Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante isn’t ruling out legal action after a scathing report from the city’s inspector general revealed the former administration worked around the rules to hold the controversial Formula E electric car race.
“My initial reaction was to be really upset,” said Plante. “Really, really upset.”
“Because this report says very clearly how the previous mayor Denis Coderre decided to go against the law in order to move forward with his project, the Formula E.”
READ MORE: Coderre administration ignored advice, skirted rules to hold Formula E race
Inspector general Denis Gallant traced how Coderre and his administration mishandled contracts, finding they repeatedly ignored advice and recommendations from the city’s legal team.
He described how Montréal c’est electrique (MCE), the non-profit organization set up by the city to collect subsidies, was used as an “extension” of the Coderre administration leading up to the event last summer.
The report found that Coderre failed to heed several warnings from the city’s legal department, which said the non-profit should not be used as a go-between for the city and evenko, the main contractor of the event.
READ MORE: Montreal mayor cancels Formula E over cost overruns, sponsorship woes
‘We want to look at what needs to be done’
While Coderre has publicly said that he doesn’t agree with Gallant’s report, Plante maintains that it is clear that the law was broken.
“There is a report that says many, many times in it clearly that Mr. Coderre was interfering with the regular activities of the organization,” said Plante.
“This is what goes against the law.”
While Plante said it is still too early to say if Coderre will face criminal charges, she said all options are being considered.
“In the next few days, weeks we want to look at what needs to be done,” she said.
The electric car race held last July was criticized by both the Opposition and residents due to the mounting costs, the traffic closures and disruptions in the Ville-Marie borough.
At the time, Coderre remained a driving force behind the event, promising Montrealers it would ultimately pay off.
Only 25,000 tickets were sold for last summer’s event, which became a hot potato in the fall election campaign that saw Plante defeat Coderre.
In January, Plante announced that the controversial event was cancelled due to cost overruns and sponsorship woes.
READ MORE: Montreal’s Formula E run-up has drivers seeing red
—with files from Global’s Jamie Orchard and The Canadian Press
Comments