Competition Bureau raids engineering firm's Gatineau offices

Competition Bureau investigators are searching the offices of a major engineering company that has had several major contracts with the city of Gatineau.

Investigators with the bureau have been at Genivar's offices in Gatineau, Que., since Thursday.

The Montreal-based company is behind the design of the Rapibus mass transit project used by the Outaouais' public transit agency.

Genivar's recent contracts with the city of Gatineau also include road and sewage infrastructure, a new bridge, and a new ecocentre.

Genivar spokeswoman Isabelle Adjahi confirmed that the Competition Bureau is looking at its tenders with the city of Gatineau, but had no other comment.

Mayor says city is co-operating

In recent months, Quebec municipalities have been rocked by charges of corruption and collusion in the granting of contracts. Gatineau's mayor Marc Bureau has insisted that Gatineau is different from Montreal.

But opposition councillor Maxime Pedneaud-Jobin said today's raid shows that may not be the case.

"I'm not surprised. There's no reason to believe that it doesn't happen here, especially when we see how deep entrenched in the ways things are being done in Montreal," said Pedneaud-Jobin.

"I think Gatineau is not magically protected from that," he said.

The mayorsaid the city is co-operating with the Competition Bureau and said people shouldn't leap to conclusions about the investigation.