By Trevor Greenway

Former Denholm mayor Gaétan Guindon has been ordered to pay back the $3,470.71 of taxpayer money he racked up on a municipal credit card to buy alcohol. He has been given six months to pay back the money. 

He has also been fined $1,000 for breaching Quebec’s municipal code of ethics.

In his April 9 decision, Quebec Municipal Commission (CMQ) Judge Denis Michaud concluded that Guindon committed two breaches of the code of ethics and professional conduct for elected officials. He was cited for using a municipality credit card for expenses and for using municipal resources for personal purposes by purchasing $3,470.71 worth of alcohol. According to the decision, Guindon admitted spending this money on alcohol for a company party but claimed that it was in line with municipal bylaws. 

“When questioned about these expenses, he stated that they were in the performance of his duties as representative of the municipality,” wrote Michaud in the decision. “The evidence shows, however, that the mayor’s meal expenses regularly exceed the maximums set out in the municipality’s bylaw, and that he also paid with the municipality’s credit card for alcohol without a meal.”

Section 7 of Denholm’s bylaw on municipal expenses states, “The cost of alcoholic beverages are neither authorized nor reimbursed, with no exceptions.”

According to court documents, Guindon purchased the alcohol Between Jan. 1, 2020, and Dec. 31, 2022. 

“Expenses for the consumption of alcohol during these meals, whether or not approved by the municipal council, cannot be considered as expenses incurred on behalf of the municipality or in the performance of an elected official’s duties,” concluded Michaud. 

Guindon resigned as mayor of the small hamlet east of Low on March 24 after he pleaded guilty to driving a municipal vehicle while under the influence. He was arrested for the offence in October 2022 but pleaded guilty on Jan. 29 of this year. Guindon has been at the helm of Denholm since 2013. 

According to the CMQ, Guindon’s DUI charge is in breach of section 302 of the Act respecting elections and referendums in municipalities, which states that a person convicted of an offence punishable by up to two years or more in prison is “disqualified from holding office as a member of the council of a municipality.”

The municipality of Denholm will hold a by-election for the mayor’s seat on May 19.