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CTV News
5 days ago
- General
- CTV News
Quebec to ask Supreme Court for permission to appeal school board reform ruling
The Supreme Court of Canada says it is moving away from the social media platform X. The Supreme Court of Canada is pictured in Ottawa on Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick MONTREAL — Quebec will ask the Supreme Court of Canada for permission to appeal a ruling that found a provincial law abolishing school boards violates English-language minority education rights. A spokesperson for Quebec's justice minister confirmed Friday the province will appeal a ruling from the Quebec Court of Appeal rendered in April. That ruling upheld a Quebec Superior Court decision from August 2023 which found the province's law abolishing school boards violates linguistic minority education rights, guaranteed in Section 23 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The law, known as Bill 40, was adopted in February 2020 and transformed French schools boards, which were governed by elected commissioners, into service centres run by a board of directors overseen by the provincial government. While the French boards went along with the government, the English boards chose the legal route. The law's measures affecting English school boards were stayed in 2020 pending the outcome of the court challenge. The English boards have maintained that Section 23 gives them the constitutional right to manage and control its school boards. Quebec Superior Court Justice Sylvian Lussier ruled in August 2023 that the province's law abolishing school boards was unconstitutional and violates linguistic minority education rights, guaranteed in Section 23 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. He wrote that several sections of the law cannot be applied to English school boards, including those that set limits on who can run for election and sit on the boards. 'The minority is having the vision of the majority imposed on it as to who can represent it, whereas for more than 200 years, all members of the community have been eligible to take care of school management,' Lussier wrote. The Court of Appeal said last month that the law 'radically alters the mission of these school service centres compared to school boards.' In a unanimous decision by a three-member panel, the appeal court wrote the law infringed on rights guaranteed in the Charter and upheld most of the constitutional conclusions of the Superior Court decision. The Quebec English Language School Boards Association said in a statement Friday it was disappointed by the province's decision to appeal to the Supreme Court and that it will continue to defend the constitutional rights of English school boards before the high court. 'We had hoped the government would accept the Court of Appeal's unanimous decision and finally respect the rights of the English-speaking community,' said Joe Ortona, president of QESBA, said in a statement. 'At a time when Quebec is facing significant financial cuts, it is disappointing to see public funds being used to pursue a legal battle that so clearly infringes on the rights of minority communities.' As Quebec is now seeking to appeal again, Julien Garon, a spokesman for Quebec Justice Minister Simon Jolin-Barrette, said the government has no further comment. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 31, 2025. Sidhartha Banerjee, The Canadian Press
Montreal Gazette
29-05-2025
- Business
- Montreal Gazette
Corruption trial: Prosecution continues to grill Zampino about ‘Mr. Three Per Cent'
Montreal Crime By The personal life of the man who came to be known as 'Mr. Three Per Cent' appeared to be a mess while he was allegedly involved in the bid-rigging scheme that is at the heart of Frank Zampino's municipal corruption trial. Zampino, the president of Montreal's executive committee between 2002 and 2008, was again asked several questions Thursday morning about an alleged attempt by Bernard Trépanier to extort $1 million from Smart Centres, an Ontario-based real-estate development company that was interested in building a shopping centre on the site of a quarry in St- Michel. During the trial, which began at the Montreal courthouse on Feb. 3, Quebec Court Judge Silvie Kovecevich has heard evidence that Trépanier was fired from his job as the head of fundraising for Union Montréal because of the alleged extortion attempt. The incident is not related to the charges Zampino, 65, and four other men face in the trial, including Robert Marcil, 60, the former head of Montreal's public works department. Zampino and Marcil face three charges each: conspiracy, fraud and breach of trust. The other three accused are former executives with engineering firms. The scheme stretched from 2004 to 2009, and the case involves 34 contracts worth more than $160 million. The prosecution's theory is that Zampino organized a plan to award contracts, offered through public tenders by the city of Montreal, in exchange for illegal financing for Union Montréal. Zampino is alleged to have put in place and orchestrated a system of collusion with the goal of leading the fraudulent awarding of contracts to 13 engineering firms in exchange for political contributions to Union Montréal. Trépanier is alleged to have acted as an intermediary between Zampino and the engineering firms. Some of the evidence heard in the current trial was also heard during the Charbonneau Commission, a public inquiry into construction contracts held years ago. During the inquiry, Trépanier came to be known as 'Mr. Three Per Cent' because that is what he is alleged to have asked for in the form of kickbacks for Union Montréal when contracts were awarded to colluding companies. In 2017, Trépanier was charged in the same case and died of natural causes in 2018. It appears that the prosecution is implying Trépanier had become so brazen in his role in the bid-rigging scheme that he simply tried to extort $1 million from Smart Centres without having to create another bid-rigging scheme. Questions posed by prosecutor Nicolas Ammerlaan while cross-examining Zampino on Thursday indicated Trépanier was struggling financially while the incident involving Smart Centres allegedly took place. Zampino said Trépanier lived in a condominium on Jarry St. in St-Léonard in a building that 'was not extravagant' and that he got around in a Dodge Caravan 'that was not a recent model.' 'According to the image of what I saw, it was a very modest living, but I don't know what his finances were,' Zampino said. Ammerlaan reminded Zampino that Marc Deschamps, a former official agent with Union Montréal, testified that he had informed Zampino that Trépanier was 'in trouble' with both provincial and federal revenue agencies around 2006 or 2007. 'I think I had already left city hall (in 2008) when (Deschamps) had informed me,' Zampino said. 'In 2006 or 2007, did he inform you that Bernard Trépanier was going bankrupt, but (Deschamps said) that didn't bother (you),' Ammerlaan asked. 'I don't remember Marc Deschamps mentioning that (but) don't dispute what you're saying,' Zampino said, adding that Trépanier 'never, never' told him he was facing bankruptcy. 'I don't know what his financial affairs were. We can't judge a person based on the car they are driving or the condominium they've purchased. I never inquired about what his personal finances were.'
Montreal Gazette
27-05-2025
- Politics
- Montreal Gazette
‘An emotional day': Zampino tells court about police search of his home
News When police searched his home more than a decade ago during an investigation into his alleged role in a bid-rigging scheme at Montreal city hall, Frank Zampino, the former president of Montreal's executive committee, was ordered to stay in the entrance to his residence for 10 hours while UPAC investigators did their work. While being cross-examined on Tuesday, Zampino, now 65, told Quebec Court Judge Silvie Kovacevich that the day his home was searched in 2014 was 'an emotional day.' Zampino said he and his wife were told to remain near the main entrance to their home while investigators with the Unité permanente anticorruption (UPAC) searched for documents or devices that might contain evidence related to Project Fronde, the investigation that led to Zampino and several other men, including Robert Marcil, now 60, the city's former head of Montreal's public works department, being charged in 2017. Zampino and Marcil face three charges each: conspiracy, fraud and breach of trust. Three former executives with engineering firms that were alleged to be part of the bid-rigging scheme are also part of the trial. The scheme stretched from 2004 to 2009, and the case involves 34 contracts worth more than $160 million. The prosecution's theory is Zampino organized a plan to award contracts, offered through public tenders by the city of Montreal, in exchange for illegal financing for Union Montréal, the political party Zampino was a part of while he was the head of the executive committee between 2002 and 2008. Zampino is alleged to have put in place and orchestrated a system of collusion with the goal of leading the fraudulent awarding of contracts to 13 engineering firms in exchange for political contributions. When the search was carried out in 2014, Zampino was already facing criminal charges in another case involving the 2007 sale of the city-owned land known as Faubourg Contrecoeur at a discounted price to a construction firm. Zampino was charged in the Faubourg Contecoeur case in 2012 and was acquitted in 2018. UPAC investigators were apparently advised to be careful not to seize items that might have involved exchanges Zampino had with his lawyers who represented him in the Faubourg Contrecoeur case. A lawyer from the Barreau du Québec and a lawyer representing Zampino were present during the search to make sure Zampino's attorney-client privilege was respected. While being cross-examined by prosecutor Nicolas Ammerlaan on Tuesday, Zampino said he was unable to watch as investigators looked through such items as an Apple computer. 'I was not allowed to leave (that space), so if anything was done regarding (a legal procedure), this was done between the lawyer with the Barreau and the UPAC officers and my lawyer who was present,' Zampino said. ' I was contained to a five-by-eight (space) with my wife throughout the entire search, and I certainly was not allowed to accompany the police officers room by room (through his house). 'I was confined to the main entrance to my home. That was where I was confined to, a five-by-eight space, and I stayed there, with two folding chairs, with my wife from 6 in the morning to about 4 in the afternoon.' The prosecutor also asked Zampino several questions about a fax machine Zampino used in an office in his home. During the trial, the prosecution presented evidence that some documents related to the bid-rigging scheme were faxed to his home. Zampino denied seeing the documents and said he rarely received work-related items through his home fax number. This story was originally published May 27, 2025 at 1:16 PM.
Montreal Gazette
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Montreal Gazette
Frank Zampino resigned from engineering firm after reports of his trips on Tony Accurso's yacht, corruption trial told
By When Frank Zampino left politics in 2008, his next job was with one of the engineering firms that took part in the bid-rigging scheme he is alleged to have organized while he was president of the city of Montreal's executive committee. Zampino's final days as the head of the committee was one of the last things he testified about Monday in his own defence over the course of three days in a trial that began early in February. His lawyer, Philippe Morneau, announced late in the afternoon to Quebec Court Judge Silvie Kovacevich that he had no further questions for his client. The judge then told the lawyers of the four other men charged in the same trial that she would let them think overnight about whether they want to cross-examine Zampino on Tuesday before the prosecution will. Before the day came to an end on Monday, Morneau asked Zampino about his decision to step down as the head of the executive committee in 2008 and about his next job as chief financial officer and an executive vice-president for Dessau, one of the 13 engineering firms that took part in the bid-rigging scheme. The job at Dessau came with a $250,000 annual salary, but Zampino said he felt he had to resign a few months after he started when reports by La Presse surfaced about how he had taken trips on the Touch, a yacht owned by construction magnate Antonio (Tony) Accurso. Years after the reports surfaced, Accurso was convicted on criminal charges involving his role in a similar bid-rigging scheme run by former Laval mayor Gilles Vaillancourt for many years. Accurso ended up serving time behind bars for being part of the massive collusion scheme. On Monday, Zampino said he left politics on his own terms and that he began planning his departure in 2007. 'I obviously announced this to the mayor (Gérald Tremblay). He was the first one that was made aware, close to two weeks before the announcement (was made public at a press conference at city hall). I had asked him to keep it confidential, which he did. He was obviously not expecting that news. I explained it to him and he very much accepted my decision, although I was not finishing my mandate.' 'Why did you decide to leave before the end of your mandate,' Morneau asked. 'I was actually contemplating this before the 2005 election, through a personal reflection on my part,' Zampino said, adding he wanted to give Tremblay a year and a half to find his replacement before the next election. Zampino said the next thing he did was take 'an extended vacation' in Europe with his wife, but before they left he was offered a position with Dessau by Jean-Pierre Sauriol, then the engineering firm's chief executive officer. 'It was a nice company and a growing company, a nice Quebec company that was growing fast and prosperous,' Zampino said. 'It looked extremely interesting to me. Its revenues were close to three-quarters of a billion dollars. 'This is why I accepted the position.' Zampino started at Dessau in January 2009, but the reports about what turned out to be two trips on Accurso's yacht surfaced a few months later and he resigned in April 2009. Zampino also told Kovacevich that he insisted on being billed for his vacations on the Touch and that he paid Accurso $10,000 in total. 'In the midst of your discussions (to be hired at) Dessau, were you aware that Dessau was part of a bid-rigging scheme in Montreal or anywhere else,' Morneau asked. 'Absolutely not,' Zampino said. 'I had no idea of what was going on in Montreal. There was never any discussion of a bid-rigging scheme whatsoever.' Zampino said he left Dessau following 'an intense 10-day period' when media were publishing many reports about politicians and union representatives who took long trips on Accurso's yacht. By the third day, Zampino said, he had a meeting with Sauriol and his brother Rosaire, also an executive with Dessau, and offered his resignation. 'I said that I didn't like what was going on in terms of (Dessau's) image,' he said. 'They had refused it at the time. Jean-Pierre said: 'No, let's ride the storm. It will go away.' It did not go away.' Earlier on Monday, Zampino was asked for his reaction to Rosaire Sauriol's testimony in the trial. When he was asked if he considered Zampino to be a friend, he told the court: 'No, we had a business relationship.' 'I was quite surprised at the answer. Rosaire Sauriol was someone I had known since 1998, from my days (as a politician) in St-Léonard,' Zampino said, adding Dessau purchased an engineering firm that had done most of the infrastructure work in St-Léonard along with SNC-Lavalin. 'I got to know (Rosaire Sauriol) back then, in the '90s, and over the years we had a professional relationship that totally turned into a friendship.' On Sept. 20, 2017, Rosaire Sauriol admitted he was part of the Laval bid-rigging scheme that Accurso was a part of. Sauriol pleaded guilty to one count of breach of trust and was sentenced to two years of probation and ordered to pay a $200,000 fine.
Montreal Gazette
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Montreal Gazette
City of Montreal has sued Frank Zampino, court hears in his corruption trial
Montreal Crime By Frank Zampino, the former president of Montreal's city executive committee, has legal woes beyond the current criminal trial in which he is alleged to have run a bid-rigging scheme involving infrastructure contracts awarded by the city. On Monday, Zampino, 65, was in his third day of testifying in his defence in the trial at the Montreal courthouse that began in early February. While answering questions from defence lawyer Philippe Morneau, Zampino said he is still a defendant in a civil lawsuit, brought against him and other defendants, through which he is being sued by the city of Montreal. Zampino said the lawsuit is based on testimony given by Michel Lalonde, a retired engineer and the former president of engineering firm Groupe Séguin, during the Charbonneau Commission, a public inquiry into construction contracts that started in 2011 and concluded in 2015. When the criminal trial began, the prosecution described Lalonde as the key witness. Groupe Séguin was one of the firms that took part in the collusion. Lalonde testified that at one point in the scheme he was asked to become 'a spokesperson' for the other engineering firms that agreed to take part in it. He said executives with the other firms felt Bernard Trépanier, the person in charge of fundraising for the Union Montréal political party at the time, did not understand engineering and was doing a lousy job of distributing the contracts. Some firms complained they had to wait too long to be awarded a contract. Fundraising for Union Montréal is at the heart of the criminal trial. Lalonde also told the court that during 2007, he had three meetings with Zampino during which the illegal scheme was discussed. That included a meeting held on a Saturday at the St-Léonard borough hall. Besides being head of Montreal's executive committee, Zampino was mayor of the St-Léonard borough at the time. During that meeting in 2007, Lalonde alleged that he, Trépanier and Zampino discussed having Robert Marcil, then the head of Montreal's public works department, added to a committee that selected the contracts to be approved by the executive committee. Marcil, 60, is also charged in the same trial at the Montreal courthouse. Last week, his lawyer said Marcil will be the last of the five accused to present a defence. The other three people on trial are former executives with engineering firms. Zampino and Marcil face three charges each: conspiracy, fraud and breach of trust. Last week, Zampino denied Lalonde's allegations and said Lalonde and Trépanier showed up 'unannounced' on the Saturday he referred to. Zampino also said he recalled having other things to do that day and that he tried to get Lalonde and Trépanier out of the borough hall as fast as possible. The civil trial 'is tied to what we have here,' Zampino told Quebec Court Judge Silvie Kovacevich on Monday, adding the civil case involves Tecsult, an engineering firm that admitted it took part in the scheme. '(Lalonde) basically described the same three meetings (during the Charbonneau Commission).' Zampino was named to be head of the executive committee after Gérald Tremblay was elected in 2002 as mayor of the newly merged city of Montreal. Zampino's last day in office was on July 2, 2008. The scheme stretched from 2004 to 2009, and the case involves 34 contracts worth more than $160 million. The prosecution's theory is Zampino organized a plan to award contracts, offered through public tenders by the city of Montreal, in exchange for illegal financing for Union Montréal. Zampino is alleged to have put in place and orchestrated a system of collusion with the goal of leading the fraudulent awarding of contracts to 13 engineering firms in exchange for political contributions. Trépanier is alleged to have helped Zampino organize the scheme. In 2017, Trépanier was charged in the same criminal case brought against Zampino, but Trépanier died of natural causes in 2018.
