BRENDA O’FARRELL
The 1019 Report

It is far from business as usual at MRC Vaudreuil-Soulanges headquarters.

Days after the regional authority’s elected council voted to suspend its top administrator pending an internal investigation, the Quebec Ministry of Municipal Affairs confirmed it has assigned an official to act as an “observer” to review how the MRC manages its human resources.

News of the province’s intervention, outlined in a letter July 9 on behalf of the deputy minister of Municipal Affairs was followed last week by the announcement that the MRC’s top administrator had quit his job.

MRC director-general Guy-Lin Beaudoin was suspended from duty at the end of June pending an investigation into what multiple sources with knowledge of the situation at that time described as a series of issues involving the regional authority. He resigned from his post July 30, effective immediately.

The head of the MRC’s elected council, prefect Patrick Bousez, declined to comment.

In a short statement issued by the MRC last week, the parting of ways with Beaudoin was described as “consensual.” The MRC’s interim assistant director-general, Alexandre Lambert, will act as the interim director-general, while the MRC’s interim clerk, Marie-Hélène Rivest, will serve as interim acting clerk and treasurer. No other details were released.

Beaudoin had been suspended from his duties with pay at a special meeting called by the MRC council in June.

At that time, a majority of the mayors who sit on the 23-member MRC council also voted to contract the services of a lawyer to conduct an independent probe into issues of concern which were raised by the elected members who sit on the agency’s human resources committee.

According to the letter from Municipal Affairs, the ministry has opted to name an observer in the wake of “various allegations reported to the ministry.”

“It seems important to understand the situation,” the letter continued. No reference was made to who brought the allegations forward.

The provincial representative has been mandated to file a report to the minister by Oct. 1.

“There are definitely important changes coming,” said one source with knowledge of the situation who spoke to The 1019 Report on Monday on the promise of anonymity.

Beaudoin has served as the MRC’s top administrator for about 16 years. In 2018, he was recognized for his years of service by the Association des directeurs généraux des MRC du Québec.