Summary
I am pleased to submit the 2024 annual report of the Office of the Inspector General. This document highlights recurring issues identified by our watchdog, analyses, and investigations, and presents our results along with various improvement avenues for the city’s project owners.
The BIG maintains constant vigilance to detect integrity breaches in contract awarding, as well as emerging schemes. This annual report looks across several sectors and files of interest, notably by updating the sidewalk industry and by providing a comprehensive portrait of our site surveillance.
The year 2024 saw an increase in the number of disclosures, after having declined in previous years. Concurrently, the number of complaints received under the mandate conferred by the Act respecting the Autorité des marchés publics is also on the rise. These figures show that reports remain an important source of information for the BIG to verify any suspicion of integrity violations or unfairness in contract processes.
Furthermore, collaboration between central services and the city’s districts is essential to the timely resolution of investigations. Accordingly, our office continues to favor proactive intervention upstream of contract award. Our exchanges with administrative units promote practice improvement, help open markets, and ensure healthy competition.
In October 2024, the Court of Appeal of Quebec issued an important decision, confirming that the City of Montréal may declare a person inadmissible to contract with it for a maximum period of five years following a BIG recommendation to that effect. The Court emphasizes that the BIG is an independent and depoliticized expert office tasked with conducting investigations, and whose recommendations are reasoned and detailed. This mechanism guarantees due process and avoids positioning the City as judge and jury in such decisions.
I conclude by recalling that 2024 marked the tenth anniversary of the Office of the Inspector General of the City of Montréal, an occasion we celebrated with pride. We approach the next decade with confidence, as a leading actor promoting an open, transparent, and responsible marketplace, ensuring high-quality services at the best possible costs for the entire Montréal community.
The Inspector General,
Me François Lanthier
ORIGINAL SIGNED
The BIG maintains constant vigilance to detect integrity breaches in contract awarding, as well as emerging schemes. This annual report looks across several sectors and files of interest, notably by updating the sidewalk industry and by providing a comprehensive portrait of our site surveillance.
The year 2024 saw an increase in the number of disclosures, after having declined in previous years. Concurrently, the number of complaints received under the mandate conferred by the Act respecting the Autorité des marchés publics is also on the rise. These figures show that reports remain an important source of information for the BIG to verify any suspicion of integrity violations or unfairness in contract processes.
Furthermore, collaboration between central services and the city’s districts is essential to the timely resolution of investigations. Accordingly, our office continues to favor proactive intervention upstream of contract award. Our exchanges with administrative units promote practice improvement, help open markets, and ensure healthy competition.
In October 2024, the Court of Appeal of Quebec issued an important decision, confirming that the City of Montréal may declare a person inadmissible to contract with it for a maximum period of five years following a BIG recommendation to that effect. The Court emphasizes that the BIG is an independent and depoliticized expert office tasked with conducting investigations, and whose recommendations are reasoned and detailed. This mechanism guarantees due process and avoids positioning the City as judge and jury in such decisions.
I conclude by recalling that 2024 marked the tenth anniversary of the Office of the Inspector General of the City of Montréal, an occasion we celebrated with pride. We approach the next decade with confidence, as a leading actor promoting an open, transparent, and responsible marketplace, ensuring high-quality services at the best possible costs for the entire Montréal community.
The Inspector General,
Me François Lanthier
ORIGINAL SIGNED
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ANNUEL REPORT 2024 (IN FRENCH)