Ottawa: Two former executives of engineering firms Cima+ and Genivar (now WSP Canada) pleaded guilty yesterday in the Superior Court of Quebec for participating in a bid-rigging scheme that bilked the City of Gatineau out of an estimated $1.8 million over 5 years.
André Mathieu, formerly Vice-President and Associate for Cima+, admitted to playing a lead role in the scheme, which targeted Gatineau infrastructure contracts between 2004 and 2008. Mr. Mathieu received a 22-month sentence―including 7 months of house arrest and 15 months under curfew―and was ordered to perform 140 hours of community service.
Claude Marquis, formerly Regional Director, Outaouais for Genivar, admitted to joining the scheme in 2005. Mr. Marquis will be sentenced at a later date.
Quick Facts
- Following a Competition Bureau investigation, criminal charges were laid in June 2018 against Mr. Mathieu, Mr. Marquis and two others in connection with bid-rigging on a total of 21 City of Gatineau infrastructure contracts awarded between 2004 and 2008.
- All four individuals charged have now pleaded guilty for their respective roles in the scheme, which raised the total cost of the contracts by an estimated 33 per cent, or approximately $1.8 million.
- In January 2019, Dave Boulay, formerly Dessau’s Director and Assistant Vice-President, Outaouais, pleaded guilty and received a 1-year conditional sentence.
- In June 2019, Michel Famery, formerly Regional Vice-President for Dessau, pleaded guilty and received an 18-month conditional sentence.
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