Chateauguay's snowbanks remain uncleared in row between mayor, blue collar workers
Chateauguay is still digging out from all the recent snow – but the mayor is underwater due to a municipal spat.
The South Shore city’s mayor, Eric Allard, called in trucks from the private sector to help after blue-collar workers refused to work evenings and weekends to get the job done.
“It is dangerous right now. People walking in the street, it's unacceptable,” Allard said of the snow, pointing to how students are walking in the streets from a local high school because there’s nowhere to walk on the sidewalk.
Allard said because the snow wasn’t being cleared quickly enough by city workers, he had to make a decision to call in workers from the private sector.
“We wanted to help the blue collars so we used the collective agreement. There's a clause there that allows us to call external trucks only for the snow removal process,” he said.
Allegedly, that's when the trouble started.
“Some people did not like the situation, even though it was in the collective agreement, and we got some intimidation, we got some vandalism,” said Allard.
Allard said the city has been dealing with death threats and vandalism.
He went on to explain there have been four instances of metal bars placed in snowbanks that damaged snowblowers.
“Metal rods that appear in snowbanks. I don't believe in hazards like that it's a deliberate act for sure,” said Allard.
A noose was placed in the boss's office in the municipal garage.
“There's some supervisor that entered a room and there was a hanging rope that was installed for them. It's unacceptable in 2023,” said Allard.
An urgent meeting was called between the city and workers in front of the labour board on Saturday night when a burst water pipe also went unfixed.
Both parties were called a second time Wednesday to appear before a judge.
The blue-collar workers union SCFP (Syndicat Canadien de la function publique) released a statement on the spat.
“During a labour relations meeting, the union and management agreed on the framework for blowing snow. We had found solutions, but despite this, the city did not take them into account and called on the private sector to do the work,” it said.
The next steps will be decided by the labour tribunal.
“We should be able to clear the city,” said Allard. “We should be able to make the city more secure because people are at risk walking so we're waiting for the decision of the tribunal.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
"It's a bit of a complicated pattern; we've got a lot going on," said Jennifer Smith of the Meteorological Service of Canada in an interview with CTVNews.ca on Wednesday. "[As is] typical with weather, all of these things are related."
Boeing's financial woes continue, while families of crash victims urge U.S. to prosecute the company
Boeing said Wednesday that it lost US$355 million on falling revenue in the first quarter, another sign of the crisis gripping the aircraft manufacturer as it faces increasing scrutiny over the safety of its planes and accusations of shoddy work from a growing number of whistleblowers.
Police tangle with students in Texas and California as wave of campus protest against Gaza war grows
Police tangled with student demonstrators in Texas and California while new encampments sprouted Wednesday at Harvard and other colleges as school leaders sought ways to defuse a growing wave of pro-Palestinian protests.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.