Former employees of Val-des-Lacs report on the “terror regime” of former director general Nathalie Paquet Subject of a request for investigation from citizens of Sainte-Pétronilleon the island of Orléans, where she now holds the same functions.
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“It's not complicated, almost all employees have resigned [à cause d’elle]» says Marie*, a person who is well aware of the working climate in the municipality of Laurentides, where Ms. Paquet was general manager from September 2020 to April 2022.
Marie asked the former director general, to whom she attributes the “terrorist regime” that then prevailed in Val-des-Lacs, for anonymity to avoid legal problems.
“This only works through formal notifications,” she says. “I think she dealt with three different companies at one point. […] That’s his approach.”
The Journal spoke with former Val-des-Lacs employees and elected officials to understand the reasons behind Nathalie Paquet's firing.
Citizens of Sainte-Pétronille, where she now occupies the same functions, received the letter of termination, most of the passages of which were redacted, under the law on access to documents. However, there are “serious defects” mentioned.
The Journal unsuccessfully attempted to contact Nathalie Paquet to obtain her version of the facts.
Compassion for Sainte-Pétronille
Marie remembers a proposal from the general management and the mayor at the time to build a completely new fire station because they considered the current one to be “inadequate”.
“Citizens have submitted an access to information request to obtain the analysis report,” she says. “Everything the citizens were told was wrong.”
Alice* also experienced the “very difficult working atmosphere” in Val-des-Lacs. She also requested anonymity for the same reasons. “She takes formal notes quickly,” she explains.
The ban on talking to each other between employees, taking paid breaks, signing “loyalty contracts” with the community… the list of conditions imposed was long.
“She was already watching me on the security cameras to make sure I wasn't talking to citizens who came to the municipal office,” says Alice.
“They sent me the articles about what was happening in Sainte-Pétronille and I said to myself: My God, this is a copy from Val-des-Lacs!” she adds.
The municipality of Sainte-Pétronille hired Nathalie Paquet in the spring of 2023, about a year after she was fired from an identical position in Val-des-Lacs, in the Laurentians. Photo Stevens LeBlanc
“I can't believe that someone would take the same position again and do exactly the same things and think that it will work this time,” agrees Pierre*, a former senior Laurentides Parish official. In the end, he resigned for a “breach of trust” with elected officials and management.
“She stirred so much pudding that we no longer knew what was real and what was fake,” he explains. “All the employees were afraid of it.”
Pierre estimates that at least 22 resignations in Val-des-Lacs are due to the poor working atmosphere.
“For Sainte-Pétronille, I can only tell them to continue to be persistent, it is the only and right thing,” he concludes.
* fictitious first names to protect the identity of the speakers
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