City going to Supreme Court over 11-year-old $83,000 bill

An unpaid bill of $83,000 dating from 2007 will see the city of Montreal before the Supreme Court of Canada over the next few months.

The high court agreed on Thursday to hear the case, which will pit the city against Octane, a Montreal public relations firm.

Octane is claiming the $83,000 for the lease of technical equipment used during the launch in May of 2007 of the city transportation plan unveiled by then-mayor Gérald Tremblay.

Octane was also suing Richard Thériault, then the city’s director of communications, who was also responsible for the administration of the office of the mayor and of the city’s executive committee.

The first judgment in the case rejected the city’s argument that once graphics, consulting and printing fees were included, the contract was worth more than $100,000 and should have been subject to a call for tenders. Had that interpretation been accepted by the court, the delay in filing a lawsuit against the city would have been six months rather than three years.

However the court found that the work done for the city was detailed in four separate contracts, a decision upheld by the Quebec Court of Appeal. Since the rulings found against the city, the suit against Thériault was rejected.

The city then decided to take the case to the Supreme Court.

The 2007 transportation plan unveiled by the Tremblay administration included the creation of three tramway lines as well as the establishment of tolls to enter Montreal Island.