Saint-André-de-Restigouche councillor Jean-Marie St-Onge received an 80-day unpaid suspension for removing heating oil from a tank the municipality had already sold.
The Commission municipale du Québec accepted his disciplinary guilty plea and a joint sanction in its October 15, 2026 decision, dossier CMQ-72744-001 (35231-26).
The $4,500 sale included the tank’s contents. When a transporter found it too full to move, St-Onge and another person each removed 1,000 litres. St-Onge said he gave his portion to his nephew. Nearly 60 per cent of the oil sold was not delivered.
He said he meant to help the municipality. The tribunal considered his cooperation and admissions, accepting the proposed sanction as consistent with public order and the administration of justice.
The municipal code omitted the statutory rule protecting the honour and dignity of elected office. That did not prevent enforcement: provincial law deemed the rule part of the code.
The suspension was ordered to start October 20 and covers council duties and related committee or organization roles. This was an ethics sanction, not a criminal conviction.
