Bertrand Samson was ordered to pay two fines totalling $15,000. He violated the Code of Ethics of Engineers by tolerating and participating in, on at least two occasions, a contract sharing scheme that made it possible to circumvent the competitive bidding process of the City of Saint-Eustache (2007-2009), as well as for encouraging an engineer colleague to participate in a contract sharing scheme that made it possible to circumvent the competitive bidding process of the City of Mirabel (2001). At the time of these acts, Mr. Samson was the president of BSA Groupe Conseil.
Jacques Lahaie was ordered to pay two fines totalling $10,000. He violated the Code of Ethics of Engineers by accepting cash and various advantages from stakeholders or contractors that had business dealings with the City of Laval. These acts took place between 1985 and 2006 when Mr. Lahaie was employed by the City of Laval.
In its decisions, the Disciplinary Council also ordered Mr. Samson and Mr. Lahaie to pay the costs in connection with the proceedings.
The full version of these decisions, including the summary of charges, is available on the Web site of the Société québécoise d’information juridique (SOQUIJ).
As a reminder, the sanctions imposed by the Disciplinary Council are meant to protect the public by dissuading professionals from repeating offences and by setting an example for other members of the profession.