Saint-Chrysostome

Sarah Rennie – LJI reporter

The Commission Municipale du Quebec has seized control in Saint-Chrysostome after four municipal councillors quit the council, leaving the municipality without enough members to make decisions.

During a special council meeting on July 24, councillors Marc Roy, Jean-Luc Payant, Richard Beaudin, and Martin Lafond resigned one after the other, citing an unhealthy climate within the council, a lack of leadership on the part of mayor Steve Laberge, and uncertainty that things would improve before the November elections.

In an exceptional measure, Sylvie Piérard and Richard Brisson, who are both members of the Commission Municipale, have been appointed to temporarily administer the municipality, pass necessary resolutions, and maintain services for citizens until a new council is elected and quorum is restored.

The sudden resignations were submitted in the wake of a harassment complaint filed earlier this year by one employee against another, and the publication of a report by the Direction des Enquêtes et des Poursuites en Intégrité Municipale (DEPIM) alleging mismanagement by the municipal council.

The report follows an investigation by the commission’s municipal integrity investigation and prosecution branch that found that the municipal council was negligent in its failure to properly address the harassment complaint, which demonstrated “a significant lack of understanding of the roles and responsibilities of municipal elected officials.”

An earlier investigation by an independent firm concluded that a municipal employee had been psychologically and sexually harassed by another employee. The report recommended the situation be dealt with quickly; however, certain council members resisted the seriousness report’s conclusions.

The DEPIM report notes that disciplinary measures were eventually adopted during a council meeting on May 12, but alleges this was done in response to the commission’s investigation. The employee in question was suspended for four weeks, though the decision was not unanimous among council members.

The DEPIM concluded that the council’s inaction impacted the work environment at the municipality, where several employees have been on leave or resigned since the start of the year including the person who filed the harassment complaint. The report states that the municipality is now in a precarious situation, with few employees and difficulties recruiting new staff.

The DEPIM states that Laberge suggested the council’s inaction can be explained by the lack of senior management, as the director general at the time was on leave from early January. The mayor was also unable to intervene or make decisions regarding the situation due to a conflict of interest.

The report recommends that the municipality review its policy preventing workplace harassment and violence to ensure it complies with current legislation, adopt measures to ensure a workplace free of harassment, and provide municipal employees and incoming council members with training on harassment. The report also recommends the adoption of a bylaw that delegates human resource management to senior administrators within the municipality.

The DEPIM notes that an assessment of the work climate in Saint-Chrysostome was mandated by the municipality following the findings of its investigation. The report, which also includes several recommendations, was presented to the council on June 2.