor Trudel’s comments to this news, as well as Proment president, Samuel Gewurz, will be sharing his thoughts on the project.