Canada

Photo: The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

An officer stands outside City Hall in Montreal, on February 19, 2013. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes

Montreal has lost another city manager, the latest in a string to leave its scandal-plagued municipal government under unusual circumstances.

Guy Hebert, who held the role as the city's top unelected employee, was asked to leave today by Mayor Michael Applebaum.

The mayor said the functionary acted inappropriately in an ongoing power struggle with the city's police chief and, had he stayed on, the climate at city hall would have been "unbearable."

A report in Montreal La Presse newspaper said last week that the police force was investigating the awarding of a telecommunications contract in which Hebert's office was involved, and, at the same time, he was working to get the police chief fired.

Hebert has denied seeking the police chief's resignation but, according to Applebaum, he apparently admitted in a meeting today that he carried their dispute "too far."

Since 2006, four straight city managers have quit while embroiled in controversy or over reasons that were never publicly explained.

A provincial corruption inquiry is currently examining the dealings at city hall since the 1990s.