Borough’s culture director let go

Council opted to terminate Daniel Moreau’s contract as of Oct. 16. His is the fourth contract to be terminated since December 2005. It would appear that Moreau’s competencies fall short of demands brought about by the borough’s new administrative structure.

According to Borough Mayor Marie-Andrée Beaudoin, Claude Côté, the former director of the borough’s administrative services division is better suited to the job. Moreau will be reassigned to a similar post elsewhere and for the same salary.

Beaudoin says that the changes made over the last year, including those regarding staff, have been done to improve the quality of services offered to citizens. “It will be up to the population to decide [if the changes were good] based on the results they will bring about. Unfortunately, you can’t make an omlette without breaking a few eggs,� said Beaudoin during the Oct. 2 borough council meeting.

However, Bordeaux-Cartierville councillor Noushig Eloyan disapproves of the dismissals. “Montreal’s civil service employees are used to working with officials from different political parties. We don’t get rid of municipal employees just because they have worked with other parties in the past,� she said.

Former borough director, Louis Provencher, stepped down last December at the services to citizens was cited as a reason.

Roger Benhamou, who had been the interim director of public works for 18 months, was also asked to leave in March. When his replacement was named, Benhamou denied that he had been fired, saying that he only held the position on a temporary basis anyway. Benhamou, who now works as the assistant to the director of public works, plans to retire once the transition period is completed.

The job position of director of urban planning and business services has also been fused with the public works divsion. However, the restructuring has led to the creating of a new multi-layered category to replace the fused borough office and administrative services division: the performance, citizen relations, records, and administrative services division. Serge Geoffrion heads the department.

Courrier Bordeaux-Cartierville tried to reach Moreau, but he did not return our calls.

Translated by Anna Bratulic