Laval Elected Official Makes Taxpayers Pay for Costco and Apple Watch at Over $1,000

A Laval city councilor used public funds to buy groceries at Costco, a sofa bed and even a luxury $1,000 Apple watch.

Our investigation office has examined the expense reports of Paolo Galati and his party Action Laval that have been reimbursed from the research and support fund for elected officials since 2017. This money must “meet a real and useful need for the purposes of accomplishing [des] functions” of elected officials, according to an administrative guide from the Ministry of Municipal Affairs.

We found that Mr Galati repeatedly charged taxpayers for his purchases of cereal, Nutella and peanut butter (four 1kg pots each), honey (packs of three 750g pots each), chewing gum and even anti-inflammatory tablets.

In January and February 2020, Mr. Galati submitted four Costco invoices for items including: cauliflower soup, bandages, organic seaweed snacks, Aveeno moisturizer (two 600 ml containers each), a litre of maple syrup, Keto brand chocolate, shelled hemp seeds, chia seeds, and lots of nuts and fruit. A few months later, fruit was removed from the claim.

In July 2022, he bought Aveeno moisturizer and a self-watering planter again.

In his reports, Mr. Galati justified his purchases by “citizen meetings” or “gatherings.”

Some purchases have also raised doubts since the City’s Finance Department asked him, in writing in 2022 and 2023, to confirm that invoices were indeed functional expenses.

The main person concerned has, each time, assured that this was indeed the case.

Moisturizing cream

Reached by telephone, Mr. Galati defended his purchases and stated that all of these products were used in particular for citizen meetings and meetings, via Teams and in person, at his office at home.

“The moisturizer is part of my office, it’s not excessive stuff, I have it in my office and I use it,” he defended himself.

None of his colleagues at Action Laval have this type of expense. “I don’t see how I could be compared to other advisors, we don’t all have the same tastes,” he argues, referring to his food purchases. “If these are things that I use during my meetings, it’s part of my job.”

As for the ibuprofen, he told us that it is used for headaches during meetings at his home and when he travels. Five days later, the party gave us another explanation: the medication and bandages were instead used in a first aid kit at their office at city hall.

Who is watching?

Elected officials’ expenses are recorded in a reimbursement report submitted to the council each month.

Since 2017, spending on research and support for elected officials does not have to be approved by the party leader, in order to “increase the autonomy and accountability of advisers,” says a Ministry document.

The City of Laval assures us that the City treasurer has the power to refuse expenses that do not comply with the regulations.

For work, really?

Paolo Galati made taxpayers pay for the following items:

Honey

On three occasions in 2023, he bought a pack of three bear-shaped jars, each containing 750 g of honey, for a total of 6.75 kg of honey. “When I make my teas in meetings, I add a little maple syrup or honey,” he explained.

Chia and hemp seeds

Public funds were used to reimburse a 907g package of hemp seeds and a package of chia seeds, both purchased at Costco.

In an interview, Mr. Galati replied that these products are for his consumption.

“It’s personal, there are things that I use myself when I’m in a meeting […] Sometimes the meetings are quite long, if I need a little kick […] I eat very specific food.”

Moisturizing cream

The city councilor billed taxpayers for the purchase of four large 600 ml jars of moisturizer. “He uses the Aveeno cream to rehydrate his hands after using hydroalcoholic gel, when he sanitizes hands at events and activities,” the Action Laval party tells us.

Maple syrup

Public funds were used to purchase a large 1-litre jar of maple syrup at Costco.

Nutella

The people of Laval paid for this large package of two pots, each containing 1 kg of Nutella.

“The Apple Advisor”

Since December 2017, Paolo Galati has been reimbursed no less than $16,000 in Apple equipment, using taxpayers’ money.

In fact, Mr. Galati has so much Apple gear that some have nicknamed him “the Apple advisor,” one source tells us.

He notably equipped himself with an iPhone 8 then an iPhone 12, an iPad Pro tablet with its keyboard and two matching “Apple Pencils”, a 27-inch iMac desktop computer and a MacBook Pro laptop at more than $3,400 each. He also treated himself to two pairs of AirPods Pro wireless headphones at $329 each.

But that’s not all. Paolo Galati also used the research fund to buy himself a $1,049 Apple Watch with a stainless steel case and a Milanese strap.

He says his watch is essential for his duties. “When we’re in meetings sometimes, like at the board meeting, we can’t take our cell phones,” he says.

“To do my job better, it’s all through Apple, everything is connected,” he explains. As for the AirPods, he says the first pair broke, he suffers from tinnitus and they are the only headphones he can use. He says he lost the first Apple Pencil and his iPhone 8 is broken.

$900 headphones for the chef

The purchase of electronic equipment with the research fund is authorized. The ministry’s guide nevertheless specifies that the elected official must prioritize a “rational use of the municipality’s resources with a view to sound management of public funds.”

Other Action Laval colleagues have also made expensive Apple purchases. Achille Cifelli, the party’s interim leader, was reimbursed for the purchase of $900 AirPods Max headphones, the same ones that former Montreal public consultation office president Isabelle Beaulieu bought before she was fired.

Mr. Cifelli had bought AirPods for $329 a few months earlier. He explained to us that he had lost his first pair and so bought the $900 model. “These are the devices that work best,” he explained, adding that this model is better suited to his ears.

He also bought an Apple Pencil, an iPad and its case and a Magic Keyboard for $400. Mr. Cifelli, however, points out that last year, he did not spend all of the budget to which he was entitled. “I left $10,000,” he says. Each councillor had access to a budget of $46,000 in 2023. Mr. Cifelli had spent $35,000. The unused balance is lost.

As for councillor Aglaia Revelakis, she bought herself a $1,900 iPad Pro, a $500 keyboard, AirPods and a MacBook Pro for which she requested a $4,000 refund.. His party explained that the computer equipment allows elected officials “to serve their citizens as best they can.” At the end of their term, elected officials must return this equipment or buy it back at its residual value.

According to our information, if elected officials in Montreal wish to make this type of expenditure, they must provide solid arguments for it to be reimbursed.

“What the City is saying is that it is the taxpayers’ budget, so we must not abuse it,” a source in Montreal tells us.

“An elected official bought AirPods and the city asked, ‘Why $300 AirPods when he can buy any wireless earbud for $200?’” the source continued.

– With the collaboration of Dominique Cambron-Goulet

Other questionable expenses

Mr. Galati used Laval residents’ money to pay for his ticket to the Wilfrid-Laurier School Board Foundation lobster fundraiser in June 2018. Mr. Galati was involved with the foundation at the time as a director, in addition to being a commissioner for the school board. Since October 2018, he has also served as chair of the board in addition to his duties as a municipal councillor.

“I was really there as an advisor and not because I was part of the school board. Since I became president, I have been buying it out of my own pocket,” he said.

A well-equipped home office

The Laval residents also reimbursed Paolo Galati for the purchase of a $734 convertible sofa bed with memory foam and a $260 coffee machine. They even paid for the refills of his SodaStream.

We also found invoices for acoustic panels (nearly $275), microphone arms and stands, a $400 speaker, a $260 teleprompter, a ring light and a tripod.

He explains that there is a lot of echo in his office and that, for Teams meetings, the sound is “better” with the acoustic panels.

Duplicate invoices submitted

We also discovered that on at least three occasions in 2021 and 2023, Mr. Galati submitted the same invoices twice in two different reports a few months apart, which allowed him to be reimbursed twice for an amount of $300. The party explains that these are honest errors. “They will be reimbursed without delay,” Frédéric Mayer told Action Laval communications.