Plante to reimburse $540 for Vienna wine bill covered by Montreal taxpayers
Montreal Mayor Valerie Plante is reimbursing more than $500 in wine bought at taxpayers' expense.
The wine was purchased during a dinner for 12 in Austria last spring, when Plante led a delegation on a mission to Vienna in April to learn how that city handles social housing.
Dinner for 12 people totalled $1,900, including $540 for eight bottles of wine. The bill didn't appear on any expense forms.
The expenses were discovered by French media outlet the Journal de Montreal through an Access to Information request.
City officials said they saw the dinner as a meet and greet "event" and, therefore, part of the mission and not a meal. Plante now admits that was a mistake, and the bill has been reimbursed.
While she wouldn't give an interview to CTV News, her team said in a statement: "This was an exceptional error made in good faith, which has now been corrected."
City hall opposition leader Aref Salem said it shows the mayor is too loose with tax dollars.
"She was trying to hide it for sure," he said. "The ethical code of the elected officials at the city - and we had courses about that - it's not allowed to reimburse alcohol, and it's clear at the city. Everyone knows about it."
On Monday, the president of the city's executive committee at city hall resigned following allegations she abused her expense account while at the head of the public consultation office. Now, the mayor is coming under scrutiny.
"The expense is not large, but it's the context," said Michel Seguin, an ethics and governance professor at UQAM.
Given that the city is saying finances are tight and taxes are expected to go up, spending taxpayer money on wine shows a lack of sensitivity, he said.
The mayor's team said it has made efforts to tighten spending on international missions.
The Quebec municipal commission said it is investigating the alcohol purchases.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Serial sexual offender linked to unsolved 1970s homicides of four Calgary girls, women
An investigation into unsolved historical homicides from the 1970s has linked the deaths of two girls and two young women in and around Calgary to a now-deceased serial offender.
Woman with liver failure rejected for a transplant after medical review highlights alcohol use
For nearly three months, Amanda Huska has been in an Ontario hospital, part of it on life support, because of severe liver failure. Her history of alcohol use is getting in the way of her only potential treatment: a liver transplant.
$500K-worth of elvers seized at Toronto airport
Fishery and border service officers seized more than 100 kilograms of unauthorized elvers at the Toronto Pearson International Airport on Wednesday.
Toronto eliminated from PWHL playoffs
Toronto has been eliminated from the PWHL playoffs.
Information commissioner faces $700K funding shortfall, says system is 'overwhelmed'
Canada's information commissioner says her office is facing a $700,000 funding shortfall that could impact its ability to investigate complaints about government transparency and accountability.
B.C. man 'attacked suddenly' by adult grizzly near Alberta boundary: RCMP
A B.C. man is recovering from multiple injuries after he was "attacked suddenly" by an adult grizzly bear near Elkford Thursday afternoon.
Backlash over NFL player Harrison Butker's commencement speech has reached a new level
The NFL is distancing itself from controversial comments by Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker during a recent commencement address.
Dabney Coleman, actor who specialized in curmudgeons, dies at 92
Dabney Coleman, the mustachioed character actor who specialized in smarmy villains like the chauvinist boss in '9 to 5' and the nasty TV director in 'Tootsie,' has died. He was 92.
Craig Berube named as next head coach of Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs have named Craig Berube as their new head coach.