Bill of more than $10,000 to help manage the crisis in Sainte-Pétronille

Sainte-Pétronille paid more than $10,000 to the public relations firm TACT Conseil in the wake of the crisis of confidence that is shaking the municipality on Île d’Orléans.

• Read also: Citizens denounce “a climate of gloom” in the village of Sainte-Pétronille

The invoice, which covers the period from 1^er as of January 31, 2024, totals $11,139 for “issue management”. The document, of which The newspaper was able to consult a copy, was obtained by a citizen of Sainte-Pétronille under the Act respecting access to documents held by public bodies and the protection of personal information.

Only the amounts disbursed are visible, the rest of the invoice was redacted to “preserve information protected by professional secrecy”, argues the general director of Sainte-Pétronille, Nathalie Paquet, in a correspondence with the citizen who made the request .

TACT advisors spoke to the media and were also present during municipal council meetings.

This sum for public relations management is therefore added to the nearly $20,000 spent in legal fees with the Therrien Couture Joli-Coeur firm, in particular for sending formal notices to citizens.

These formal notices set fire to the powder in the small municipality of Île d’Orléans where the hiring of M^me Paquet raised several questions from citizens.

The local newspaper on Île d’Orléans, Around the island, also received a formal notice from Sainte-Pétronille to prevent the publication of an article on the controversy surrounding this hiring.

The Professional Federation of Journalists of Quebec then described this maneuver as an attempt at “Soviet or North Korean” intimidation.

Remember that an investigation by the Quebec Municipal Commission into this matter is still underway.

The mayor of Sainte-Pétronille, Jean Côté, publicly defended the decisions of his Municipality during a stormy meeting of the municipal council last February. The mayor then said he “feared for his safety”.

He has since increased calls for calm in the municipality. Despite this, three municipal councilors resigned en masse last month due to high tensions.