SOREL TRACY | The Sûreté du Québec and the Commission municipale du Québec had to open an investigation following the discovery of a recording device by a senior official of the City of Sorel-Tracy.
“The circumstances surrounding this event will be analyzed to determine whether there is a criminal offense or not,” said Audrey-Anne Bilodeau, sergeant of the Sûreté du Québec (SQ), on Friday.
Last Tuesday evening, following the municipal council, the clerk of more than 20 years of experience René Chevalier would have been emotional when he revealed to the elected officials that he had found a hidden camera on a raised piece of furniture in his office, at the Sorel city hall. -Tracy.
Immediately, suspicions turned to the mayor Serge Péloquin, confided Friday to the Journal a person well aware of the file, but who asked to conceal his identity.
Betrayed by wifi
According to our information, the spy device was not equipped with very advanced technology, being more of a webcam style, and it is moreover the wifi signal leading to the mayor’s office which might have betrayed it.
In shock, councilors reportedly asked the mayor to stand down as they discussed the situation on Tuesday evening.
Since then, the first citizen of Sorel-Tracy has suspended the clerk for a period of 30 days.
“That’s the way to do it,” justified Mr. Péloquin yesterday, when contacted by The newspaper.
Asked if he was the one who hid the microphone, the mayor said he would not answer that question “right away”.
The latter said he was aware that the suspicions were turned towards him.
He underlined in passing that the mayor might exercise “his right of supervision”, referring to article 52 of the Cities and Towns Act.
Mr. Péloquin also specified that an investigation report was to be tabled next Monday at a meeting with the councillors, following which he undertook “to give all the details”.
However, he has already hinted that the reason for this investigation was to report a “breach of the duty of loyalty to the employer”.
Mr. Chevalier would however be “a victim” in this affair, according to the anonymous testimonies collected.
Concerns
So far, an internal investigation is underway at the City, confirmed its spokesperson Dominic Brassard.
The SQ and the Commission municipale du Québec are also trying to shed light on this story.
These investigations may succeed in determining the entire period of time that Mr. Chevalier’s office was wiretapped.
This element raises all the more concerns within the city council, because in addition to being city clerk, Mr. Chevalier acted as president of the municipal elections last fall.
On Friday, René Chevalier politely declined our interview request.
