(Quebec) The conflict that is tearing apart a wealthy municipality on Île d’Orléans has repercussions in high places. The Quebec Municipal Commission (CMQ) opened an investigation Thursday into the crisis shaking Sainte-Pétronille, while the Federation of Journalists of Quebec (FPJQ) denounces an attempt at intimidation by the municipality against the local newspaper.
“The municipal integrity investigation and prosecution department has opened an investigation,” confirmed David Dusseault, of the CMQ.
CMQ investigations can lead to a hearing before an administrative tribunal or the Superior Court, then to sanctions such as the suspension of an elected official or the conclusion that he or she is ineligible to sit. In serious cases, the CMQ can recommend guardianship, as recently happened in Saint-Placide in the Laurentians.
Remember that the municipality of Sainte-Pétronille sent a formal notice just before Christmas to 97 of its citizens, or nearly 10% of its population. The municipality wanted to silence these people, who had information about the end of the general director’s employment with her previous employer, Val-des-Lacs. The mayor of Sainte-Pétronille considers that this information about his employee is confidential.
Sainte-Pétronille went further. The TCJ law firm, the same one that served notice on the citizens, also threatened to sue the local community newspaper and its journalists if an article was published on the crisis shaking the village. The newspaper Around the island, which is partly financed by Sainte-Pétronille, has folded. To date, no articles on this story have been published.
“The Federation of Journalists of Quebec denounces a vulgar and crude attempt at intimidation by a municipality against journalists. An attempt that can be described as Soviet or North Korean because the affair is so ridiculous,” reacted the president of the FPJQ, Éric-Pierre Champagne, on Thursday.
According to our information, an article was written by journalists about a rather stormy meeting of the municipal council in December. It had been written by several people, to be sure that it was consistent. But the newspaper’s management complied with the demands of Sainte-Pétronille’s lawyer. The article was never published.
The Minister of Municipal Affairs, Andrée Laforest, assured that she was “monitoring the situation closely” in a brief message on Thursday. “Our government reiterates that it is essential for municipalities to listen to the concerns of their citizens. We encourage municipalities to maintain communication with them in a healthy and open manner. »