The suspension of Pierre Désaulniers is effective from December 23, for 30 consecutive days.
At the end of its investigation, the Department of Municipal Integrity Investigations and Prosecutions concluded that the mayor had contravened three articles of his Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct, relating to respect, civility, honor and conflicts of interest.
Mr. Désaulniers admitted his actions. “At the end of my name, I wrote ‘mayor’, so at that moment I accepted the decision.”
Before accepting the joint proposal from the prosecution and the defense, judge Thierry Usclat invited Mayor Désaulniers to be more careful in the future. “You can complain about certain situations, but not in your role as mayor,” he warns. He suggests that the elected official consult a lawyer if in doubt.
We procrastinated a bit on the appropriate time to establish the start of the suspension. Judge Usclat wanted to give Pierre Désaulniers the opportunity to sit one last time on January 14, the date of the next public meeting, before being suspended. He seemed more inclined to quickly turn the page on the episode. We finally decided for December 23, the time for the court to write its decision.
Pierre Désaulniers will be deprived of salary, of all the advantages linked to his function, and will not be able to sit on the MRC or on any other committee where he held a position, during the suspension. “You’re not going to cut any ribbons either,” the judge warned.
On the sidelines of the hearing, the mayor maintains that he has been the victim of intimidation since the start of his mandate. “I’ve been attacked for five years, at one point the lid of the pot blew off… I take responsibility for my actions, it’s going to give me a little vacation, it’s been two years since I I didn’t take it,” he lets it go.
“Sad for Saint-Boniface”
Present during the hearing on Wednesday morning, the councilor targeted by the mayor’s actions, Luc Arseneault, is careful not to show off. “It’s sad for the people of Saint-Boniface,” he comments. I would like to believe that this marks the end of a chapter.”
Mr. Arseneault continues to think that Mayor Désaulniers has lost the legitimacy to assume his functions, but relies on the decision of the Municipal Commission.
For the rest, the elected official believes that the population will have the opportunity to “clean up” at the next electoral meeting, in less than a year.
Budget adopted the day before, with dissension
It should be noted that the mayor’s suspension occurs the day after the adoption of the municipal budget. Saint-Boniface taxpayers are facing an average increase in their tax bill of around 2.63%, while the operating budget now stands at $9,056,500, compared to $8,589,224. in 2024.
As he did last year, Councilor Luc Arseneault opposed the adoption of the budget forecasts, once again denouncing the “arena tax” of $75, arguing that the measure is unfair, since it imposes a heavier burden on less well-off households, all things considered. Citizens did not fail to express their sadness that the tax was renewed.
Another highlight, the expense for the renovation of the town hall appears in the PTI for a sum of $6,175,000 in 2025. Financed in part by the PRACIM program, the project is currently the subject of a call for tenders. offers, open until February 6.
