Valérie Plante reiterated on Monday her confidence in her right-hand man, Dominique Ollivier, despite the questions raised by the management of public funds at the Office de consultation publique de Montréal (OCPM), which she headed for seven years. The mayor recognizes, however, that it will be necessary to review the organization’s ways of doing things.
Monday morning, the opposition at Montreal City Hall demanded that Mme Ollivier resigns from her position as president of the executive committee. According to the head of Ensemble Montréal, Aref Salem, it no longer has the credibility required to manage the city’s finances. Mr. Salem judges that the catering and travel expenses of the OCPM leaders revealed by an investigation by the Montreal Journal shake the confidence of Montrealers in her and the consultation body.
Reports published by the daily show expenses of $27,353 on restaurant expenses in seven years for Mme Ollivier, who led the OCPM from 2014 to 2021, including a $347 oyster meal in Paris which marked the birthday of a collaborator and ex-business partner, Guy Grenier. There are also reports of trips abroad whose benefits remain unclear and poorly documented.
“Not long ago, she asked us to cut $115 million at the city level,” said Aref Salem in an interview. For him, it is not only the expenses of the former leader of the OCPM that pose a problem, but also the appearance of a conflict of interest in the hiring of Mr. Grenier. “This cronyism that existed at the time, I find that it has no place. »
“The least she can do is step down. And it is up to the mayor to intervene to explain how this person can continue to have the trust of Montrealers. She is the one who manages our taxes. »
The administration failed in its duty by not establishing a “very clear” policy on the expenses of the OCPM, which does not have to comply with the same management rules as municipal services, says the head of Together Montreal. Mr. Salem also believes that the current president and secretary general of the organization, Isabelle Beaulieu and Guy Grenier, must leave their position. “There needs to be a big clean-up. The problems are not new, but it’s still the same philosophy of how we do things,” he maintains.
“Worrying” findings
In a statement sent to the media Monday afternoon, Valérie Plante recognizes that the findings of the investigation carried out by Quebecor are “concerning”. “The OCPM is an entity whose independence is legally protected by the Charter of the City of Montreal, but it is clear that it is necessary to review its ways of doing things and to ensure that the Office demonstrates transparency and greater financial rigor in its management,” she underlines.
The mayor specifies that her administration will ask the Auditor General of Montreal, who already examines the expenses of the OCPM annually, to carry out a specific mandate aimed at “reviewing the practices and frameworks of the Office”. She also mentions that President Isabelle Beaulieu will have to account for her management before the Presidential Commission.
As for Mme Ollivier, who must also table the 2024 budget for the City of Montreal on November 15, has the full confidence of Valérie Plante. “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 says. The rich experience of Mme Ollivier and what she brings to the City of Montreal is undeniable. She is a woman of heart and spirit, who is devoted to her mission of making Montreal a more just and equitable city. »
For her part, Isabelle Beaulieu announced Monday that all trips were temporarily suspended and that a complete review of the organization’s rules and practices would be carried out. “I would like to reassure the citizens and elected officials of the City of Montreal of our commitment to responsible financial management of the resources entrusted to us,” she said in a statement.
Starting position in February 2022, Mme Beaulieu is not only a long-time friend of Dominique Ollivier, but in 2018 she acquired the consulting firm Ki3, co-founded in 2011 by Mme Ollivier and Mr. Grenier, revealed The Montreal Journal. Despite the criticism expressed about the expenses incurred since the start of her mandate at the OCPM, she does not intend to resign.