In a two-page letter announcing his resignation from the police, Philippe Pichet explains that he suspects the authorities of the city of Montreal of having blocked the decision of the director of the SPVM, Fady Dagher, to reinstate him in that police organization. last fall.
According to this document, a copy of which was obtained by Radio-Canada, Fady Dagher called Philippe Pichet on September 15 to announce his intention to retain him a prominent place in the new organizational chart he was introducing at the Montreal municipal police department ( SPVM).
[…] Your approach to choosing a function in your new organizational chart shows your sensitivity and your human side and gave me a moment of consideration that I will undoubtedly remember for a very long time, writes Philippe Pichet as a sign of recognition for Fady Dagher.
This call and this approach were more than meaningful for me. In addition, in our successive meetings and exchanges, you have recognized and highlighted my great skills and made it clear that you want to work with me. It is certainly something I will remember because for the “Formula 1” as you imagined the person and professional that I am, it will have made a difference, he continues in his letter.
The letter states that Chief Dagher was scheduled to call him back the week of September 25th for a follow-up investigation.
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Was Fady Dagher put under pressure in the Philippe Pichet case?
Photo: Radio-Canada / Guillaume Cyr
However, this succession never came about. Philippe Pichet says he never heard of this conversation again. He goes even further, suggesting that director Fady Dagher was pressured by the city of Montreal not to be reinstated to the SPVM.
Unfortunately, it is abundantly clear that the city administration has deprived you of any autonomy to assign me to your office, as was my wish following your request, and I would even say that you insisted that I finally find a location in of the organization I can contribute within the scope of my abilities.
Philippe Pichet was suspended in 2017 after internal investigations revealed that there was a climate of tension and mistrust within the SPVM and was fully acquitted. For this reason, an agreement was signed with the City of Montreal in June 2018 to reinstate him to his duties. However, he was forced to stay away from the Montreal Police Organization as he did not even have permission to enter the SPVM compound.
According to court documents, this case will have cost more than $1.3 million in annual salaries for six years, in addition to legal costs incurred by the city of Montreal since Mr. Pichet’s suspension. From 2017 to 2021, Mr. Pichet received an annual salary of $260,000 while he was at home doing nothing. Then he received compensation of $166,000 per year from 2021 to date without doing anything for the police.
Leave with a heart full of bitterness
At the time Philippe Pichet headed the SPVM, Fady Dagher was his head of communications in 2016, shortly before he himself was appointed director of the Longueuil municipal police.
The two men were also working partners as non-commissioned officers in operational planning in the early 2000s and therefore know each other well.
For this reason, shortly after the announcement of his appointment as head of the SPVM, Fady Dagher contacted Philippe Pichet to find out more about him.
I would like to point out that your call on November 24, 2022, the day your appointment was announced, warmed my heart a lot, since it was completely ignored and sidelined by your predecessors and Sylvain Caron even reiterated outright that I was not Philippe Pichet confirms in his letter that this is one of his plans.
In 2017, the crisis of confidence that rocked the SPVM cost Philippe Pichet his post as director. An administrative investigation by Me Michel Bouchard was enough to convince the then Minister of Public Security, Martin Coiteux, to dismiss him from his post.
[…] The farce of Me Michel Bouchard’s investigation, which led to unproven findings and unfortunately unfairly cost me my job, left very serious consequences, which were later exacerbated by my employer’s incomprehensible behavior towards me […]. Despite everything that has been said, I would like to remind you that I have never been the subject of a complaint at any level. The serious report of the Chamberland Commission even confirmed that we acted within the legal framework, which I had already said from the beginning.
The struggles of Philippe Pichet
Despite his retirement, Philippe Pichet writes that he promises to stand up and bring his legal battles against the city of Montreal and the Quebec government to a close.
That’s why today I find myself in a three-level legal saga to bring to light the truth that many unfortunately try to obscure. The label that has been placed on me and the hostile environment that the SPVM has become for me, without anyone daring to take a bold action to set things straight, [ont] As we can read, it has severely affected my physical and mental health and that of my family.
Philippe Pichet is currently suing the city of Montreal and the Quebec government for $2.9 million for damages he sustained during his controversial suspension in December 2017. He has also filed two complaints against the City of Montreal for bullying and concealed dismissal in the Labor Court.
The FPPM reacts violently
In response to the report, Brotherhood of Police Officers of Montreal (FPPM) president Yves Francoeur responded vehemently to Philippe Pichet’s comments to Fady Dagher.
The Coderre government’s decision in 2015 was a mistake. Had Mr. Pichet assumed his role, there would have been no search at headquarters in 2017, the Montreal police officers’ union leader said.
We expected more leadership from the Director of Canada’s 2nd Municipal Police. After all, his return was not wanted by anyone who knew his leadership in 2015-2017.
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Yves Francoeur, president of the Brotherhood of Police Officers of Montreal
Photo: Radio-Canada / Claude Lamontagne, cameraman
Finally, Radio-Canada asked to obtain an interview or written response from Fady Dagher to find out whether he believes city authorities have interfered with his duties as police chief, who enjoys official independence as head of the SPVM. Ultimately, it was the communications department of the police organization that replied to us saying that no comment would be made because the Philippe Pichet case had been brought to court.
As for the City of Montreal, it declined our questions because it believes this matter falls within the jurisdiction of its police department, even though it is the employer in the dispute.