As Mayor Jean Tremblay bows out, those vying for his office weigh in on Promotion Saguenay
For 4 candidates seeking mayor's job, key issue is Promotion Saguenay and its less-than-transparent finances
Bare hooks dot the walls where paintings once hung in the mayor's office at Saguenay City Hall. The room feels decidedly bare.
After four years as mayor of Chicoutimi and another 16 as mayor of the merged City of Saguenay, Jean Tremblay is retiring.
"I think 20 years, it's enough," he said.
Four candidates are vying for his bright corner office.
They are:
- Jean-Pierre Blackburn, Independent.
- Dominic Gagnon, Parti des Citoyens de Saguenay.
- Josée Néron, Équipe du Renouveau Démocratic.
- Arthur Gobeil, Independent.
Future of Promotion Saguenay
A key campaign issue is what each mayoral candidate would do with one of the legacies of the Tremblay years — the paramunicipal agency Promotion Saguenay and its less-than-transparent finances.
An agency set up in 2002 to boost economic development and tourism, Promotion Saguenay now also manages the civilian airport at Bagotville and La Baie's cruise-ship terminal.
It also operates a communications company called Diffusion Saguenay, sells and manages land, puts out calls for tender and hands out grants to community groups.
It has overseen major municipal projects, including the renovation of a local theatre and the construction of access roads.
About $10 million of its annual $13.6-million budget comes from local taxpayers, but Promotion Saguenay is not subject to review by the auditor general.
Tremblay is proud of Promotion Saguenay and credits his popularity — which he claims rivals any mayor's in Quebec, with the possible exception of Quebec City's Régis Labeaume — to the agency's success.
"Everybody recognizes that all the best things we have in the city comes from Promotion Saguenay," Tremblay said.
Transparency issues
Many critics, including the opposition Équipe du Renouveau Démocratic, say Promotion Saguenay lacks transparency.
The agency has studied the economic impact of its investments in the city, notes Gilles Bergeron, an economist and professor at Université de Québec à Chicoutimi. However, Bergeron says, Promotion Saguenay refuses to share its results.
"It's not public," Bergeron said. "The mayor is largely commenting that this is very, very good for the city but, you know, when we don't see the studies it is difficult to believe it."
All four mayoral candidates agree the organization is a good thing for the city, but they all vow to make changes.
Here's a look at what each would do to make the organization more transparent:
Jean-Pierre Blackburn, Independent
The well-known former Conservative MP and minister under the Stephen Harper government, Jean-Pierre Blackburn, 69, initially presented himself as the new leader of Tremblay's party, the Parti des Citoyens de Saguenay. After a falling-out with the incumbent mayor's staff over control of his campaign and ideas, he decided in August to run as an independent.
Blackburn says if elected, he would force Promotion Saguenay and all the smaller organizations it oversees to table quarterly financial reports.
"When you are accountable, you take care about the spending that you do day to day," he said, "because you know that will be public in a few months."
Blackburn also says he would table his spending as mayor every three months and ask all councillors to do the same.
Dominic Gagnon, Parti des Citoyens de Saguenay
Dominic Gagnon, 48, is a physician running for office for the first time as the new leader of Tremblay's Parti des Citoyens de Saguenay.
He calls Promotion Saguenay a "good tool" but says people "need to know more about what is going on behind closed doors."
Gagnon says if elected, he would strike a balance between access to information and privacy concerns.
For example, he says, if too much is made public about deals with big industries, they simply will take their business elsewhere.
"We need a little bit of confidentiality but not opacity," he said. "There's a nuance there. There is also a grey zone, and we need to find a balance between that."
Josée Néron, Équipe du Renouveau Démocratic
As the opposition leader at city hall for the past four years, Josée Néron, 57, has faced off with Tremblay often.
Néron, a mother of five, is an accountant who holds an MBA with 35 years' experience.
Néron says Promotion Saguenay has grown too big over the years, and it's due for a "big change," with a narrowing of its vast mandate.
"We simply have to recentre, ask Promotion Saguenay to focus on its first mission," said Néron. "It's economic development and tourism."
Néron wants the agency to report to city council on its spending every three months, and she plans to separate the various branches of Promotion Saguenay that are not tied specifically to economic development or tourism into individual not-for-profit organizations.
Arthur Gobeil, Independent
Arthur Gobeil, 69, a chartered accountant and active community volunteer, is running for office for the first time, as an independent.
He has refused to make promises with a hefty price tag while on the campaign trail, saying he first needs to have a proper look at the books and create a debt-management plan.
As an accountant, Gobeil says transparency is "part of his culture" and a no-brainer. He calls Promotion Saguenay "a shell" and promises to make the organization accountable.
"[I will] allow the auditor general to have access to all the numbers," he said, adding transparency "is as easy as that."
Tremblay: 'What can you do?'
For his part, the outgoing mayor predicts no matter who is elected, nothing will change at Promotion Saguenay.
"I can bet with you they will do nothing," said Tremblay. "I am sure, because what can you do?"
Make a date with CBC for election night this Sunday, Nov. 5:
Online: Get breaking news and live results at cbc.ca/montreal after polls close at 8 p.m.
On Facebook: Join host Debra Arbec for a 90-minute Facebook Live starting at 10 p.m. with results, analysis and reports from across Quebec.
On TV: Watch our live results show from 11 to 11:30 p.m. on CBC Television.
On Radio: Listen to CBC Radio One starting at 8 p.m. for a province-wide show hosted by Mike Finnerty in Montreal and Susan Campbell in Quebec City.
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