Targeted by a wave of criticism who accuse her of excessive spending when she headed the Office de consultation publique de Montréal (OCPM), Dominique Ollivier submitted her letter of resignation from her functions as president of the executive committee of the City of Montreal to Valérie Plante, learned The duty.
Two days before the submission of the City’s 2024 budget, Dominique Ollivier withdrew, the controversy surrounding this affair having continued to gain momentum in the last few days.
Reports published by Quebecor media for more than a week have revealed that on numerous occasions, OCPM leaders used public funds for expensive meals in restaurants, as well as for trips to the foreigner whose benefits have remained unclear and poorly documented.
Mme Ollivier had notably spent a total of $27,353 on restaurant expenses during his seven years as president of the OCPM, between 2014 and 2021. Among these expenses, an oyster meal in Paris of $347 which highlighted the birthday of a collaborator and ex-business partner, Guy Grenier.
The criticism also targeted Isabelle Beaulieu, president of the OCPM since February 2022.
“It is not because the expenses are legal and permitted that they are acceptable,” Dominique Ollivier indicated last Wednesday. “I particularly regret that certain expenditures affect the population’s feeling of confidence. I am the first to say that things must change within the OCPM. »
For her part, Mayor Valérie Plante came to the defense of her right arm. “Dominique Ollivier is an extremely professional and rigorous woman in whom I have full confidence in the role of president of the executive committee,” she declared.
Isabelle Beaulieu, for her part, is criticized for expenses at the restaurant, but also for the purchase of expensive equipment such as wireless headphones costing $900 and interactive screens costing more than $20,000, as well as restaurant expenses of $7981 in 18 months.
The opposition at city hall had been demanding the resignation of Mr.me Ollivier, believing that in the circumstances, she no longer had the credibility required to manage the City’s finances. “It is unanimous among the population that she no longer has the credibility necessary to occupy this position, which implies having the trust of citizens. The decision to resign was the one to make,” reacted the leader of Ensemble Montréal, Aref Salem. He also believes that Isabelle Beaulieu and the secretary general of the OCPM, Guy Grenier, must leave their positions.