Feds reject Quebec stone in favour of American to restore landmark Quebec City Citadelle

The Canadian Department of National Defence will usestones coming from the United States to restore Quebec City's historic Citadellefortress, despite the heritage site's original stone being available across the river inLvis.

Engineer and geologist Martin Anctilexcavates the Sillerysandstone, which has been used in many of thecity's centuries-old buildings,in hisLvisquarry.

Anctil says he was contacted by two contractors who applied to the call for tender, launched at the beginning of 2018. The contract has been estimated at $16.5 million.

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But the lowest bidder won the contract with its proposal to use an American bluestone from Pennsylvania.

"It's shameful, there's no other way to say it," Anctiltold Radio-Canada. "The spirit of that type of restoration has always been very clear: it is to use the construction's original stone when it is available."

The section of the Citadelle, built between 1820 and 1850, being restored is one of its four bastions, called the Bastion du roi, or King's Bastion.

Canadian standards call for use of original material

The Canadian standards for restoring national heritage sites, published on the government's website, callfor the use of original materials wherever possible.

It says to "replacein kindany extensively deteriorated or missing parts of character-defining elements, where there are surviving prototypes."

The guide defines "in kind" as "with the same form, material and detailing as seen in the existing elements."

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National defence said in a statement that the choice of American stone "meets all the requirements of the contract."

The three other masonry companies that proposed to use the original stone told Radio-Canada they would never have suggested using another material than theSillerysandstone.

Their price submissions were higher than the winning contract, but lower than DND's budget estimate.