Montreal private school College Jean de Brebeuf is returning a $200,000 donation from Hydro-Quebec following last week's controversy over the power utility's donation to another private school, College Notre-Dame.

College Notre-Dame ended up turning down a $250,000 donation after it was discovered that Hydro-Quebec's President and CEO Thierry Vandal sits on the private high school's board of directors and is also a former student. The donation prompted complaints that he's used his position at Hydro-Quebec to funnel money into an institution that doesn't need the money.

After the story broke, College Notre-Dame said it was giving back the $50,000 installment that it received last year.

Hydro-Quebec Tuesday released a statement saying Vandal has no ties to College Brebeuf. Vandal did, however, attend Cegep there.

Natural Resources Minister Nathalie Normandeau said Hydro-Quebec needs to review its educational donation policies. Hydro has concurred.

Sun Youth wants the cash

Sun Youth says that it has a solution to a recent controversy over Hydro-Quebec's grant to the alma mater of the utility's CEO.

The Montreal social agency says the $250,000 earmarked for College Notre-Dame should instead be handed over to Sun Youth.

The agency made the suggestion in a letter sent to the man at the centre of the alleged conflict of interest, Hydro-Quebec President and CEO Thierry Vandal.

Hydro-Quebec decided to withdraw the grant after it was revealed in media reports last week, but Sun Youth's Tommy Kulczyk says the cash shouldn't go to waste.

"Since these funds were already planned in Hydro-Quebec's budget, they should be donated to an organization working with the less fortunate such as Sun Youth," Kulczyk said in a statement on Tuesday.

He added that handing over the money is the least that Hydro-Quebec can do, given that Sun Youth pays off the bills of hundreds of Hydro clients every year.

"In the last 2 years, more than $20,000 was paid to Hydro-Quebec by Sun Youth to clear debts of people in need," said Kulczyk.

"Sun Youth would like to get its hands on these funds to continue helping people having problems paying for their Hydro bills."