Valerie Plante did not announce her one-week mission to Europe, a practice she has been criticized by former mayor Denis Coudray and which she has promised to end.
“It is very worrying,” responded Danielle Pilet, associate professor of municipal management in the Department of Strategy, Social and Environmental Responsibility at UQAM.
The mayor of Montreal announced on Monday afternoon that she was in London via her Twitter account.
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Although his meetings in this city, Vienna and Paris were not on his public agenda magazine,
Nor did he announce the visit through previous executive committee or press releases.
half promise
During the election campaign in 2017, Projet Montreal’s elected representative, however, promised to “end the culture of secrecy” of Denis Coudray’s administration.
She vowed to “make her agenda public” so that Montrealers would be free to learn about the activities she participates in and travels. In 2018, it took action by making its activities and meetings public on the Internet.
To the opposition at City Hall, it is a “half-fulfilled” promise.
“If the said agenda is put into place, it is still essential that we receive all the information … or any information at all” in real time, detailed in a written statement from Aref Salem, leader of Ensemble Montreal.
He claims to have learned on Monday that the mayor was in Europe through his social networks.
“interest groups”
For his part, M.Me Pilet is concerned to see that the mayor has visited Vienna with a delegation for “interest groups”, the working unit for the establishment of student housing (UTILE), along with the real estate developer Prevel, which is called Montreal. To apply for permits and subsidies from the city, she recalled.
“We have the unpleasant impression that we wanted to avoid public scrutiny for as long as possible under the guise of housing,” said the expert in municipal management. magazine,
Valerie Plante was to be interviewed magazine To review his journey. If asked questions about the absence of meetings on the agenda, his press secretary, Marikim Goudreault, finally declined.
“There is no secret,” she assured over the phone, stressing that the firm had accepted the request. Press Will go to Europe with Mayor.
“I don’t remember when we put out a press release every time we go on a mission,” he said.
To that end, the firm’s director of communications, Catherine Emond, confirmed that the absence of a good and proper announcement resulted from “human error”.
