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Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION
Bombshells dropped at Quebec construction inquiry
MONTREAL -- Quebec's construction inquiry witnessed its first political bombshells Monday with a star witness testifying about corruption so deep, that kickbacks to the Montreal mayor's political party and payments to the Italian mafia were handled by the same person.
A former construction boss testified that doing business meant a three per cent kickback from the value of municipal contracts to the mayor's party; a one per cent bribe to a city employee; more gifts and payments to other city officials; 2.5 per cent to the Italian mob; and a meeting with the country's most powerful mafioso when a dispute occurred over bid-rigging.
It was the first time the inquiry heard about specific bribes to a political party. It might not be the last. Witnesses have yet to be asked about political activities at the provincial or federal level.
On his second day of incendiary testimony, former construction boss Lino Zambito said pilfering the public purse was part of the game and seemingly everyone was in on the scam.
"I found it ridiculous how everyone knew about it -- and how it continued," Zambito said. "People knew about it at the city. The business people knew about it... (It was) business as usual... There was wilful blindness."
The allegations prompted municipal politicians to demand the resignation of the mayor, who still has a year left in his term. Mayor Gerald Tremblay defended himself Monday and showed no sign of planning to step aside.
-- The Canadian Press
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition October 2, 2012 A10
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'Shocking' half of First Nations kids living in poverty, new study finds
9:32 PM 0TORONTO — Half of Canada's First Nations children are living in poverty, triple the national average, according to a new ...
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