Quebec mayor faces fraud charges

A small-town mayor in Quebec was slapped with fraud charges Friday, in the latest ignominious twist in this annus horribilis for burg bosses.

Quebec’s anti-corruption squad arrested Michel Lavoie, 58, mayor of St-Remi, just south of Montreal, on charges of fraud, conspiracy and breach of trust.

It was one more blow in a year that saw Canadian mayors from London, Ont., to Laval, Que., sustain political or legal canings, with careers and reputations taking a drubbing.

Toronto’s mayor was ordered out of office by a judge in a conflict-of-interest case; the mayors of Laval and Montreal left amid corruption scandals; the mayor of London, Ont., hung on to his job despite a fraud charge; the former mayor of a Montreal borough and the mayor of Mascouche, Que., face a variety of charges, with the latter recently succumbing to the numerous demands that he resign.

A similar story is now playing out in sleepy St-Remi, a semi-rural community of roughly 7,000 on the outer edges of the suburban belt around Montreal.

Police allege Lavoie used his influence as mayor to ensure projects in the city were developed and built by his friends, relatives and business partners. It’s alleged he modified zoning regulations, altered requests for proposals and circumvented contract allocation rules.

“Breach of trust and fraud are criminal acts that have heavy consequences as much for the actors involved in illegal machinations as for citizens who pay the price.”

Fraud and conspiracy charges were also laid against Sebastien Lavoie, 36, whom reports identify as the mayor’s son.

Another man, Dominic Dorais, is charged with fraud, conspiracy and breach of trust, while a construction company bearing his name is charged with fraud.