Municipal officials in Sorel-Tracy believe that by wiretapping the City Clerk, Mayor Serge Péloquin broke the bond of trust with employees.
The mayor met Monday evening with members of the city council in a closed-door meeting. According to information collected by The dutyhe would have explained the reasons for his action, alleging that it was an internal investigation.
This operation would have been carried out without the knowledge of the municipal council and the general manager. The discovery of a microphone in the office of the clerk, René Chevalier, created a stir at the town hall of Sorel-Tracy. As reported The duty last week, the SQ opened an investigation into this case to determine whether or not a criminal offense was committed.
The Commission municipale du Québec was also seized of the file and the Direction of investigations and prosecutions in municipal integrity met with Mayor Péloquin on Tuesday as part of an administrative audit.
The Minister of Municipal Affairs, Andrée Laforest, is following this case closely. “If the Commission municipale du Québec deems that rapid intervention is necessary, even before the end of its present investigation, if only for the smooth running of municipal activities, a recommendation to that effect will be made to us. If necessary, we will not hesitate to follow up,” indicated its press officer, Bénédicte Trottier-Lavoie.
The microphone in question may have been in the clerk’s office for at least two years, according to a source. Recall that René Chevalier also acted as election president during the November 7 election and that his office was able to welcome potential candidates for the various elective positions. According to the information gathered, the mayor would reproach the clerk for his lack of loyalty.
Breaking the bond of trust
The discovery of the microphone caused consternation in the ranks of municipal employees. “For the members, it’s a break in the bond of trust on the part of the mayor,” said Julie-Maude Cardinal, union adviser to the Independent Federation of Autonomous Unions (FISA), to which the Union of Municipal Civil Servants is affiliated. the City of Sorel-Tracy. “The employees find the situation unacceptable and are really worried about what will happen next since they were indirectly wiretapped by going to the clerk’s office. One of the FISA’s plans is to make sure employees are well protected, she said.
Labor lawyer Marianne Plamondon, at Langlois lawyers, argues that in order to shadow an employee, you must have “reasonable grounds” based, for example, on elements that could tarnish the reputation of the City. “Normally, if we do a shadowing, it is spread over a limited period of time to verify a serious element that would lead to dismissal: theft, fraud or something like that,” she explains. “You can’t do this continuously over a long period of time. Otherwise, it is an invasion of privacy. »
René Chevalier was suspended by Mayor Péloquin for the time of the “investigation” carried out by the City, a procedure deemed normal by the elected official in such circumstances, he explained to the To have to last Thursday.
The Cities and Towns Act provides that the mayor “exercises a right of supervision, investigation and control over all departments and officers or employees of the municipality”. If he suspends an employee, he must however report it to the municipal council at the following meeting. The next council meeting will be on May 2.