With the Tremblay Administration: cleaning house behind closed doors?

    
    "The clean-up must be done openly by a public inquiry, as supported by
    Mayor Tremblay during the election campaign."  - Louise Harel
    

MONTREAL , Nov. 4 /CNW Telbec/ - While introducing the team of 19 elected officials of Vision Montréal, the Leader of Vision Montréal and Leader of the Official Opposition, Mrs. Louise Harel , also reacted to the announcements made by the Mayor of Montreal , Mr. Gérald Tremblay, following the elections, to freeze fixed assets, we believe of more than four million dollars, to freeze the Water Fund tax and to suspend of the roadwork tax.

First, madam Harel stressed that there is not guarantee that only the contracts of greater importance are open to collusion or favouritism, while we are still unaware of who is in charge of shedding light on these contracts, according to which duration and based on which criteria.

"This grey area poorly suits the wide necessary clean-up in the granting of contracts and will not restore the trust of the population," declared madam Harel. "The clean-up must be done openly by a public inquiry, as supported by Mayor Tremblay during the election campaign."

Montreal must draw its inspiration from the City of Toronto's practices, where all the contracts are examined by various committees of City Council, before being transmitted the Executive Committee, thus allowing elected officials to make enlightened decisions.

The Official Opposition intends on presenting, as early as the first session of the new Council, a motion requesting to entrust, from now on, the respective commissions of elected officials with the study of all contracts.

"Furthermore, the Mayor did not mention anything on the role of engineering and consulting firms and systematic recourse to the private sector to the detriment of the City's internal expertise; a true clean-up cannot be done without drastically reviewing this way of doing things," she added, reminding to that effect the report of the Auditor General on the water meters contract.

On the other hand, how must we understand the freeze of the Water Fund tax and the suspension of the roadwork tax, decided without explanations by the Mayor?

"The deplorable state of the streets and water mains raises the indignation of Montrealers. Can the mayor assure the population that the expected investments will done, despite the f thirty-six million dollars lack of income that results from his decision?" added the Leader of the Official Opposition.

"It would not bode well to begin this mandate without the transparent administration that the population awaits from team in place," concluded madam Harel.

For further information: Caroline Martel, Press Attaché, Office of the Leader of the Official Opposition, [phone], Cell.: [phone]