Major Governance Issues at Champlain Regional College

The mandate of the Executive Director of the Champlain Regional College (CRC), Odette Côté, will not be renewed following an administrative investigation that was conducted by the Ministry of Higher Education of Quebec, while tens of thousands dollars have been spent in recent months because of conflicts. In a critical report, the investigators conclude that there is a lack of leadership and call for immediate action on several fronts.

“Rapid intervention is necessary to restore the organizational climate and establish sound governance practices,” reads a partially redacted report dated June 22, obtained by the Access to Information Act and which has been published on the ministry’s website on Wednesday. This contains 13 recommendations.

The Ministry of Higher Education says it has been made aware of “dysfunctional governance” and “serious management problems”. It is for these reasons that the Deputy Minister, Sylvain Périgny, launched a six-month investigation in December 2021 “concerning the administration and operation” of the institution.

Champlain Regional College, English-language, is made up of three CEGEPs: Lennoxville, St. Lawrence and Saint-Lambert. Its administrative structure was modified in 2019, but the “lack of leadership of the actors involved” has hindered the implementation of changes, notes the ministry.

The director general, who took office on August 1, 2016, is torn by the report. Its authors recommend, in particular, to “review the process for evaluating the performance of senior management” so that the CRC “appoints a chief executive who is up to the job, in a context of major changes”.

Odette Côté, who must remain in office until July 31, wanted her mandate to be renewed. This was refused during a meeting of the Board of Directors on Wednesday evening, on the basis of the unanimous recommendation of the evaluation committee, and after a long discussion behind closed doors which stretched late into the evening.

A “tough decision”, dropped the Chairman of the Board of Directors, François Paradis, after reading the resolution. “But for the welfare of the College, it was the decision of the board,” he added. The main interested party, visibly moved, then presented a few words. “I wish the College the best, and you will always be in my heart,” she said.

Some of the director general’s expenses reflected “deficiencies in CRC’s control environment,” the report said.

While acting as Director of Human Resources, she received an additional salary of 10%. Despite this, Ms. Côté still used the services of a consultant for an additional amount of $34,210.

She had also requested in May that fees be paid for legal costs totaling nearly $32,000, bills which had not yet been presented to the Board of Directors for approval.

During the board meeting on Wednesday evening, it was also revealed that nearly $250,000 has been spent in just over a year on legal fees or consultants.

St. Lawrence College, located in Quebec, is also particularly criticized in the report. According to the latter, there reigns “a climate of animosity and opposition between the groups of members [du conseil d’établissement] and towards the direction of the college”. The report mentions an investigation conducted by Me Anaïs Lacroix, of the firm Latitude Management, concerning allegations of harassment, but without giving further details.

Dysfunctional Board of Directors

The Board of Directors, chaired by François Paradis since June 2020, is also under the magnifying glass. “Board malfunctions” were observed, particularly in terms of conflicts of interest.

The meetings of the Board of Directors sometimes “far” exceed the scheduled time and end very late in the evening. For example, the council attended by The duty Wednesday, which started at 6 p.m. and was supposed to last three hours, concluded just before 11:15 p.m.

The report also concludes with “lacks of discipline, high tone, rudeness and lack of courtesy” which contribute to a “stressful and demotivating” atmosphere for Board members.

“Major shortcomings” were found in meeting planning, resulting in “ill-informed decision-making” and “recurrent absences”.

Members also have “poor knowledge of their role, responsibilities and duties,” the report notes. “There is no training plan for the members, write the authors. [Ils] are [donc] likely to be influenced at the time of decision-making”.

Upcoming changes

In this difficult context, an external firm was mandated by the Quebec Ministry of Higher Education to help the CRC apply the recommendations made.

In a written statement sent to To have to Wednesday, the College says it recognizes “the importance of improving its governance activities and has already committed itself, over the past few months, to carrying out the major projects targeted by the ministry’s report”.

“This commitment will remain a priority for the College until all the recommendations have been implemented,” it added.

Among the recommendations are the establishment of good human resources practices, the review of the complaint handling process and a better definition of the roles and responsibilities of the members of the Board of Directors. It is also proposed to establish a process for evaluating the operation of the Board, the Governing Board and their presidency.

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