Transport Quebec expertise loss detailed
The Charbonneau Commission began a detailed examination on Monday of 10 reports produced by, and for, Transport Quebec over the past 12 years.
Commission investigator Guy Desrosiers, who has now taken the stand at the inquiry on three separate occasions, was tasked with examining more than 70 reports written by Transport Quebec staff, private firms and Quebec’s auditor general. Ten of those reports stood out, Desrosiers testified on Monday afternoon, and there were several running themes in the documents.
The first of those themes was the loss of expertise within Transport Quebec — especially the loss of veteran engineers who choose to leave the department for the private sector. The Charbonneau Commission has heard from several witnesses who have highlighted the risks associated with losing experienced public servants and relying too heavily on private engineering firms to draw up construction plans and monitor work sites.
Desrosiers said the provincial government has been aware of the problem for years. By 2009, the witness said, documents show that the issue was “unanimously recognized.”
Desrosiers is expected to continue his review of the reports on Tuesday morning as the inquiry continues to examine the awarding of provincial public works contracts. Earlier in the day, the commission continued its examination of an alleged asphalt cartel operating in the regions outside of Montreal, hearing from the directorgeneral of Pavages Maska.
Serge Daunais seemed reluctant to admit that the “respect” between his company and the two other major players competing for provincial paving contracts — Construction DJL and Sintra — amounted to collusion. After a significant amount of prodding, Daunais acknowledged that Pavages Maska had submitted fixed bids on paving contracts and that the “respect” between the companies continues to this day.
“I need to be careful,” the witness said.
“You can’t push in on your neighbours.”
Pavages Maska operates mainly in the eastern part of the Montérégie region. The company won 30 per cent of the provincial contracts in that area between 1997 and 2012, worth an estimated $48 million. The company is, somewhat unusually, partially owned by one of its main competitors. Sintra has owned 40 per cent of Pavages Maska since 2012, a situation that Daunais said has led to some discomfort within his firm and raised eyebrows at Transport Quebec.
“For me, it’s clear that it’s not clear,” he said of the unusual arrangement, adding that Sintra does not interfere in any of the decision-making at Pavages Maska.