The ethics of a municipal councillor in doubt

Photo Chantal Poirier
The poster of Sophie Knight.

Matthew Payen

Saturday, 29 July, 2017 22:33

UPDATE
Saturday, 29 July, 2017 22:33

Look at this article

A municipal councillor of Sorel-Tracy is accused of misconduct for having acted as a broker of real estate in the sale of two homes that the City wanted to acquire.

The dispute dealt with by the Commission municipale du Québec (CMQ) regarding two buildings, 38, boulevard Fiset and 160, Augusta street, including the advisor, Sophie Knight has been entrusted with the mandate in October 2016 as a broker in real estate.

However, the municipality wishes to for several years to buy these two properties in order to redevelop the road was deemed unsafe at this place.

Too long

“The City took too much time to decide. Then, when Mrs. Knight, that I knew, asked me to sell it, I accepted, ” explains the owner of two houses, Gaétane Beauchemin.

Photo Chantal Poirier

One of the two houses located at each end of a curve that the city wants to repeat because it is deemed to be dangerous.

“It is safe that an agent takes his percentage [of the sale], but if he can sell more expensive, that is correct,” added the lady who is almost 86 years old who lives with his cats in a house near the other two.

Asked about Ms. Knight, Ms. Beauchemin has qualified the advisor of the ” individual right “.

Complaint

This is not the opinion of a citizen, which was filed earlier this year a complaint to the CMQ, alleging that Sophia Knight has violated the Code of ethics and professional conduct of elected officials of the City.

According to the complaint, the municipal councillor allegedly used confidential information and would have tried to influence employees of the City in the context of the sale of the two houses.

Ms. Knight has since tried to cancel the complaint.

A denied application a few days ago by the CMQ. The Commission hopes that the survey determines why Gaétane Beauchemin took Sophie Knight as officer and what information she was able to get.

Project stopped

The councillor, who wishes to be elected for a third term in November, will appear in front of the CMQ on the 19th of September. Attached to the phone, she did not wish to comment on the case.

The mayor of Sorel-Tracy, Serge Péloquin, prefer him to keep his comments until the public hearing.

“We have a code of ethics to avoid being in a situation of conflict of interest,” he simply stated.

He has also asserted that the redevelopment project of the road was for the moment on the ice pending the decision of the CMQ.