The Legault government says it will study the business case for the Olympic Park in January, and only then will it reveal the cost of a potential replacement of the stadium's roof, Quebec Tourism Minister Caroline Proulx said on Wednesday.

Arriving at the weekly cabinet meeting, Proulx refused to confirm information from 'La Presse,' which reported that it will cost taxpayers at least $750 million to replace the roof of the Olympic Stadium.

"We'll be able to study it somewhere in January, and then we'll come back to you with the cost, the timetable and everything else involved in the potential replacement of the roof. The decision will be made by the Council of Ministers in January," said Proulx.

In October, Premier François Legault said he believed a new roof should be installed. He said he wanted to restore the Olympic Stadium to its former glory, even though he knew the operation would be costly.

The current roof has already passed the end of its lifespan. In 2017, Philippe Couillard's Liberal government announced that it would be replaced at a cost of $200 to $250 million, with delivery in 2022.

In 2019, however, the timetable was postponed to 2024, citing the complexity of the project. No new timeline or delivery date has been set.

On Wednesday, Proulx said that there were currently 20,000 tears in the roof of the Olympic Stadium.

"If we wait any longer, within a year or two, the Olympic Stadium will be closed altogether," she warned.

She added, however, that she did not wish to "pre-empt" the Council of Ministers' decision.

The Olympic Park announced on Tuesday that it was starting a round of exploratory work necessary for the upcoming repairs to the stadium, which will deprive CF Montreal of its usual home for its first MLS matches in 2024.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Dec. 13, 2023.