An aide to Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre has been fired after a video surfaced reportedly showing him smoking crystal meth, an illegal drug.
Jean-François Thibault, who has worked for Coderre since 2014, is shown inhaling from what appears to be a crack pipe in the video, which TVA posted online. TVA said Thibault confirmed to a reporter that he was smoking crystal meth.
Thibault was in charge of logistics in advance of Coderre’s appearances.
Coderre’s office learned about the video on Thursday and Thibault now no longer works for the mayor, Catherine Maurice, a spokesperson for Coderre, told the Montreal Gazette.
“This behavior is unacceptable to the mayor,” Maurice said. “This employee is no longer part of the mayor’s team. However, we will ensure that he receives all the necessary assistance and support.”
Commonly known as crystal meth, methamphetamine is highly addictive and very dangerous to a user’s health, Health Canada says.
The video of Thibault emerged a few hours after Coderre tweeted about pot dispensaries that plan to sell marijuana to recreational uses.
“Zero tolerance for those who don’t respect the law,” Coderre said in a tweet Thursday morning.
Before being hired by city hall, Thibault worked on Coderre’s 2013 election campaign as an advisor and organizer.
Thibault had previously worked for the Coalition Avenir Québec and the Quebec Liberal Party.
In September, La Presse reported Thibault owed the city of Montreal $11,000 after neglecting to pay dozens of parking tickets.
