A laboratory expansion by Altasciences in Laval is landing just as a new CBRE report points to renewed momentum in Montreal’s life-sciences property market.

The market slowed sharply in 2025 as biotechnology companies conserved cash and avoided long-term commitments, CBRE said. But leasing activity began to pick up during the first half of 2026.

Altasciences added to that momentum Aug. 11, announcing plans to add 4,000 square feet to its bioanalytical laboratory at 575 Armand-Frappier Blvd. The new space is expected to be operating by the end of the third quarter of 2026.

“Our clients are bringing increasingly complex molecules into development, and that is driving unprecedented demand for sophisticated bioanalytical support,” Lynne Le Sauteur, Altasciences’ vice-president of laboratory sciences, said in the announcement.

Four thousand square feet will not shift Greater Montreal’s roughly 5.8-million-square-foot laboratory market on its own. The timing, however, makes the investment notable.

“Deal velocity was slow in 2025,” CBRE said. The region finished the year with negative net absorption of 36,822 square feet as companies gave up more space than they leased.

Availability climbed to 7.69%, while vacancy reached 4.47%. Rents held up despite the slowdown, with net asking rates averaging $39.18 per square foot.

The picture changed during the first half of 2026. Greater Montreal recorded 88,279 square feet of positive net absorption, with deals involving both Class A and Class B laboratory properties.

“H1 2026 has seen positive momentum,” CBRE said.

Montreal also remains considerably less expensive than major U.S. life-sciences centres. CBRE calculated that gross occupancy costs were about 62% lower than in Boston-Cambridge.

Gross asking rents in Montreal averaged $61.23 per square foot. Class A downtown laboratories commanded the highest rates, averaging $90 per square foot when net rent and additional costs were combined.

Pictured: Altasciences’ bioanalytical and research facility in Laval, Que.

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