Loranger will resign if he loses against Quebec

PHOTO STEVENS LEBLANC
Emile Loranger is confident of winning the case before the courts against the City of Quebec. “If I wasn’t sure, I would not have invested$ 5.5 Million of taxpayers’ money in there. I’m not crazy full-time. ”

Jean-Luc Lavallée

Wednesday, 4 October 2017 00:00

UPDATE
Wednesday, 4 October 2017 00:00

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Sure “to 100 %” of winning his battle in court against the City of Quebec, Émile Loranger announcement to the voters of L’ancienne-Lorette and that he will offer his resignation, in the event of a defeat legal.

In interview editorial with The Journal, yesterday, the outgoing mayor of L’ancienne-Lorette has put his head on the chopping block. As he had done in 2013, during the last elections, he puts his seat in play on this crucial issue, and the outcome will have a significant impact on the tax account of the Lorettains.

Emile Loranger is overflowing with confidence in anticipation of the three weeks trial, set to start January 8 next. The City of L’ancienne-Lorette, it will be recalled, said to have been surfacturée for years by the agglomeration of Quebec – led by the City of Quebec – and hope to recover tens of millions of dollars that it intends to distribute to its taxpayers in the form of cheques.

The one who is seeking a ninth term as mayor undertakes, furthermore, to reduce the annual bill of fees of up to $ 600 on average. “We’re going to win the trial, I am formal on it “, he insists, praising the quality of the work of the lawyers and forensic accountants in which his City has invested$ 5.5 Million so far, a contested expense.

Refusing to consider another scenario that the victory, however, it was finally announced its color in the event of a defeat.

“I’m going to offer my resignation to the people. This, it is clear. It’s going to be a bitter failure, he gave up. The citizens of L’ancienne-Lorette, ” he said, already pay too dear. If I’m getting drunk there, they will continue to do have. “

An amicable agreement ?

The City of Quebec has under-estimated the ability of L’ancienne-Lorette to go to the end in this case, he believes. “She was convinced that we wouldn’t be strong enough. It is hard to know me. “

Mr. Loranger also has to trust that this saga will reach its denouement in 2018. He does not believe in an appeal to the higher courts.

“Really, what is more probable is that between the elections of 5 November and 8 January, there will be a round of negotiations. I told Regis that I am willing to settle out of court, but not at the knees. “

Find the money

In addition to her legal battle against Quebec, the main challenge of Émile Loranger is to find new sources of income. There is practically no land available in the territory of L’ancienne-Lorette, which is landlocked, ” he recalls.

A firm of consultants, hired by the City, has attempted to identify avenues of solution. The aesthetics of the boulevard Wilfrid-Hamel has been identified as one of the ” biggest weaknesses “.

Mr. Loranger wants to revitalize the boulevard to “attract” investors. “We want to be in the trade charges. I don’t want to be mean, but sellers of used cars, it is not paying too much, too. It is necessary to have incentives. “

In good health, Émile Loranger feels an attack for the next four years and says still have the ” sacred fire “. It does not appear in 2021.

Emile Loranger

• Born August 2, 1946 (age 71)

• First elected to the mayor of L’ancienne-Lorette in 1983

• He seeks a ninth term

• Elected three times by acclamation (1987, 1991, 1999)

• In 2013, he was elected with 54.4% of the vote ahead of Yvan Dussault (26,32 %), Alain Fortin (10,66 %) and Steve Martineau (8,61 %)

A “before-last” mandate ?

At 71 years of age, Émile Loranger refuses to say that he is seeking his ninth and last term in office. He prefers to speak of a “before-last” mandate, leaving it to hover in the possibility of soliciting one-tenth in four years.

“I’m going to copy Regis (Labeaume). If I say that this is my last term, I will remove any legitimacy to negotiate. In reality, I’m tired of me to call Dominique Michel so I say that this is my before-last,” he explained.

“I’m a lucky man, I’ve never worked in my life. I have a lot of fun. The next four years, it excites me. After that, I’ll see. There, my health is good, I have the sacred fire. I have the taste for risk, I have the taste to beat me. Is that in four years, I’ll be in the same situation ? I don’t know”, he added.

The board of chipboard screws : a farce, a monumental

Emile Loranger will continue to snub the meetings of the agglomeration council of Québec if he is re-elected. He denounced the functioning of this body, chaired by the mayor Régis Labeaume, who has absolute control over the decisions that are taken due to the limited weight of the two demerged municipalities (L’ancienne-Lorette and Saint-Augustin).

“It is a farce of monumental, a non-sense. The law says that when I arrived there, my advice already told me what to say so this is not a discussion table. It gives me absolutely nothing to go on there. If I can change anything, that is what I’m going to do there ? There is one thing that I have difficulty to do : act buffoon”, he pestered for an interview.

He predicts a victory of Labeaume

Despite his differences of opinion with Régis Labeaume, Émile Loranger believes that they have several points in common and predicted the re-election of the outgoing mayor in Quebec city.

“It was (all two) of the characters enough boiling. I dare to believe that I have a little more of diplomacy than he. I think that Régis loves his population and he defends it. This, it is a point that we have in common,” observed Mr. Loranger, in an interview.

“I yelled at them with, we don’t like each other, but I am able to see, when you look at the unemployment rate in Québec, that it goes well the City. Well, I don’t agree with everything he does but it must be the overall balance and this is not all that bad. At the next election, I don’t think that he feels truly threatened,” he elected.

“All of the mayors of Quebec that I’ve known were aware of their political weight, they might be a little more respectful of others, but it is his right. And it is my right not to accept it. He defends his city, he defends his business.”