MUHC to meet with snow removal company over possible contract 'violations'

A company hired to carry out snow removal for Montreal's MUHC superhospital is accused of using salt purchased by the hospital for its other contracts.

Montreal newspaper Le Journal de Montral says some of its reporters spent three days watching Canbec trucks. They said they witnessed the workers picking up salt at the old Royal Victoria Hospital site and using it on a variety of other sites, including a Home Depot in St-Henri.

Two of the other sites where Le Journal de Montral says the MUHC-purchased salt was used include the LaSalle Ecocentre and the Shriners Hospital.

Both locations confirmed to CBC that their contracts with Canbec specifically stipulate that Canbec provides the salt.

"The contract states that Canbec provides salt and does the snow removal...That's the extent of what I, as a client, know," said Shriners Hospital spokeswoman Emmanuelle Rondeau.

Hiredsince 2011

The MUHC has hired Canbec for snow removal every year since 2011. This past year, the hospital bought 3,500 tons of salt for Canbec to use, at a cost of more than $320,000.

MUHC officials said they are planning to meet with Canbec as soon as possible to "address any violations that may have occurred with the snow removal contract."

Meanwhile, City of Montreal officials said they are taking the allegations from the Journal de Montral report very seriously.

The city hired Canbec in 2013 to carry out snow removal for its ecocentres in LaSalle, Cte-des-Neiges and Acadie. The contracts expire April 15, 2016.

"If the contractor is found guilty of fraud, the company would be excluded from bidding on any contracts with the City of Montreal for five years," a city spokesman told CBC News in a statement.

CBC put in calls to Canbec president Rick Andreoli. They were not returned.