Defeated mayoral candidate Louise Harel, who has taken heat for her sovereigntist beliefs, says Montreal politicians could learn a lesson about accountability and transparency from their counterparts down the 401 in Toronto.
Harel, in her first news conference since Monday's election loss, said recent scandals involving city contracts highlight the need for more oversight.
She says Toronto councillors pay closer attention to public projects than their Montreal counterparts.
"I think that Montreal must draw its inspiration from the city of Toronto's practices," said Harel, who lost out to incumbent Gerald Tremblay and will now sit as opposition leader.
"It's very interesting what (Toronto) has done there because you know the contracts are examined by various committees of city council before being transmitted to the executive committee."
Water-meter mess
Mayor Tremblay is in the process of cancelling a $355 million deal to replace water meters after an auditor's report said the contract was mismanaged.
The mayor has said that his office, the executive committee and city council were not sufficiently informed about major cost overruns.
A scathing report by auditor-general Jacques Bergeron in September found that municipal politicians did not keep a close eye on the firm that was managing the water-meter contract.
Freeze
Tremblay has since ordered a freeze on city investments amid multiple police investigations and an internal review.
Harel says she's concerned about a decision to freeze the water-tax fund and a roadwork tax.
Many streets and pipes are in poor condition and Harel wants guarantees that they'll be repaired in spite of a $36 million budgetary shortfall.
Harel also wants to know more about who's getting city contracts and whether appropriate measures are being taken to avoid favouratism.
Seeking coalition
Harel, a longtime Parti Quebecois MNA and cabinet minister, says she will she stay in municipal politics despite her defeat on Monday.
She says she will work with the third-place party, Project Montreal, in the hopes of forming a unified opposition to press the third-term mayor.
