The walls of the city hall of Brossard were moldy

Photo Catherine Montambeault
The work of repairs to the city hall of Brossard have started in September 2015 and is still not finished.

Catherine Montambeault

Friday, 28 July 2017 22:02

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Friday, 28 July 2017 22:02

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The City of Brossard has chosen to ignore the infiltration of water that affected the town hall since its construction until the mold spreads to the walls of the building more than 20 years later.

In 2015, the City stated duty “to undertake the demolition and reconstruction of several exterior walls and curtain walls affected by mould growth” in the framework of the refurbishment of the town hall, which is still in progress.

In the same year, a monitoring mandate for the decontamination of fungal of the building has been granted to the Group Gesfor.

Infiltrations major

However, the documents on which The Newspaper has turned up recently reveal that Brossard was aware of major defects that have led to the formation of these molds as soon as the end of the construction of the town hall in 1991.

In January 1992, only four months after the building had been built, an engineer employed by the City has sent a letter to the architecture firm responsible for the project, so that the “fixes leaks major” changes. “Several frames of doors and windows have a thick layer of frosting “, one can read in this document.

Several other notices were sent in the months that followed, referring to ” infiltration of water […] dripping on the interior walls “, especially in certain offices and in the cafeteria.

Poor design

In 2003, a report of the architect Mario V. Petrone concluded that “a design problem” was the origin of many defects in the building. It was recommended that immediate measures of correction are taken, for a cost of approximately$ 10 Million. Today, the bill rises to more than$15 Million.

A worker in the City has also filed a complaint to the standards Commission, equity, health and safety in the workplace (CNESST) concerning mold at city hall in 2009.

Photo courtesy

Jean-Marc Pelletier, ex-mayor of Brossard

Jean-Marc Pelletier, ex-mayor of Brossard and candidate for mayor, blame the current mayor, Paul Leduc. It is he who was in office for 8 of the 9 months that lasted the construction of the city hall and which would have, according to Mr. Pelletier, sue the wrongdoers.

“As early as 1991, there were issues of bricks, mortar, infiltration… but Paul Leduc and his administration had signed a full release and final on the contractor and, therefore, they had not the means to pursue it “, he explains.

Now, the City can not continue with the architecture firm, since she had to do so within the period of three years required by the civil Code of Québec.

“There are employees who work [at city hall] every day and citizens who go there, stresses Jean-Marc Pelletier. It is therefore essential, for the health of these people, to ensure that the building is safe. “

For his part, Paul Leduc has declined the interview request from the Journal. Questioned upon his release from the Commission municipale du Québec on Thursday, however, he assured that ” all measures [had] been taken to ensure the safety of employees “.

The City has specified, by email, that the analyses conducted in 2014 had demonstrated that ” the air was free of any risk to the health of employees.”

— With the collaboration of Matthieu Payen