Mafia Corruption in Quebec 2

[CharlesHeard]

Not sure how much coverage this has gotten outside of Canadian media, but right now there is a huge public inquiry going on about corruption and Mafia ties to the construction industry in Quebec.

From the way it sounds, it was impossible to do any work there without paying off the Mafia and sending kickbacks to elected officials. Looks like no-one who has done construction there is going to come out looking clean.

I cannot find the link, but I read earlier that at the end of the day, public projects were costing an extra 20-30% because of payoffs to organized crime and kickbacks to elected officials. There was even a consortium of construction companies that would meet together to decide who would bid on each project.

They even had the real "Donnie Brasco" in for testimony on Mafia culture.

Here is a timeline of the coverage from CBC:

CBC Timeline

Here is an overview: (Google Translate does a good job turning it to English)

Wikipedia article in French

 

[dik]

Reminds me of the Duplessis era of 40 years ago... not much has changed...

Dik

 

[MiketheEngineer]

Reminds me of southern Illinois in its hey-day

 

[berkshire]

So why should Quebec be any different to New York , St Louis, or Chicago
B.E.

The good engineer does not need to memorize every formula; he just needs to know where he can find them when he needs them. Old professor

 

[urgross]

Or Baltimore. That city has the honor of both a vice VPOTUS and mayor go to prison.

I used to work in Italy. The mandatory Anti-Mafia screenings were hilarious.

 

[SylvestreW]

Being Canadian working in Ontario, I'm following this. I'm not surprised this type of stuff happens, what amazes me is that senior guys are still not really feeling any heat. Most of the politicians who got kick-backs don't seem to really experiencing any discomfort.

 

[PicoStruc]

@SylvestreW

It's probably the same problem in english canada too... for the moment, ontario political elite have their head in sand and are still in denial.

If we beleive police of ontario, the ontario mafia (calabrese mafia) is a lot more dangerous than the one in Quebec (sicilian mafia).

--

What is incredible about the investigation, is that all witnesses are protected against lawsuit on subject they talk on the comittee !

So there is right now, a civil engineer that have admitted publically to accept bribe from contractor !! that's crazy !

 

[moltenmetal]

It's not the kickbacks that worry me as much as the poor construction quality that results when corruption takes a slice off the top. Every time I drive over those bridges in Montreal I get the heebeegeebees...

 

[looslib]

In 1970, our church decided to build a new building for the congregation in New Jersey. The church hired a general contractor licensed in the state and allowed memebers to be unpaid workers to lower the cost that they had to pay for the construction. One day my father was there working and 2 black Cadillacs pulled into the driveway and started asking questions about union workers, etc. When told there were no union workers on that job site, they made a comment about 'having your fire insurance paid up' and piled back in their cars and drove off. Nothing ever happened to the building and it is still in use today.



"Wildfires are dangerous, hard to control, and economically catastrophic."

Ben Loosli

 

[MiketheEngineer]

Even the Mafia has a heart now and then??!!

 

[MiketheEngineer]

Even the Mafia knows NOT to screw around with GOD!!

 

[dik]

Catch the link... it wasn't my job to inform the police of corruption...

http://www.on-sitemag.com/news/vide...utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=ONST-EN10262012

 

[CharlesHeard]

It was so good of him to lose that money gambling so it made it back to provincial coffers.

 

[MiketheEngineer]

You have to be shi$$ing me. Send him to jail - DO not pass GO - do not collect $200 -- although he obviously has!!

 

[CharlesHeard]

I think, unfortunately, all those testifying at the inquiry get some immunity. Another city engineer testified today.

The main image in the article shows his left pinky with the iron ring. I agree with the top comment; he should have the ring taken and, if he wasn't retired already, his professional status removed too.

 

[TenPenny]

I would expect that there will be some hearings at the OIQ (the PEng organization in Quebec), as I'm pretty sure that actions like this are grounds for being expelled, even if they are immune from a criminal charge.

 

[dik]

not in Quebec... it seems to be a way of life...

 

[STpipe]

I was under the impression that an engineer was supposed to return the iron ring once they retired. Then again, that might be too much to expect from someone with his kind of ethics.

 

[TenPenny]

I have never heard of returning an iron ring once you retired.

Oddly enough, I found my father's Obligation, signed in 1948, in my closet last night. I must put that away with other treasures.

 

[PicoStruc]

My 2 Cents : The iron ring has nothing to do with the professionnal order of engineer of Quebec (OIQ)"