If you buy commercial cleaning in the Montréal region, the price floor of your contract is not set only by the market. A provincial decree, the Décret sur le personnel d'entretien d'édifices publics de la région de Montréal, fixes minimum wage rates, working conditions and pension contributions for building maintenance employees, and a joint committee enforces it. Any quote that cannot cover those obligations is either built on hours that will not be delivered or on a contractor that is not following the rules.
This guide explains what the decree is, who it applies to, and how to use it when you compare bids or renew a contract.
What the decree is
Québec is one of the few places in North America where some industries have wages set by a collective agreement decree. Under the Act respecting collective agreement decrees (Loi sur les décrets de convention collective, chapter D-2), the government can take terms negotiated between employers and unions in a sector and extend them to every employer in that sector and territory, unionized or not.
Building maintenance in the Montréal region is one of those sectors. The decree for public building maintenance staff sets, among other things:
- minimum hourly rates by job class, which are higher than the general Québec minimum wage;
- rules on hours of work, overtime, statutory holidays and paid vacation;
- employer contributions to a sector retirement plan;
- record keeping and reporting obligations for employers.
The Comité paritaire de l'entretien d'édifices publics, région de Montréal (the joint committee, made up of employer and employee representatives) administers the decree. It collects levies, audits payroll records, and can claim unpaid wages on behalf of employees.
The decree is amended from time to time, usually to raise wage rates. A request to amend it was published in the Gazette officielle du Québec in December 2024, so it is worth checking the current consolidated text rather than relying on an old rate sheet.
"Public buildings" does not mean government buildings
The name confuses a lot of property managers. In this context, "public building" is much broader than a city hall or a school. The decree is aimed at maintenance work in buildings used by the public or by businesses: office towers, commercial buildings, retail spaces, institutional buildings and similar properties within the territory it covers.
What usually matters in practice:
- Where the building is. The decree applies inside a defined territory centred on Montréal. If your property is on the island, in Laval or on part of the North or South Shore, check whether the address falls inside it before assuming either way.
- Who does the work. It applies to employers whose employees perform building maintenance, which includes contract cleaning companies serving offices and commercial sites.
- What kind of work. Routine janitorial tasks such as vacuuming, washing floors, emptying bins and cleaning washrooms are the core of it. Some specialized work may be classified differently, so ask the contractor how they classify each task.
If you are unsure whether your site is covered, the joint committee can answer that question directly.
Why it changes the price of your contract
Labour is the largest cost in any cleaning contract. When the decree raises the minimum rate, every compliant contractor's cost goes up on the same date. That has a few consequences for buyers:
- There is a real floor under hourly pricing. A contractor's billed rate has to cover the decree wage, the retirement plan contribution, payroll taxes, CNESST premiums, vacation and holiday pay, supervision, supplies, equipment, insurance and margin. If a bid works out to an effective hourly rate barely above the decree wage itself, something in that list is missing.
- Price increases at renewal are often legitimate. When a contractor asks for an adjustment after a decree amendment, that request is tied to a published legal obligation, not just a negotiating position.
- Very low bids carry compliance risk. A company that underpays staff or misclassifies work can be audited and ordered to pay back wages. Turnover tends to be high in those situations too, and the building is the one that feels it.
For typical price ranges by building type, the pricing calculator gives a starting point that you can then adjust for your scope.
How to read a quote with the decree in mind
You do not need to become a payroll expert to use this information. A few practical checks go a long way:
Convert the quote to hours
Ask every bidder for the number of labour hours per visit or per week that their price is based on. Divide the labour portion of the monthly price by the monthly hours. If one bidder's effective rate is far below the others, ask how they reach it.
Ask how decree increases are handled
Your contract should say what happens when the decree changes during the term. Common approaches:
- an automatic adjustment equal to the percentage change in the decree rate, applied to the labour share of the price;
- a fixed annual increase that already includes expected decree changes;
- a renegotiation clause triggered by any wage change above a stated threshold.
The first option is the most transparent. Whatever you choose, write it down. Disputes about mid-term increases are one of the most common reasons cleaning contracts end badly.
Confirm registration and coverage
A contractor working in the decree territory should be registered with the joint committee and with the CNESST. You can also ask for proof of liability insurance. Simple Service is CNESST registered, carries $5M in general liability insurance with a
Look at the scope, not just the rate
A compliant hourly rate means nothing if the scope is unclear. Make sure the quote lists tasks by frequency (daily, weekly, monthly, periodic) so you can tell whether the hours make sense for the work. Our commercial cleaning page lays out how a typical program is structured.
When the decree matters most
The decree is relevant to every contract in the territory, but it becomes a live issue in a few situations:
- Tendering a new contract. A formal call for tenders should require bidders to confirm compliance with the decree and to state their hours. This keeps the comparison fair.
- Switching contractors. If you change providers, ask how the new contractor will staff the site from day one and whether the hours match the old contract.
- Multi-year contracts. Over three to five years, decree amendments can add up. A clear adjustment clause protects both sides.
- Night and weekend work. Premiums for evening, overnight or weekend hours affect pricing. Ask whether the quote includes them for your schedule.
Frequently asked questions
Does the Montréal building maintenance decree apply to office buildings?
If the building is inside the decree's territory and the cleaning is done by an employer whose staff perform building maintenance, it very likely does. The term "public building" covers offices and commercial properties, not only government sites. The joint committee can confirm coverage for a specific address.
Is the decree wage the same as the Québec minimum wage?
No. The decree sets its own hourly rates by job class, and they are higher than the general minimum wage set under the Act respecting labour standards. Employers also owe contributions to a sector retirement plan on top of wages.
Can a cleaning company raise prices in the middle of a contract because of the decree?
Only if the contract allows it. Many commercial cleaning contracts in Montréal include a clause that passes decree increases through to the labour portion of the price. If yours does not, the contractor would need to negotiate, so it is better to settle this before signing.
How can you tell if a cleaning bid is too low to be compliant?
Ask for the labour hours behind the price and work out the effective hourly rate. That rate has to cover the decree wage plus retirement contributions, payroll taxes, CNESST, vacation, supervision, supplies and insurance. A bid that leaves little room above the bare wage deserves a closer look.
Get a quote built on real hours
Every Simple Service proposal shows the scope by frequency and the hours behind it, so you can compare it line by line with other bids. Tell us about your building on the contact page and we will prepare a quote for your site.