Quebec Company Guilty of Bid-Rigging in Ventilation Contracts

A ventilation systems installation company, 9201-2640 Québec Inc., pleaded guilty to bid-rigging and was fined $140,000 by the Quebec Superior Court. The company admitted that it had conspired with two other companies, Les Entreprises Promécanic ltée and Les Industries Garanties ltée, to ensure that it offered the lowest bid in order to secure a ventilation contract. This is the fourth guilty plea following an investigation made by the Competition Bureau which uncovered a bid-rigging scheme among a group of contractors for the supply and installation of ventilation and air conditioning systems in a number of condominium projects in the Montreal area. To date, the court has imposed a total of $705,000 in fines.