Technoparc to review CEO compensation after Auditor General's report

The publicly-funded group that runs Montreal's Technoparc is promising to review CEO Mario Monette's salary after a report by the city's Auditor General Jacques Bergeron earlier this week suggested Monette's compensation was "questionable". 

In his report, Bergeron found that Monette was earning up to $100,000 per year in commissions on land sales, on top of his $200,000 per year base salary and $15,000 per year car allowance.

Bergeron noted that Monette, as a member of the Technoparc board, failed to abstain from votes on land sales where he stood to benefit from commissions.  Bergeron said this was a clear violation of ethics and professional conduct rules.

He also noted Monette's $15,000 a year car allowance was much higher than the maximum allowed in other city departments of $3372.

Bergeron identified several other procedural and professional lapses by Technoparc staff and its board of directors in his report.

The city of Montreal gives the Technoparc $2.6 million dollars a year.

CEO's salary to be reviewed

The Technoparc responded in a statement released late Thursday.

Much of the statement is taken up touting the Technoparc's virtues and the $13.6 milion in revenue it brought in for the city from 2012-2014.  The statement takes Bergeron to task for failing to emphasize this in his report.

At the same time, the Technoparc says it welcomes Bergeron's constructive recommendations, and promises to review Monette's compensation.

"An external study will be undertaken on these elements to help guide the board in its continuous improvement of procedures," the statement reads.

The statement does not offer a timetable for this review or suggest what if any actions might be taken regarding Monette's compensation.