Jean-Luc Roberge is contesting his dismissal in May 2022, following a devastating report from the Auditor General on the STS.
Jean-Luc Roberge was fired in May 2022, following a devastating report on the STS. (Tom Core/Archives The Daily)
The director of network planning, projects and electrification at STS, Sébastien Comeau, was called to testify on Wednesday.
Sébastien Comeau, who has worked for the STS for around fifteen years, confirmed that no strategic planning was developed when he worked with Mr. Roberge and that fleet planning was “certainly deficient”.
The director also recognized that the relationship between Jean-Luc Roberge and the director of human resources at STS was causing “a certain discomfort” within the team and that the director’s files were “dragging on”.
The former president of the STS, Marc Pettersen, was due to testify on Wednesday, but this was impossible due to lack of time. The hearings will resume on February 25.
Frédéric Michel had denounced actions
Earlier in the morning, the general director of the STS, Frédéric Michel, informed the president of the STS of certain actions of Jean-Luc Roberge, before he was dismissed.
Frédéric Michel testified at length in the last two days before the TAT. (Tom Core/Archives The Daily)
After consulting management policies, Frédéric Michel notably informed the president of the STS that Jean-Luc Roberge was using an STS vehicle for personal purposes.
“Why did you feel the need to inform Mr. Bouchard?” questioned Jean-Luc Roberge’s lawyer, Me Marius Ménard. “I informed him, I never recommended,” replied the witness, adding that this practice of Mr. Roberge was illegal.
Claude Bouchard has been president of the Société de transport du Saguenay since March 2022. (Tom Core/Archives The Daily)
Frédéric Michel also warned Claude Bouchard when he learned that there was an unsigned agreement of $750,000 with the University of Quebec in Chicoutimi, which still committed to paying $150,000.
The director general has repeatedly said that he never gave instructions to the investigators to guide them in their efforts.
Frédéric Michel also confirmed having filed a complaint with Claude Bouchard against municipal councilor Michel Tremblay to the Quebec Municipal Commission.
During the municipal campaign in 2021, Michel Tremblay contacted Jean-Luc Roberge to ensure that buses displaying his advertising circulate in his district. He was fined $2,000 for this breach of ethics.
“People were leaving the boat at high speed”
After the tabling of a devastating report from the Saguenay general auditor on the STS in February 2022, “people were leaving the boat at high speed,” said Frédéric Michel.
“There are no more human resources, no more finances, no more resources; it’s a slaughter.”
— Extract from the testimony of Frédéric Michel
Me Marius Ménard represents the interests of Jean-Luc Roberge. (Tom Core/Archives The Daily)
Quickly, the board of directors was convened and an action plan deployed over 45 days was presented to the members by Frédéric Michel, including the implementation of strategic planning, which was, according to him, absent at the time.
According to Mr. Michel, Jean-Luc Roberge did not believe in the usefulness of this approach, even if the VG criticized the organization for it. “He told me, ‘There’s nothing in there anyway. Let’s see, it was all in my head!”
Frédéric Michel said that the STS seriously questioned itself in the spring of 2022. (Tom Core/Archives The Daily)
Frédéric Michel believes that the STS lacked too many resources to make this plan internally. An external firm was therefore mandated to produce this organizational roadmap.
“I don’t think this kind of exercise should be done internally for such a small company like us,” the witness explained.
Questioning
We clearly feel that the significant media attention given to the STS issue in 2022 has severely affected the organization of the Société de transport du Saguenay.
“The fire broke out in the radios and the presenters were very violent,” recalled Frédéric Michel.
The VG report, combined with this media attention, pushed the transport company to question its business model and even the merits of its mission in the regional territory.
“The culture is in the automobile,” declared the general director. We have been decrying the model for 10 years, 10 years we have been saying that we are not good, add to that the massive reports from the Auditor General.”
Finally, the model has been redefined in the last two years, notably thanks to new strategic planning.
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