A false bomb threat was called Tuesday night doors over from the home of a man who testified this week at the Charbonneau Commission. Neighbours say the home belongs to one of the man's daughters.

Family members and neighbours in Mascouche of contractor Piero Di Iorio, who testified Monday and Tuesday at the corruption inquiry, were forced to leave their homes for several hours.

The threat was proven to be unfounded before 10 p.m., when the security perimeter was lifted.

A perimeter was set up around the home at 335 place Cheverny earlier this evening as specialists proceed to check in the residential area, said Mascouche police public relations officer Céline Saint-André.

A 911 call came in at 6:09 p.m. to Montreal police, warning of a bomb threat "linked to Italian families." The information was passed on to Mascouche police. The Surete du Quebec bomb squad was also called in for backup.

Police have confirmed that Di Iorio, head of DP Excavations, lives at 315 place Cheverny. Neighbours say one of his daughters lives at 335 place Cheverny.

Neighbours say a suspicious fire damaged a home belonging to another of Di Iorio's daughters on Nov. 10 in the same upscale Mascouche neighborhood.

Di Iorio testified about alleged collusion

In his testimony Monday and Tuesday, Di Iorio described how difficult it was for him to compete in the construction industry due to the system of collusion.

He said he was shut out of the bidding process for Montreal’s municipal projects and faced reprisals if he tried.

Describing himself as a proud Italian, Di Iorio said his father warned him never to place bids against Sicilians, because they decided who could bid and who could not.

“I'm Italian, but not Sicilian, and I'm not in their gang because I'm not Sicilian,” he said Monday on the witness stand. “And the Sicilians, when they want something, there's nothing you can do.”

On Tuesday morning, he described a bizarre situation where he worked with another firm to collude on a project, nearly double the price of the contract, and split profits 50-50.

The handshake agreement fell apart when the project was finished and Di Iorio wasn’t paid. Instead of washing his hands of the situation, Di Iorio planned to sue his competitor. He was warned by his lawyer that the agreement to collude might not go over well in a courtroom.