Local Journalism Initiative

Katharine Fletcher

Local Journalism Initiative

OTTAWA –  More than 100 demonstrators rallied on The Hill, February 14, to support First Nations’ opposition to the approval of a near surface disposal facility (NSDF) for nuclear radioactive waste at Chalk River Laboratories. Anishinābeg Algonquin First Nations communities organized the demonstration.

The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) approved the construction of the NSDF on January 9, after considering the site and facility design.

This NSDF, located one kilometre from the Ottawa River and 150 km upstream of Ottawa, will take three years to build (including clear cutting forests). It will accept one million cubic metres of radioactive waste from the Chalk River Nuclear Laboratories’ site and others across Canada. The NSDF is projected to have a 50-year lifespan for collection, with an additional 300+ years of safety monitoring.

Kebaeowek First Nation Chief Lance Haymond reported that Anishinābeg Algonquin First Nations filed a Federal Court application for a judicial review of the CNSC’s approval.

Chief Haymond reminded demonstrators that the federal government promotes reconciliation. Moreover, he noted Canada signed the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), which states First Nations consent must be obtained prior to storing any hazardous materials on First Nations’ territory. He explained Anishinābeg Algonquin First Nation was inadequately consulted although both the Chalk River site and Parliament Hill are on unceded territory.

Kitigan Zibi Anishinābeg Chief Dylan Whiteduck said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau dismissed First Nations objections to the CNSC’s approval of the NSDF, stating, “This isn’t a political decision. On this side of the House, we trust our experts.”

Ottawa Riverkeeper has conducted deep research into the NSDF, asserting “we’re urging the Canadian government to review the way nuclear safety issues are addressed in Canada. Canada falls far short of international standards in dealing with nuclear waste.” (ottawariverkeeper.ca)

During the week of February 12, Pontiac Liberal MP Sophie Chatel addressed the Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development. “A major procedural concern with the current CNSC process is that it was limited to evaluating and consulting on a single option… The voices of affected communities must be at the forefront of these discussions, not on the periphery,” she said.

Moreover, Chatel emphasized, “The private sector shouldn’t make the key decisions on nuclear waste management. In Chalk River, this approach was initiated by former Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s decision to privatize part of nuclear waste management. While the private sector can be a valuable partner, it’s imperative the government take the lead on significant health and safety issues such as nuclear waste management and protecting our communities.”

Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society – Ottawa Valley demonstrated on The Hill. Executive Director John McDonnell said, “We have serious concerns about the type of waste to be stored in this facility and, in the opinion of experts, the technology and processes proposed are likely to fail, leading to contamination of lands and waters. The location is an important wildlife corridor linking the Ottawa River to Algonquin Park; it will lead to the loss of ecological connectivity and the destruction of habitat of species at risk.”

McDonnell expressed concern about the seismological aspects of the Ottawa Valley, noting the federal government should consider placing nuclear waste in a “deep geological repository like other advanced nuclear countries such as the US and some Scandinavian countries.”

Pontiac resident Cathy Fox lives downstream of Chalk River. “The Ottawa River is the source of drinking water for our town and wildlife. Generations for thousands of years will be negatively impacted. This plan must be stopped and revised according to international standards,” she said.

On February 14, MRC Pontiac Warden Jane Toller released the Council of Mayors’ statement reiterating their opposition to CNL’s authorization of the NSDF. They believe First Nations UNDIP rights were ignored and another site must be found.

By Chelsey St-Pierre

On the evening of March 20, 2021, a tragic scene unfolded on Highway 40 near the Saint-Charles exit in Kirkland involving a multi-vehicle drag race crash. At least four people had to be hospitalized and a 15-year old girl died.

Last week Francis Lawrence was sentenced to a 54-month prison term for causing the crash that killed Veronica Gashi.

The investigation conducted by Quebec’s provincial police (SQ) revealed that Lawrence was driving between 160 to 200 kilometres per hour with twice the legal blood-alcohol limit while he had three passengers in his car.

Following the crash, Lawrence was hospitalized in critical condition and was later charged with multiple counts including; dangerous driving causing death and two counts of dangerous driving causing bodily harm to which he pled guilty on February 13, 2023.

According to a statement of facts read into the court record last year, a meet up at the Fairview Mall parking lot was planned for a group of racers, who had dispersed from a lot in Laval earlier the same day. n

Nelson Sergerie

GRANDE-RIVIÈRE – A demonstration, bringing together about a hundred fishermen from Newfoundland and Labrador, New Brunswick and Quebec, was held on the morning of February 20 in Grande-Rivière. 

They are, once again, denouncing Ottawa’s decisions on redfish fishing quotas and distribution between fleets. 

About fifteen people from New Brunswick and six from Newfoundland and Labrador travelled to the Gaspé Peninsula to participate in the demonstration. 

The primary issue remains the profitability and the future of fishing, particularly for shrimp fishermen, but especially the presence of processing boats in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. 

“The issue for the coastal and mid-shore fishing industry, in general, is whether we allow the processing boats which process and freeze on board and which have very little impact, and, for Quebec, zero impact on coastal communities. Hundreds of jobs will disappear,” warns Claudio Bernatchez, the director general of the Association of Captains and Owners of the Gaspésie. 

“If the captains continue to disappear and the plants no longer have anything to process and the fishing-related service companies can no longer operate, it will be totally catastrophic for the region,” adds the director. 

The fishermen gathered in front of the Fisheries and Oceans offices in Grande-Rivière and then moved to the riding offices of the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans and Member of Parliament for Gaspésie-Les-Îles-de-la-Madeleine, Diane Lebouthillier. 

“Unfortunately, I cannot see how our minister, who is here, who understands the situation, who has decried it in the past, was able to make announcements like that. It surely comes from higher up, from the Prime Minister’s office. But there is someone, somewhere, who had a harmful influence on the decision of January 26,” says Mr. Bernatchez. 

According to him, an announcement should have been more thoughtful for the good of the communities to distribute wealth more equitably around the Gulf. 

“The communication is there, I can tell you that but, currently, I am very cautious about the words and I can’t wait for the actions to confirm the words,” he says. 

The objective of the demonstration was to spread the message of discontent in the Gulf of St. Lawrence following Ottawa’s announcements on shrimp and redfish. 

The relaunch of redfish fishing will be carried out in two phases: phase one will be transitional lasting two years with a minimum quota of 25,000 tonnes and allocations of 10% reserved for shrimp fishermen, who are in difficulty given the decline in stocks, and 10% of the quota to Indigenous communities. 

A committee has still not ruled on the final quotas to restart fishing this year. 

Phase 2 will be that of development to establish a fishery with a modernized allocation key. 

The ministry specified that the preliminary quotas would be established as follows: Newfoundland and Labrador: 19% (+2.0); Nova Scotia: 33% (-5.8); New Brunswick: 11% (+3.1); Prince Edward Island: 5% (+0.5) and Quebec: 32% (+0.2). 

The offshore fleet gets 58% of the quota, the coastal fleet of less than 65 feet has 15%, and the mid-shore 5.72% in addition to the allocations announced by the minister, which offends the Association of Captains and Owners of the Gaspésie. 

Claudio Bernatchez would have liked the government to take inspiration from the past to avoid mistakes. 

“The former Liberal Minister of Fisheries, Roméo Leblanc, favoured coastal fishermen in 1977 in the allocation of redfish quotas by giving them the first 30,000 tonnes. It was a good decision,” recalls the director of the association. 

The Bloc Québécois’ 

reaction 

The Bloc Québécois believes that Ottawa still has the room to implement a plan acceptable to shrimp fishermen who are in a difficult position because of the reduction in shrimp quotas and small redfish allocations set aside for them. This will barely be enough to keep their heads above water. 

“It’s not too late and I hope Ottawa heard Tuesday’s (February 20) message and we will help spread it.” We still cannot explain why the majority of the pie is going to the deep-sea boats that we had removed from the gulf for obvious reasons,” says the Member of Parliament for Avignon-La Mitis-Matane-Matapédia, Kristina Michaud. 

For her, the quota reserved for shrimp fishermen will cause them to lose their livelihood. 

“What Ms. Lebouthillier offered them isn’t even enough for them to go out to sea. It doesn’t justify the fixed costs. Even more, this does not justify the investments to go out for redfish fishing with the allocated quotas. What’s going to happen: bankruptcies, closures and boats to sell? Ms. Lebouthillier does not realize that she has signed the death warrant for fishermen with 10% of the quota,” says Ms. Michaud. 

Several factors, according to her, remain unclear: the price paid for the fish, when fishing will be launched or whether processors will have help to adapt. 

Ms. Michaud also mentions that with climate change and the impacts on fishing, we cannot trust the historic shares allocated by the minister in January. 

“We need to have a different vision, in the longest term possible. We cannot rely on what has been done in the past,” emphasizes Ms. Michaud. 

For her, one day we will have to look at the entire marine ecosystem to establish fishing plans rather than working in silos. 

“Scientists tell us to take a broader view. Let’s talk about seals. There is overpopulation. Why don’t we open a hunt gradually? There is a whole market to develop. On the ground, there seems to be a willingness, but it does not reach the offices of civil servants or the offices of Ms. Lebouthillier,” she notes. 

For her, Quebec is no match when the federal government talks about fishing. 

There is an urgent need to act as the fishing season is fast approaching. 

“Ms. Lebouthillier should know. It’s not easy for people who don’t know if they will be able to get out, pay the bills or offer employment to their crew. Let’s give them some predictability and reassure them. I cannot believe that there is no money left and that we cannot review the quotas with a global vision of the marine ecosystem. Time is running out, but it is not too late,” says the Bloc representative. 

Ms. Lebouthillier 

also comments 

For her part, in a statement sent following the demonstration, the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans reiterated the elements of her January announcement. 

“To support them, shrimp fishermen were granted 10% of the total (redfish) allocation. This decision not only respects the leading role that Nova Scotia has historically played in this fishery but also increases the historical shares of each of the other provinces. From the point of view of distribution by fleet, this modernized distribution also ensures a greater balance of power for the smallest players, thus reducing the share of large boats over 100 feet, from 74% in 1994 to 59% in 2024. It also helps advance reconciliation, by creating a 10% bank dedicated to Indigenous communities,” mentions the written declaration by Diane Lebouthillier. 

“In order to help fishermen reduce their expenses for the next season, I have also instructed officials from Fisheries and Oceans Canada to be flexible towards shrimp fishing license holders. This will allow them, among other things, to manage the way they fish their quota using ‘twinning’, i.e. the possibility for several license holders to fish together on board the same boat and, thus, share the costs,” she adds. 

Ms. Lebouthillier says she is aware that there is still work to be done and wants to keep the channels of communication open with the industry. 

Diane Skinner

BARACHOIS: If you attended the bilingual presentation given by Nathalie Clément in Barachois on Saturday, February 17, you will have heard all about the exciting new project inspired by the Gaspesian classic, The Black Whale Cookbook, originally published in 1948. 

Further, you could have sampled some “fine old recipes from the Gaspé Coast going back to Pioneer Days.” Volunteers at the Barachois Recreational Centre (Allisson-Aubut Library) prepared Madeira cakes, almond cookies, scones, old-fashioned sugar cookies, butter tarts, lemon squares, Swedish tea cakes and tea served in fine china teacups. Nathalie’s favourite recipe from the original cookbook is the corn bread which she adds, “Is perfect to accompany whatever you have cooked.” This project is funded by the Government of Quebec and the MRC du Rocher-Percé. 

Nathalie Clément, photographer and founder of Nath et Compagnie Restaurant and Bookshop, Percé, was pleased to have over 60 people attend the event that was presented in the Allison-Aubut Library located in the Barachois Recreational Centre. Nathalie is busy putting the final touches on her new, updated cookbook, inspired by the original Black Whale Cookbook. The new version of the book will include recipes, photos, crafts and historical anecdotes. A portion of the new material was gathered from “testimonials, meetings and various collaborations with elders and artists.” She intends to preserve a piece of history while giving homage to the original book, and incorporating some of today’s flavours and cooking methods. 

“The revival of this fabulous recipe book of a prosperous era,” states Nathalie, “rich in exchanges, know-how and “savoir-vivre” is the project. It updates the vision of the people involved in those times, into 2024. Culture is omnipresent in everything: the sounds that rock us, the breathtaking views, the scents of the sea, the touch of the wind and the urge to taste. To pay tribute to this community that is now mine.” 

Nathalie Clément and her husband, Patrice Dansereau, moved to Percé in the winter of 2021 where they rented the Black Whale House and opened a year-round bookstore and café. Nathalie comes from Montreal but has been visiting her husband’s family in Percé for over 40 years. Personally, her interests include family, cooking, architecture, houses, literature and art. She previously managed a real estate agency in Plateau Mont-Royal for 25 years and she loved the urban lifestyle and was very involved in her community, but she and her husband made a big decision after retirement to move to Percé with their three children. 

The presentation in Barachois on February 17 not only informed the community about her project, it allowed her to connect with people who might have new recipes made with local products 

This new version of the Black Whale Cookbook is an important project because it “belongs to the collective memory of those who lived on the Coast,” states Nathalie. 

The event was well-attended and showed how much interest there is in the community about the beloved Black Whale Cookbook. Nathalie Clément’s new cookbook will pay tribute to the original while updating the recipes and adding new ones. 

Presently, Nathalie is finishing up the book, whose final title has not been confirmed and will include text in both French and English and is hoping to have that completed by the end of March. The next step will be finding a publisher. 

Black Whale Cookbook 

This unique cookbook, published in 1948, has been described as “an artistic reflection of Gaspé summers gone by.” It was written and compiled over 70 years ago by Gaspesian ladies and women from Montreal who summered in Percé. The Black Whale was the name of a craft shop that was established in Percé ten years earlier in 1938. Nobody can say for sure how the store got that name, other than the sighting of whales off the coast. 

The shop was run by a group called the Percé Handicraft Committee and the President was Mrs. Ethel Renouf who is credited for compiling the numerous recipes contributed by the members. The shop sold crafts and art created by the ladies and by local artisans. Some of the food made from recipes in the Black Whale Cookbook, such as strawberry jam, were sold in the store. That particular recipe is credited to Mrs. Ethel Renouf herself. 

The book is more than recipes because it offers an informative introduction and lots of information about the Gaspé Peninsula. It is more than a cookbook – it is a slice of Gaspesian history. The book contains many small articles at the beginning of each section on different kinds of 

foods on such topics as Expeditions, Autumn in the Woods, Deep Sea Fishing and Sunday on the Coast. Reading through 

The Black Whale Cookbook gives a real sense of how life was seven decades ago, through the eyes of the ladies who loved to cook. 

Looking through the pages we can get a sense of how food preparation has changed and what foods were eaten during those times. 

There were no microwaves or stand mixers. Some of the recipes included are Bonaventure Cod Tongues, Roasted Sea Pigeons, Fish Head Chowder, Seal Liver, Gaspé Ox Tails, Gaspé Frozen Pudding and Spruce Beer. 

Other recipes, though historical, are still prepared today such as Johnny Cake, Fried Smelt, Fish Cakes, Pea Soup and Gaspé Boiled Dinner. 

The Black Whale Cookbook was very popular at the time, so there are likely many copies of it still in existence. If you own a copy hang onto it as it is a treasure and a piece of history. 

Nelson Sergerie

QUEBEC – CAQ Members of the National Assembly (MNA) from the Gaspé Peninsula once again demanded the status quo before the Electoral Representation Commission during a parliamentary commission which ended on February 15 in Quebec City. 

The Gaspé Peninsula made itself heard during the last day of the hearings. MNA for Bonaventure, Catherine Blouin, and her colleague for Gaspé, Stéphane Sainte-Croix, each had 20 minutes to reaffirm their positions. This exercise was undertaken last fall during the Commission’s visit to Gaspé and New Richmond. 

The Commission suggests merging the constituencies of Gaspé and Bonaventure and bringing together the MRCs of Côte-de-Gaspé, Rocher-Percé, Bonaventure and Avignon to create Gaspé-Bonaventure while Haute-Gaspésie would be transferred to the constituency of Matane-Matapédia, a Lower Saint Lawrence Ms. Blouin on what the new constituency of Gaspé-Bonaventure would represent, recalling that Montreal’s constituencies have only a few street corners and are accessible on foot. 

“More time on the road means less time for fieldwork with citizens,” adds the elected official listing the organizations and institutions that would be included in the possible constituency. 

“Is a voter from the Gaspésie worth less than a voter from Montreal? I ask myself that question,” says Ms. Blouin to the commissioners before the parliamentary committee. 

“I am before you all dressed in black, and it is not by chance, considering the nature of the day, which is a concern for the democracy of our nation, the regions of Quebec and particularly worrisome for the Gaspésie,” says Stéphane Sainte-Croix, referring to without directly saying the possible mourning that the acceptance of the Commission’s proposal would cause. 

For the elected official, the merger of Gaspé and Bonaventure ridings would result in the loss of political weight of the Gaspésie compared to the whole of Quebec, recalling several statistics and comparisons of a future riding mentioned which would be one of the most important in terms of voters in Quebec, but with an extraordinarily large area compared to comparable ridings in Montreal. 

The MNA for Gaspé placed great emphasis on Haute-Gaspésie, the most devitalized MRC in Quebec, which would be submerged in the county of Matane-Matapédia in the current proposal. 

“By integrating this MRC into a predominantly Lower Saint Lawrence constituency, the historical links that unite Haute-Gaspésie to the rest of 

the Gaspésie are compromised. This restructuring, which has not been convincingly justified in our eyes, isolates the most devitalized MRC in Quebec from its regional counterparts, calling into question the principle of regional representation,” means Mr. Sainte-Croix. 

Currently, the Haute-Gaspésie MRC represents 50% of the Gaspé constituency and would only represent 17% of the expanded Matane-Matapédia constituency. 

“Similarly, the share of the voting population of Haute-Gaspésie would fall from 31% to 18%. This structural dilution could considerably reduce the political weight of Haute-Gaspésie, making its specific concerns and needs less audible and less politically visible,” affirms the MNA for Gaspé. 

“Our recommendation is simple: withdraw this merger proposal for the region and favour maintaining the status quo,” concludes the elected official. 

Mr. Sainte-Croix mentioned that of the 600 people who took the time to be heard last fall through public hearings in the province, 300 were from the Gaspésie. 

As of April 30, Bonaventure had 35,898 voters and Gaspé 30,131, far from the minimum threshold planned. The difference was respectively -29.2% and -40.6%. 

Gaspé thus ranked third among the least populous constituencies, behind the Magdalen Islands, which has an exceptional status as well as Ungava. 

According to projections of the number of voters based on data from the Institute of Statistics of Quebec, the gap compared to the average in Gaspé should soon surpass that of Ungava. 

In 2017, the Commission maintained the negative exception status for Gaspé and granted the same status to Bonaventure. However, since the inequalities in the representation of these constituencies are increasing, the Commission does not wish to renew this status. 

Elected officials called for this exception to be maintained.

Nelson Sergerie

GASPÉ – The Federal Court will not grant the Gaspé Peninsula a reprieve. As a result, the constituency of Avignon-La Mitis-Matane-Matapédia will disappear on April 24 unless elections are called prior to that date. 

In August, Gaspesian lawyer Alexis Deschênes and the organization Droits Collectifs Québec filed motions urging a judge not to eliminate the constituency and requested the suspension of its redesign pending a decision on the merits. 

“It’s a disappointing rejection for us. The judge did not consider the criterion of irreparable harm. Indeed, it is hypothetical that there will be elections called before the judgment in this case. We think that it is a hypothesis that there is every chance of happening,” remarks Étienne-Alexis Boucher, General Director of Droits collectifs Québec. 

No date has been set for the hearing of merits, although elections must be held no later than October 2025. completed as quickly as possible so that there is no election with the new map when we would find ourselves in an absurd situation of an election being held on a new map which would be deemed unconstitutional or not respecting the Canadian Elections Act, hence the reason for the (procedure) stay,” explains Mr. Boucher. 

The dilution of political power in the Gaspé Peninsula is the basic issue. The application for judicial review is based on an opinion issued by the Supreme Court of Canada in the Saskatchewan Provincial Electoral Districts Reference and the Electoral Boundaries Readjustment Act. 

On September 6, Alexis Deschênes, who participated in the judicial review, emphasized that the right to vote comes with the right to effective representation. 

He explained that the Supreme Court says that effective representation is not just parity of electoral power between different constituencies. We must also take into account other factors such as geography, historical development and communities of interest. 

“We simply hope now that the request for a stay has been rejected that all the parties will agree to hold a trial before the elections are called,” mentions the director general. 

He hopes that the Attorney General will not put obstacles in the way by filing various challenges before the court. 

“We would be lucky to have a trial in the coming months and another six months to obtain a judgment,” recalls Mr. Boucher, who notes that time is starting to run out with the electoral deadline approaching. 

If elections were called quickly, protesters would be ready to act swiftly. 

“The request would have to be reworked, but the arguments raised would possibly be the same. Simply the hypothetical aspect of irreparable harm would no longer be given that the holding of an election before the trial or the delivery of the decision following the trial, it would become obvious that we would meet the criterion linked to irreparable harm,” maintains Mr. Boucher. 

The region unanimously opposed the scenario proposed in September 2022 before the commission in Gaspé and reacted strongly to the submission of the report last June. 

By Joel Goldenberg

Mount Royal MP Anthony Housefather is a Parliamentary Secretary again, four months after he was demoted by the Trudeau government and lost his position as Parliamentary Secretary for the Minister of Public Services and Procurement

The September 2023 demotion came months after Housefather was the only MP to vote against Bill C-13, the revision of the Official Languages Act that by reference recognizes Quebec’s language law and gives it application over federal areas of jurisdiction. Housefather’s response at the time was to ask his Mount Royal constituents to “give me the largest majority in the country in the next election to show everyone across Canada that my constituents support what I have done and the stands I have taken.”

Housefather posted on Facebook Jan. 30, “today I start my new role as Parliamentary Secretary to Anita Anand, the President of the Treasury Board. Anita is one of the smartest and most thoughtful people I know, and I am very appreciative that the Prime Minister has asked me to serve as her Parliamentary Secretary. I look forward to all that we can accomplish together.”

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stated, “I know that this eam is ready to work hard for Canadians and to act on their priorities.” n

Nelson Sergerie

PERCÉ – The Town of Percé  has received a warning from the Municipal Commission of Québec reminding elected officials and municipal employees of their duty to cooperate with the investigation underway by the Direction des enquêtes et des poursuites en intégrité municipale (DEPIM/Municipal Integrity Investigations and Prosecutions Branch). 

In this new chapter relating to the allegations surrounding the director of Urban Planning, Ghislain Pitre, the commission sent a letter to the director general of the municipality, Jean-François Coderre, on February 19 and in an exceptional gesture on their part, transmitted the document to SPEC. It is customary for the commission not to confirm its investigations. 

In this letter, the investigation department indicates that it is carrying out an investigation “into possible breaches of the rules of the Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct applicable to elected officials of the Town of Percé as well as, possible reprehensible acts committed or about to be committed.” 

The investigations department mentions having been informed of the internal investigation carried out among Town of Percé employees. 

“Despite several attempts, it was impossible for us to obtain details on this mandate or its progress. Recently, information brought to our attention makes us fear that this internal investigation, in fact, could hinder the course of the DEPIM investigation,” is written in the letter addressed to the town. 

“We hereby ask you to disseminate this within the Town of Percé to notify the municipal elected officials of the Town of Percé as well as, its staff of the current investigation. To facilitate the holding of our investigation, and to avoid any hindrance to it, we ask you to indicate to the municipal elected officials of the Town of Percé as well as, to its staff that the only administrative investigation in which they are authorized to participate is that carried out by the DEPIM, subject to any other approach carried out by the police authorities,” warns the Municipal Commission. 

The investigation department specifies in the letter that several people will be met as part of the investigation, including employees and elected officials, and asks them “to maintain the strictest confidentiality surrounding it and, as such, not to discuss, with anyone, the information exchanged during meetings with DEPIM representatives.” 

The letter also mentions that any person is required to collaborate, to meet the commission investigator and to provide the requested information, subject to the professional secrecy of the lawyer or notary, ensuring that the people met with are protected against reprisals. 

Moreover, the Commission takes care to explain that fines of up to $20,000 could be issued for any form of retaliation or obstruction of the investigation in various ways. 

This is a new investigation in addition to those already underway. 

The Town of Percé launched its own administrative investigation after suspending Mr. Pitre with pay on October 30 on allegations of suspected fraud, theft of large sums of money from the municipality and falsification of documents. 

The investigation was entrusted to an “independent and impartial” firm, which is now causing problems for the Municipal Commission because that organization wants its investigation to be prioritized. 

The Permanent Anti-Corruption Unit visited the Town Hall on November 14 to meet with Mr. Coderre and various municipal employees in connection with the case. 

At the November municipal council meeting, the town’s lawyer, Simon Cossette Lachance, indicated that the allegations raised were serious, which led to an administrative investigation to verify the allegations, specifying that the suspension with pay follows a court ruling by the Supreme Court of Canada to respect the presumption of innocence. 

Mr. Pitre is the spouse of Cathy Poirier, the Mayor of Percé.