The mayor of the small town of Huntingdon Quebec, Stephane Gendron, is in hot water yet again for publicly making controversial remarks.
In addition to his functions as mayor of the town about 75 kilometers south of Montreal near the US border, Stephane Gendron moonlights as a “shock jock” radio host ion CHOI Radio-X. Last week he laughingly described how he would accelerate his pick-up truck in order to kill cats which he calls a nuisance. In loose translation from French his comments were to the effect, “First of all, cats have no business being in the street. If I see one , Bang! I accelerate”.
have the right to exist © CHOI website
He went on to describe other incidents, “”The other day, I backed up over a one that had just come into the world. I’m sure it didn’t feel anything. I was very happy. Yes!” He added, “the pickup passed over him like it was nothing”. He also described other sadistic ways he gets rid of them.
Since the comments and resultant uproar, he has backtracked somewhat. In an open letter on the CHOI radio site he describes how stray cats are a nuisance to communities and only in the last paragraph does he comment on his on-air rant calling it “dark humour”.
In translation from French, his comment reads, “On July 9, 2013, I made largely exaggerated comments on the overpopulation of cats that constitutes a nuisance in our urban and rural areas”. It continues
“I myself have to deal with this problem on my property, with many dozens of stray cats that come and cause problems.
“I admit that the imagery used served no purpose in advancing the debate on this issue… For all these reasons, I apologize. The use of dark humour was inappropriate in dealing with such a subject.”
The Montreal SPCA says it has begun an investigation. Spokeswoman Allana Devine said they haven’t been able to speak to mayor Gendron, but are encouraging residents to call for his resignation and to lodge complaints with the CRTC (Canadian Radio, Television Commission), and with the CHOI radio station.
Ms Devine added, “This is really very disturbing to hear. Those comments and supposed acts coming from somebody — from anybody, but particularly from someone who is a public figure and an elected official of a municipality…” She said that, even if it turns out Gendron was making up the story as a joke, it’s still “unacceptable and totally horrendous nonetheless.”
This is not the first time Stephane Gendron has made inflammatory remarks on air. Last year he had to apologize for calling Israel an apartheid state, and saying it doesn’t have the right to exist.
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