Denis Coderre denies telling police officer issuing ticket he'd be her 'future boss'

Mayor Denis Coderre is denying he told a Montreal police officer who was issuing him a ticket that he would be her "futureboss."

An investigationreport by the Montreal police's internal affairs division, made public yesterday,gives a police officer's account of what happened when she issued a ticket to Coderrein 2012 for using an expired licence.

The report was written by Montreal policeinternal affairs investigatorNormandBorduas, who is testifying before theChamberlandcommission into police surveillance of journalists.

In the report, Borduaswrote that the officer said Coderretold her he would be her boss one day.She said she did not know who Coderre was at the time.

He became the city's mayor the following year.

The report also saidCoderre'spress secretary at the time gaveLagac'scell phone number to police before they started monitoring him.

• SPVMinvestigator defends decision to track journalist's calls asChamberlandcommission resumes

The contents of Borduas's report raised the alarm of the city's opposition.ProjetMontralcouncillorAlex Norris called Coderre'salleged comment "totally unacceptable," calling it "borderline intimidation."

"He seems to see himself as the boss of the police, that the police are working for him personally rather than for allMontrealers, and that's what's troubling about this behaviour," Norristold CBC Montreal'sDaybreak.

'I didn't say it': Coderre

The mayor's office had said it wouldn't be commenting on the report, but at a city council meeting Tuesday morning ProjetMontral Leader Valrie Planteasked Coderrepoint blank to confirm whether he made that remark.

"No, I didn't say it, and we should let the inquiry do its work," he replied.

Coderresaid the inquiry has already heard a full day of testimony from Borduas, during which the witness stated that his internal affairs investigation pointed to the fact that the police union was trying to sully the mayor's reputation.

Coderreadded in March2012, when he was stopped, he hadn't even decided if he would run for mayor.

LaPressecolumnist PatrickLagac's cell phone records over a two-week period were tracked after he asked the mayor's officeabout the ticket in question.

Lagac's revelation was the first in a series of similar discoveries that led to the creation of the commission, which is being led byJustice JacquesChamberland, an appeals court judge with 45 years of experience.

• Quebec launches commission of inquiry into police spying on journalists

Coderre announced Tuesday that he too would be appearing before the commission. He will testify next month.

"I'm looking forward to giving my version and answering all the questions," he said.

CBC/Radio-Canada is a participant in the commission.

• Coderre admits he spoke to ex-police chief about Patrick Lagac