Allyson Beauregard
MUNICIPALITY OF PONTIAC – Following May 11th’s court decision that removed former Ward 2 councillor Eddie McCann from council and disqualified him from running in any election for four years, effective from January 1, 2015, the case between McCann and the municipality was heard again, October 25, at the Quebec Court of Appeal in Montreal.
Allyson Beauregard
MUNICIPALITY OF PONTIAC – Following May 11th’s court decision that removed former Ward 2 councillor Eddie McCann from council and disqualified him from running in any election for four years, effective from January 1, 2015, the case between McCann and the municipality was heard again, October 25, at the Quebec Court of Appeal in Montreal.
The case was heard by three judges over the course of about two hours and was attended by McCann and his lawyer, the municipal lawyer, and a lawyer
from Elections Quebec. However, a decision was not made during the sitting and the parties must wait for an emailed decision.
“The judges are taking time to study the facts, go through the laws, and deliberate,” said McCann.
It’s not clear how long the deliberation process could take, but according
to Dominic Labrie, Municipality of Pontiac Communications Officer, the municipal lawyer told him it usually take a few weeks. “It’s now a waiting game,” said McCann. “I don’t agree with why I was there and I didn’t want to be there, but at the end of the day, it is what it is.” McCann also told the Journal he is “optimistically pessimistic” about the verdict.
However, the municipality is much more confident about the pending outcome. “Both the first judge (from May 11) and Elections Quebec are on our side and in the debriefing with our lawyer, he said he is confident,” said Labrie.
If the ruling is in McCann’s favour, he will be permitted to complete his mandate and run in future elections, otherwise, the May 11 decision will stand.
