Formula E in 2017 | Judge dismisses disgruntled contractor's complaint

(Montreal) An entrepreneur who sued the City of Montreal for not considering his application to organize an electric car race in 2017 has failed in his efforts to obtain more than 3 million in compensation.

A judge suggested there was no evidence Alexandre Choko would have made money even if he had been selected to host the much-criticised Formula E event, which was canceled after a year with a deficit of more than 17.7 million.

Mr. Choko filed a lawsuit in 2018 after Montreal's auditor general released a report accusing former mayor Denis Coderre of bending the rules in his management of the race.

Mr. Choko alleged that Mr. Coderre and his office circumvented a law that would have required a call for tenders by using the cover of a non-profit organization that was able to directly hire the event management company evenko.

Superior Court Judge Louis Charette concluded in a December 4 decision that, although the City acted incorrectly, Mr. Choko failed to demonstrate that he had suffered harm because he did not There was no evidence that he would have been selected to promote the event, much less that he would have made any money.

Formula E was scheduled to run for three years in Montreal, but the first edition sold only 25,000 tickets and was considered a failure, leading Valérie Plante to cancel it after beating Denis Coderre in the race at the 2017 town hall.