CDN-NDG Mayor Sue Montgomery granted a stay of proceedings on suspension ruling
Embattled Côte-Des-Neiges—Notre-Dame-De-Grâce (CDN-NDG) borough mayor Sue Montgomery was granted a stay of proceedings Tuesday by Superior Court Justice Mark Phillips and will remain in office for the foreseeable future.
"In the absence of a stay, Ms. Montgomery will clearly suffer serious personal and electoral disadvantage," Phillips wrote in the ruling.
The Quebec Municipal Commission had suspended the mayor for the remainder of her term after she was found guilty in June of 11 ethics violations.
These include failing to show respect and courtesy to staffers, as well as trying to suspend borough director Stéphane Plante.
The commission handed out the 120-day suspension, without pay, late Monday afternoon.
Montgomery's lawyer, Éric Oliver, told CTV News that his client was "disappointed," but "not surprised" about the decision, adding the mayor believes the commission "is not impartial in this matter."
"The last example of this abuse is that we received the decision at 12:30 p.m. today and the sanction is effective at midnight plus one minute tonight," he said. "So, she has less than 24 hours to contest the decision when other elected officials have days, and in some cases, weeks, before their sanctions become effective."
Montgomery has long challenged her guilty verdict, claiming to be under attack for trying to dismiss her director following his longstanding clash with cabinet chief Annalisa Harris.
The conflict took such proportions that Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante eventually kicked her out of her party, Projet Montréal.
The commission has argued Montgomery never admitted to any wrongdoing, including causing hardship to her fellow councillors and staffers.
In addition, it found that not only has the mayor refused to change her attitude, but she is likely to reoffend.
Montgomery's political opponent, Lionel Perez, mayoral candidate for CDN-NDG and member of Ensemble Montreal, issued a statement following the stay of proceedings saying he respected the court's decision.
"However, I am concerned for the citizens of the borough, who will continue to pay the price of its internal war with Projet Montreal and the instability that has been going on for over two years," he said. "Residents can count on me to put them first and foremost, and to serve and represent them as they deserve."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
House of Commons Speaker Greg Fergus survives vote calling for his ouster
Greg Fergus survived a vote to oust him as House of Commons Speaker on Tuesday, but with close to half of MPs expressing a loss of confidence in him, he faces a precarious path forward in maintaining order in Parliament.
'It was hell': Israeli mother held hostage with her children describes 51 days in captivity
Hagar Brodutch, her three children and four-year-old neighbour were kidnapped by Hamas-led militants from their home in Kfar Aza, Israel on Oct. 7 and held for 51 days. They were released in November, but Brodutch says her thoughts are never far from those still being held in Gaza.
'Unruly passenger' forces WestJet flight to make emergency landing in B.C.
A WestJet flight heading to Calgary had to make an emergency landing in northern B.C. Monday due to an incident involving an 'unruly passenger,' Mounties say.
P.E.I. kiteboarder 'lucky to be alive' after shark attack in Turks and Caicos
A professional kiteboarder from P.E.I. says he has been seriously injured in a shark attack that occurred while he was snorkelling in the Turks and Caicos Islands last week.
Teen dies after being hit by train in N.W. Calgary
A teenager has died after being hit by a train in northwest Calgary on Tuesday afternoon.
Black bear kebabs make family sick with parasitic worms
It was supposed to be a celebration, but one family’s unique meal of black bear meat sent several members to the hospital instead.
'It's his vacation too': Jimmy the baby goat joins 2-week road trip across Canada
After Jimmy the baby goat was shunned by his mother, a New Brunswick man took the kid on a two-week road trip across Canada.
The double-level airplane seat is back. This time, there’s a first-class version
It’s the airplane seat design that launched a thousand memes and kickstarted a media storm. And now the double-level seat is back – only this time, with a twist.
New COVID-19 subvariants become the dominant strains in Canada
More than four years after COVID-19 effectively shut down the world, two new variants of COVID-19 have become the dominant strains of the novel coronavirus in Canada.