Companies Plead Guilty to Montreal Area Snow Removal Conspiracy

OTTAWA, August 30, 2000 — The Competition Bureau announced today that five snow removal companies and a consulting firm in the Greater Montreal area have pleaded guilty to a conspiracy offence.

La Cie de pavage d'asphalte Beaver (a division of Devesco Ltée), Excavation Loiselle et frères Inc., Giguère et Geoffroy Inc., Nepcon Inc., Roxboro Excavation Inc., as well as the consulting firm 9014-6135 Québec Inc., pleaded guilty to the charge of conspiring to share the market and unduly lessen competition in snow clearing, removal and transportation. Following the guilty pleas, Madame Justice Claire Barrette Joncas of the Superior Court of Quebec reserved her decision on sentencing until September 21, 2000.

The offence involved an agreement to share snow removal contracts awarded by the Ministère des Transports du Québec for the 1997-98 season. The agreement primarily encompassed major highways on the island of Montreal. The total value of the contracts was about $4.6 million.

"The Bureau will bring action against anyone who engages in collusion in the public or private sector," said Harry Chandler, Deputy Commissioner of Competition, Criminal Matters. "However, the public sector must be very careful when it calls for tenders."

To avoid similar situations, the Bureau recommends that persons calling for bids should require tendering parties, as a condition of submitting a bid, to sign a certificate attesting to the fact that their bids were independently determined. A sample of such a certificate is available from the Bureau.

For more information, please contact:

Julie Hébert
819-953-4257