Lanaudière municipal elected official suspended for 45 days for conflict of interest

An elected official from a Lanaudière municipality was suspended 45 days after voting to grant a subsidy to an organization to which she personally owed money.

Valérie Léveillé, councilor in the municipality of Chertsey, received this sanction in a judgment rendered on October 25 following an investigation by the Quebec Municipal Commission.

He found her guilty of placing herself in a conflict of interest for having voted in favor of a $700 subsidy to the Ouareau Community Center during the municipal council meeting on February 19.

She contested her debt

The elected official sat on the board of directors of this same community center before her election in 2021. At the time of her involvement, she held one of the ATM cards belonging to the Center, which she used for community expenses. ‘body.

However, she subsequently realized that she had inadvertently used this card for her personal purchases from January to April 2021.

It was not until February 11, 2024 that a meeting took place with the Center so that it could settle its debt. At this time, she agreed to repay $2,192, we can read in the judgment.

The next day, M^me Léveillé, however, wrote an email to a representative of the Center to make a “counter-offer”. According to her, her debt only amounts to $740, and she demands a response by 1^is March, otherwise she will consider that she “owes nothing”.

Impression of favoritism

“Thus, at the time of voting [de la subvention le 19 février]Ms. Léveillé knows that she owes a sum of money to the Center and also knows that her letter questioning the amount owed is likely to generate a dispute between the two parties,” underlined the court.

Administrative judge Sandra Bilodeau described the testimony of the advisor, who pleaded not guilty, as “nebulous, contradictory and implausible.”

She adds that “in the clear context of her indebtedness to the Center”, her vote was “likely to interfere and suggest that she might want to favor the settlement of her case”.

Valérie Léveillée was suspended for 45 days without pay starting November 4, 2024. She did not respond to an interview request from Journal Monday.