The second-highest-ranking member of Montreal’s municipal administration says she is resigning after media reports revealed a series of questionable expenses in her previous role as head of the city’s public consultation office.
Dominique Ollivier, elected under Mayor Valérie Plante’s Projet Montréal banner, told a news conference on Nov. 13 she is stepping down as chair of the city’s executive committee because she doesn’t want the controversy to undermine public confidence.
The announcement comes two days before Montreal’s budget is scheduled to be tabled.
Among the expenses claimed by Ms. Ollivier and reported by Québecor media outlets earlier this month were a $347 oyster dinner in Paris and several costly overseas trips.
Ms. Ollivier, who headed the public consultation office between 2014 and 2021, says she plans to stay on as a city councillor.
She says that since the controversy began she has received messages of support but she has also received violent, misogynistic and racist messages.
