Shame on Shawneegan

And not just for general manager Bryan Perro, but for the board of directors, the city and Mayor Michelle Angers.

As reported Tuesday morning, CA members learned of the devastating financial situation that Culture Shawinigan has found itself in recent weeks. Last June, board members were informed that the organization’s deficit was $143,000.

It is not so.

In late September, they learned it was more like $780,000. I’m not that good at calculations, but there’s definitely a nice difference between $142,342 and $780,000.

On September 27, the CA decided to stop signing contracts or new projects for the coming months.

Remember that the city of Shawinigan is the treasure of culture Shawinigan. So we have two possibilities: either the city knows about the financial abyss that the culture has sunk into Shawneegan, or we hide the statistics so as not to lose face.

Do you know Michel Angers actual calculations? There is a question. Mr. If Angers had known about the $780,000 deficit, what questions or actions would he have taken to correct the situation?

Apparently, not much.

If it weren’t for the documents obtained by Sebastian Houle, when would the public have known about the company’s precarious financial situation? Probably never.

We deliberately hide the truth. How many people know? That is difficult to answer. It is a mystery. But apparently people know. And I remind you that we are talking about people’s money.

Let’s continue with the timeline of events.

When the president of the board of directors wanted to talk to the city’s general director, to learn more, Mayor Michel Angers asked some questions, saying that talking to him was like talking to his general director. Why, Mr. Angers, did the president of the board not want to ask questions of the general director?

Are you afraid of his answers?

Do we want to make sure everything is internal and no one talks or reveals anything?

I ask questions. I want answers. And the population too. Wouldn’t it be good for the city if the bad media released such information?

The next one is equally interesting.

As Sebastian Houle reports, on October 3rd, the CA president was informed that a meeting between Mayor Michel Angers and Bryan Perro would take place and that the city would pay Culture Shawinigan the sum of $390,000.

I recall the facts. Culture Shawinigan already has a $780,000 deficit and we still want to send additional money, taxpayer money? Nothing is too beautiful.

From the moment Culture learns about the plight of Shawinigan and the friendship between Michelle Angers and Bryan Perro, there should never be a meeting between two people without CA members and people from the city.

The culture chauvinigan sinks deeper and deeper and the mayor doesn’t intervene to stop the bleeding. And what did Mr. Perrault do to remedy the situation? Once again a mystery.

This is worrying.

At a meeting on October 17 between Mr. Perrault, city members and two CA members, the allegation was Michelle Angers’s fault. Perro said that even though the mayor gave him orders and told him that he was going into the financial abyss, he should continue to be careful.

How much of a deficit do we expect to end up with? A million, 1.5, 2 million? Who said it best? I don’t know about you, but this story is disgusting.

And the silence of all speakers speaks volumes.

By the way, dear board members, you have a role to play in such a situation. It would have been appropriate for the CA president to come to the media. Being on a board of directors is not just about looking good on a CV, it is an important responsibility, especially when we are talking about public money.

And dear board members, you are asking for Bryan Perro’s head. Where are we four days later? Is he still in office? Have you made a judgment on its status? Are you a man of words and deeds or do you fall into the category of green plants? You will also have to answer questions.

Meanwhile, in an attempt to calm things down, the city of Shawinigan is setting up a nice press briefing Tuesday afternoon, trying to lull us to sleep.

Indeed, dear citizens of Shawinigan, a unique corporate culture analyzes Shawinigan’s governance and finances. We made the announcement the same day the file was released publicly. Pure coincidence of course. This is called window dressing.

A great comedy.

If the city of Shawinigan wanted to convince me that it was serious about wanting to shed light on the company’s finances, it would have done so a long time ago.

Another question for you, Mr. Angers. Knowing the dire situation Culture Shawinigan has found itself in since the beginning of October, why did you give Culture Shawinigan’s General Director an additional $390,000? Don’t you think that deficit is not enough?

I don’t believe a word when we say that Culture Shawinigan is a completely independent organization independent of the city, that controls its own decisions and its own finances, and that politics has never interfered in this matter.

I find it impossible to believe, especially in the summaries of the meetings between Mr. Perrault and the Board of Directors and City members, that he alleges that orders came from the Mayor, from politics.

There’s a bone in the baloney. Is someone lying or is someone not telling us the whole truth? As a famous saying goes: Some truths are better avoided, aren’t they?

Be careful, dear elected officials.

The truth always comes out even when we try to cover it up.