The former president of the Office de consultation publique de Montréal (OCPM), Dominique Ollivier, criticizes the Auditor General (AG) of Montreal, Andrée Cossette, for having failed to consult her or obtain her point of view for the writing of its annual report, which is very critical of the management of the organization.
President of the OCPM from 2014 to 2021 and now municipal councilor, Dominique Ollivier sent a letter to the elected representatives of the municipal council who, on Tuesday, discussed in plenary session the report submitted by the VG. She argues that if she had been able to present her position to the AG, she could have clarified certain elements of the report. She deplores that Andrée Cossette only consulted the new management of the organization put in place following the revelations of excessive spending and the dismissal of Isabelle Beaulieu last fall. “I was in no way consulted or involved in this report. However, the Auditor General assured me last February of her intention to hear from me. She chose otherwise and it is her prerogative which I totally respect,” she states from the outset in her letter.
Dominique Ollivier maintains that several assertions contained in the VG report made him jump. By maintaining that “the OCPM has granted itself administrative independence from the City”, the VG shows that it has little knowledge of the context in which the OCPM was created, writes Mme Oliver. At the time, she points out, the legislator had allowed the municipal council to adopt a by-law to regulate the Office’s expenses. “Which, to my knowledge, has never been done,” she says.
She also questions the findings made by the VG on the organization’s budget and notes contradictions in the report. Regarding the criticisms of the VG concerning the financial management of the organization, Dominique Ollivier argues that at least 16 audit reports and two reports from external auditors mandated by the City did not identify any of the anomalies presented in the report .
“I in no way deny the value of the report presented to you today, which includes many interesting findings and highlights certain gaps. […] However, I deplore that faced with these questions that the BVG had [Bureau de la Vérificatrice générale]before drawing his conclusions, he did not take the trouble to ask for clarification from those who had them,” indicates Ms. Ollivier.
Last fall, Dominique Ollivier resigned from her position as president of the executive committee in the wake of revelations concerning the management of the OCPM.
Further details will follow.