Montreal

Pension reform protest yields $12K bill to remove stickers

The red stickers plastering most of the city’s police cars and fire trucks have already cost more than $12,000 — and Mayor Denis Coderre wants to send the bill to the unions.

Cleaning up 108 fire trucks cost the city more than $12,000

As a sign of protest, firefighters and police officers have plastered their vehicles with stickers denouncing the province's proposed Bill 3. (Radio-Canada)

The red stickers plastering most of the city’s police cars and fire trucks have already cost more than $12,000 — and Mayor Denis Coderre wants to send the bill to the unions.

According to documents obtained by Radio-Canada via access to information, 108 of the city’s fire trucks were cleaned between July 23 and Aug. 2 at an average cost of $115 each.

The total bill was $12,474, and that doesn't include the Montreal police service’s cars.

The “Opération Autocollants,” or Operation Stickers, started about a month ago and has since spread across the province. The stickers are in protest of Bill 3, a proposed piece of legislation to overhaul public servants’ pension contributions.

In Granby, the city sent the bill directly to the unions.

In Montreal, Coderre said he would do the same. However, since the beginning of the clean-up operation, the unions replied by sending the city a notice that argued employees had a right to express themselves.

A Montreal police cruiser is shown on a street in Montreal, Thursday, August 7, 2014. (Graham Hughes/CP)