Turning the page: Laval mayor says last $60 million recovered from corruption
Laval Mayor Stéphane Boyer brought out a paper shredder at a press conference Tuesday to symbolically end a dark chapter of the city's history.
It came with the announcement that after 10 years, the city was "able to recuperate $60 million for the citizens of Laval, all money that was stolen from our citizens".
It took a specialized team of investigators and lawyers eight years to recuperate the money, including a large sum from former mayor Gilles Vaillancourt. He was convicted and, in December 2016, sentenced to six years for fraud, breach of trust and conspiracy to commit fraud.
Laval legal affairs director Simon Tremblay says the work went relatively fast considering the scope of the crimes.
"We only had one judgment, all of them, all the others were for settlement out of court, and we took the guarantee, we took security to make sure we got paid," he said.
Boyer says some had tried to discourage him from pursuing the lawsuits, saying the city would lose too much on lawyer fees. He says not only did they recuperate $60 million, but they sent a message that City Hall can't be bought.
The city plans to reinvest the money back into the community through infrastructure and a foundation to help young people. The opposition says the money should go back to taxpayers dealing with a property tax hike and inflation.
"We just recuperated all this money," Paolo Galati said. "There could have been a way to balance the budget and make sure that, you know, less money comes out of our taxpayer's pockets.
Boyer says he wants to stop talking about the past and focus on the future, restoring the city's reputation as a good place to live.
"We want to turn the page," he said, "and we want to say that Laval is not what only happened under Gilles Vaillancourt."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Average hourly wage in Canada now $34.95: StatCan
Average hourly wages among Canadian employees rose to $34.95 on a year-over-year basis in April, a 4.7 per cent increase, according to a Statistics Canada report released Friday morning.
From outer space? Sask. farmers baffled after discovering strange wreckage in field
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
This iconic Canadian song is turning 50
Andy Kim's 'Rock Me Gently' is marking a major milestone, as it celebrates its 50th anniversary.
Oprah Winfrey: I set an unrealistic standard for dieting
Oprah Winfrey said on Thursday evening that she has long played a role in promoting unhealthy and unrealistic diets.
Ontario family receives massive hospital bill as part of LTC law, refuses to pay
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
Toronto police called to Drake's Bridle Path mansion for another alleged intruder on Thursday
Toronto police say a man who allegedly attempted to access Drake’s Bridle Path property was taken to hospital on Thursday after an altercation with security guards.
Flat tire on a highway? Here's why you shouldn't try to fix it
If you're cruising down a highway and realize you have a flat tire, you may want to think twice before stopping to fix it on the side of the road.
Storm-battered U.S. South is again under threat. A boy swept into a drain fights for his life
Dangerous storms crashed over parts of the U.S. South on Thursday even as the region cleaned up from earlier severe weather that spawned tornadoes, killed at least three people, and gravely injured a boy who was swept into a storm drain as he played in a flooded street.
Broadcaster and commentator Rex Murphy dead at 77: National Post
The National Post is reporting that Rex Murphy, the pundit and columnist who hosted a national call-in radio show for decades, has died.