BEACONSFIELD, QUEBEC--(Marketwired - April 25, 2017) - Last night, the Beaconsfield Municipal Council took the exceptional step of passing a resolution to censure Councillor Pierre Demers and asking the Commission municipale du Québec to take action against him. Mr. Demers is being censured for his attempt to testify in a lawsuit in favour of Yale Properties Ltd., to the detriment of the interests of the City and its residents, thereby breaching the Code of Ethics and Good Conduct for Elected Municipal Officers.

"This behaviour is serious. Councillor Demers acted against the interests of Beaconsfield and its residents. In this situation, Council members have an obligation and responsibility as public administrators to formally censure such derogatory conduct and submit it to the appropriate public authority," explained Mayor Georges Bourelle and all other elected councillors, namely, David Pelletier, Karen Messier, Wade Staddon, Roger Moss and Peggy Alexopoulos by adopting the motion of censure.

Councillor Pierre Demers went to the Montreal Court House on March 16, 2017, met with the lawyer representing Yale Properties Ltd., which is the company that is suing the City, and offered to testify for this firm against the interests of the City. He did this without advising the City solicitor and in the context of long, costly legal proceedings that began in 2010.

However, four elected officers were already officially involved as witnesses at the trial, namely, two former councillors, one current councillor and the Mayor.

"It is important to respect the obligations of a public administrator. The Code of Ethics governing the conduct of elected officers is very clear. We must be vigilant and discerning with respect to the interests of the City. We must act with integrity, prudence, loyalty, fairness and confidentiality. When Mr. Demers offered on his own initiative to testify for a company that has been involved in a seven-year lawsuit against the City, he acted in a way that is contrary to all the fundamental principles that govern our actions," explained the Mayor and the five other municipal councillors.

By acting in this manner, Mr. Demers breached numerous sections of the Code of Ethics and Good Conduct for Elected Municipal Officers, which was adopted on February 24, 2014. In particular, he contravened the sections on integrity, prudence in pursuing the public interest, loyalty towards the municipality and the values of honour related to the duties of elected representatives, and to certain sections governing conflicts of interest and the use or communication of confidential information.

The motion of censure was unanimously adopted, with the exception of Mr. Demers himself. To avoid being judge and jury, the Municipal Council asked that the case be submitted to the Commission municipale du Québec for investigation and penalty.