A veteran Montreal city worker who was suspended after being spotted with a can of beer on the weekend while driving a snowplow has lost his job.

The downtown borough council of Ville-Marie voted unanimously Thursday to fire the employee of almost 30 years.

"One of our blue-collars drove heavy equipment with a beer. That's totally unacceptable and there's zero tolerance for that," said borough Mayor Benoit Labonté.

Police pulled over the 57-year-old worker on Sunday after receiving a call from a passerby. The worker had been cleaning a section of Ste-Catherine Street.

'One of our blue-collars drove heavy equipment with a beer. That's totally unacceptable.'—Benoit Labonté, Ville-Marie mayor

When officers looked inside the vehicle, they found an open can of beer. They gave the driver a breathalyzer test, which he passed. However, the officers issued a ticket for $438 for possessing open alcohol in a motor vehicle. The city then suspended the worker with pay.

A spokesperson for the city says the worker had a clean record. Labonté said there is no excusing what the man did.

"We provide help for our employees for different kinds of problems if we know, or if we don't know, if they ask," said Labonté.

The union and the borough are negotiating the terms of the man's dismissal.

The city has fired other municipal workers for drinking while using city equipment over the years.

In 2003, a worker was fired for running his snowplow through a red light and hitting another vehicle.