The city of Saguenay turns to the courts to put a company back in order.
The owner of a numbered company, Florent Côté, acquired 10 million square meters of land from Rio Tinto in 2009. He is working on a $60 million residential project in the Jonquière sector near Mont-Fortin, which includes between 450 and 600 single-family townhouses.
Blasting and crushing work is taking place on site. However, it appears that for several years the city has increased its correspondence and formal communications with Mr. Côté.
At the public meeting on Tuesday, the local council gave the Trivium law firm a mandate. The city invoked the Land Use Planning and Development Act to petition the Superior Court for an order to stop using the land, which is inconsistent with a municipal charter.
With the file now in the hands of the court, there has been very limited explanation from the community.
The Supreme Court could decide to impose a fine if it concludes that a violation has occurred.
For his part, Florent Côté believes he can reach an agreement with the city of Saguenay.