Ecocentre service returns to Chateauguay

The City of Chateauguay is once again offering an ecocentre service to its citizens. Translation Dan Rosenburg The municipal council granted a contract to that effect to the Rouville Containers enterprise during a special assembly on May 6. The amount is $700,000 for 18 months. The planned date for resuming activities is June 1. Municipal councillor Mike Gendron said he is wishing the service begins earlier than that, as the return of the service is being judged urgent. The service will be offered for the same conditions and at the same place as before, in the Industrial Park at the former site operated by Melimax, the company which is unable to fill the mandate of the City, as it is inscribed in the Register of non-admissible enterprises for public contracts. Rouville Containers operated the centre when the City put an end to its contract in October of 2019. This happened because of a notice from the Authority of public markets which carried out a process of verification of the attribution of the contract, the municipality had announced. Melimax had ceded its contract to Rouville Containers during the previous month of August. The main shareholder of this company, Bianca Freeman is the spouse of Melimax owner Mario Landry. After having put an end to the contract of Rouville Containers, the City Council enlarged the zone of the Park Industrial where the Ecocentre activities would be carried out. This was in the goal of obtaining more bidders. Rouville Containers was the lone respondant to the call for bids by the City to relaunch the centre. Concerning the familial link, Chateauguay Mayor Pierre-Paul Routhier emphasized that it existed between shareholders but not at the level of enterprises. “There is a distinction between the shareholders and the company, which we call the corporate veil. Regardless of the familial link which can exist between Mr. Landry and Mrs. Freeman, that changes absolutely nothing, whether he be a shareholder or anything else. The Melimax society by stock actions was placed on the register of non-authorized enterprises. That is the only society. Landry was not there. Freeman wasn’t there either. It’s the society by stock actions and that’s all.” Elected official uncomfortable The granting of the contract was not passed unanimously. Municipal councillor Francois Le Borgne voted against. “The delay was too short. The amount was too weak to have had a real competition. I am very uncomfortable,” he justified. His colleagues Eric Allard, Eric Corbeil, Mike Gendron and Michel Enault also expressed discomfort regarding the process but voted in favour, considering the urgent need.