A Projet Montréal borough councilor went to New York for family reasons without notifying Valérie Plante’s party, learned Metro.
The borough councilor in Outremont, Mindy Pollak, is currently in New York State for family reasons, where she traveled alone on December 15. She would in fact have gone to assist a member of her family, “whose two of her children were to undergo medical interventions at short notice”, indicates the office of the mayoress of Montreal, Valérie Plante, in a statement sent to Metro late afternoon, Wednesday.
“Ms. Pollak did not warn the party or the members of the Project Montreal team of her intention to go abroad,” confirms the cabinet. The party in power at Montreal’s city hall was therefore unable to authorize this trip upstream, one adds.
“We support Ms. Pollak in these difficult family times, and she recognizes that she could have communicated her intentions with her colleagues before she left. The rest of the Projet Montréal caucus remained in Quebec and we thank the Montrealers who have shown great resilience since the start of this pandemic, ”adds the cabinet of Ms. Plante.
“Ms. Pollak has placed herself in isolation and will return to Montreal as quickly as possible, where she will respect all the parameters of public health.” -The office of Mayor Valérie Plante
A sanction?
It is not yet known whether Ms. Pollak will suffer a sanction from Projet Montréal for failing to inform the party upstream about her stay abroad.
“In accordance with usual practices, the issue will be addressed by the caucus bodies,” said the cabinet.
After Projet Montréal learned of her presence abroad on Wednesday, district councilor Claude-Ryan turned to social networks to justify her departure abroad. In particular, she assures us that she will return to the country “as quickly as possible”.
“For those who know me well, you know that my family is very important to me, and despite the difficulty of this family situation, I realize today that it is a personal choice that affects the integrity of my efforts. our administration has been leading since the start of the pandemic, ”said the elected official in a statement published in the early evening on Wednesday.
“I am aware that my departure may disappoint Montrealers, who have shown great resilience since the start of the pandemic and who expect their representatives to behave in an exemplary manner. I apologize, and take full responsibility, ”she adds. She also ensures that she currently continues to perform her duties remotely.
Mindy Pollak was first elected in 2013 under the banner of Projet Montréal. She then became the first woman of Hasidic Jewish faith to be elected in Quebec.
An elected member of the opposition in Morocco
As for other political parties at City Hall, only Ensemble Montréal reported the presence of one of its elected representatives abroad. This is the vice-president of the Commission de la sécurité publique de Montréal and adviser to Montréal-Nord, Abdelhaq Sari. He moved to Morocco on December 16 for family reasons. The official opposition indicates having approved this trip, which it considered “essential”. Mr. Sari is now back in Montreal, he confirmed to Metro Wednesday.
Both Team Anjou and Team Barbe, in LaSalle, confirmed to Metro that none of their elected officials traveled during the holidays, in the context of the health crisis.
On the provincial and federal level, several elected officials have suffered sometimes severe penalties for having taken a trip in recent weeks.
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