Latest news with #OfficeoftheAuditorGeneral
Hamilton Spectator
5 days ago
- Business
- Hamilton Spectator
Peel Regional Council approves new auditor general position
Peel Region is moving ahead with an independent Office of the Auditor General, following a July 10 council vote to adopt bylaw 39-2025 — a move officials say will strengthen public accountability and oversight of regional spending. The newly created office will operate independently from Peel's chief administrative officer and senior leadership. Its mandate includes auditing regional departments, grant recipients, certain local boards, and Peel-controlled corporations such as Peel Living. The auditor general will also operate a confidential fraud and waste hotline. 'The auditor general's independent role will provide council with clearer insights, help uncover opportunities for efficiency, and ensure we are delivering the highest value to the taxpayers of Peel,' said Regional Chair Nando Iannicca in a July 17 media release. The office is authorized under Ontario's Municipal Act, 2001, which allows municipalities to appoint an auditor general to help ensure value-for-money and quality of stewardship over public funds. The position was formally established through bylaw 39-2025, which outlines the scope of duties, appointment process, reporting structures and operational independence of the office. The auditor general will report directly to council and submit both an annual audit plan and a report on the office's activities. While the auditor general maintains sole authority over deletions or amendments to their annual audit plan, council can add items to the plan through a two-thirds majority vote. While the auditor general can audit most regional programs and entities, the bylaw excludes some local boards, including the Peel Police Services Board and Peel Board of Health, unless those boards specifically request an audit. The office will undergo an external peer review every three years and must complete an annual compliance audit. The appointment itself must be made through a council-led recruitment process and approved by a two-thirds vote of all councillors. The term may be set for up to seven years and cannot be renewed, except under exceptional circumstances approved by council. Last month, Mississauga Councillor Dipika Damerla introduced the original motion during a June 12 council meeting. While that meeting ended without a final vote due to loss of quorum, the decision was revived and finalized on July 10. 'Right now, we're the only major Canadian municipality of our size without an independent auditor general, and I think that's a glaring gap,' Damerla had said during the June 12 meeting. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Calgary Herald
24-06-2025
- Health
- Calgary Herald
Alberta auditor general secures $1M funding boost for ongoing health contracts probe
A committee of Alberta MLAs unanimously has approved a funding increases requested by the Office of the Auditor General to, in part, assist with his ongoing investigation into procurement and contracts within the province's health care system. Article content The 10-member standing committee on legislative offices met early Tuesday to approve Auditor General Doug Wylie's request for an additional $1,665,000 in funding that includes a 10 per cent contingency. Article content Article content Article content Wylie told the committee that $990,000 of that amount was needed to continue his examination into possible political interference procurement practices at the provincial health department and Alberta Health Services (AHS), and stated the money is essential to continue the investigation first announced in February. Article content Article content 'If we don't get it, we'll have to make some tough decisions on some of the audits we are doing,' he said. Article content 'We would have to stop the work.' Article content Wylie noted his office has only seen annual increases of two per cent in recent years, and said the funds will be used to pay external contractor costs related to the investigation. Article content 'The scope and complexity of this examination requires the assistance of professionals who possess specialized tools and skill sets,' he said. Article content He added additional audit support is needed to address the volume of records his office is dealing with, and that external legal services are also required for the investigation. Article content Article content 'We're at a point where we cannot absorb any more. These requests are serious. We don't take coming to this committee lightly asking for additional funds.' Article content The remainder of the funding request is devoted to auditing the four new health organizations which superseded AHS, as well as to account for pay increases for some employees. Article content New Democrat MLA David Shepherd proposed a motion granting Wylie's office the funding it sought, which was approved by all other committee members. Article content 'This is important funding for the auditor general. We heard from him quite clearly today what the implications of the lack of this funding would be,' Shepherd said. Article content The three other Opposition committee members supported Shepherd's motion as did government committee members. Article content 'I'm going to say, for maybe once in a very long time, I agree with the Official Opposition on this,' said United Conservative MLA Chelsae Petrovic. 'I think approving these additional funds, we are ensuring that the critical work of the auditor general can continue.'
Perth Now
20-06-2025
- Business
- Perth Now
Grim news for owners of vacant land in one Perth suburb
City of Vincent vacant land owners will feel the push to develop from a 25 per cent increase in rates. The rates increase is part of the city's 2025-26 budget that was adopted unanimously at the council's June 17 meeting. In a media statement, the city said the budget focused on essential services and projects that mattered most to the community. Your local paper, whenever you want it. It said while residents were feeling the pressure of a challenging economic climate, the city was also continuing to face rising costs. Residents in the city will have a 4.5 per cent increase in rates, which equates to $1.41 per week or $73.25 per year. Rates for vacant residential properties will increase by 25 per cent. Mayor Alison Xamon said they knew people were 'doing it tough' so the budget aimed to balance the pressure of the city's rising costs while ensuring it delivered core services and continued working on main projects. 'This is why we have worked hard to form a responsible budget that goes back to basics and ensures our roads, drainage, footpaths, playgrounds and facilities are accessible and kept to a high standard.' she said. 'We were recently named the second largest metropolitan council by the Office of the Auditor General for best practice in financial reporting and one of the top 20 councils in WA. 'This achievement is a testament to how seriously we take transparency and accountability in our financial management for our community.' The budget includes funding for infrastructure upgrades, playground renewals, tree planting and community programs such as events like Rainbow Picnic, Festival of Culture, Perth Festival and Jazz Picnic in the Park. 'Our parks and sporting facilities are well-used by both locals and visitors to Vincent so we continue to invest in the maintenance and upgrade of these spaces,' Ms Xamon said. 'New playgrounds are planned for Brigatti Gardens, Britannia Reserve South and Hyde Park West, ensuring our parks continue to provide safe and enjoyable spaces for local families. 'One of our top priorities is to increase the tree canopy in Vincent, and this year we will be planting more trees and continuing to respond to the polyphagous shot-hole borer infestation.' Vincent was ranked the eighth-lowest residential rating councils in metropolitan Perth in 2024-25.
West Australian
12-06-2025
- Business
- West Australian
Water watchdog under fire: Just five inspections in North West for two trillion litres of allocations
There were only five on-ground inspections of water licence holders in the North West in four years, despite the region containing almost half of the water entitlement for the entire State. A scathing report released on Wednesday by the Office of the Auditor General found the government agency in charge of monitoring licence holders was not doing 'anywhere near enough' to protect water resources across WA and could not be confident licence holders weren't taking water illegally. The Department of Water and Environmental Regulation (DWER) is tasked with monitoring more than 12,000 water licences across WA. The licences are used for everyday life, industry, mining and agriculture, with 78 per cent of all water used across the State drawn from underground aquifers. These free licences allow for the extraction of more than four trillion litres of water annually — enough water to fill more than 1.7 million Olympic swimming pools. In the North West there are 907 licences for a combined water entitlement of 2045 gigalitres, or two trillion litres. But only five on-ground inspections were held in the North West between 2021 and 2024. In the Ord River Irrigation Area, DWER failed to follow the recommendations of its own specialists who determined that based on scientific evidence and research, 10 per cent of licensees should be inspected annually. Auditor General Caroline Spencer found that while DWER carried out more than 2000 compliance activities a year, that number had decreased over the past three years and most activities were desktop reviews of unverified meter readings and information reported by licence holders. On-ground inspections also decreased, dropping State-wide by 67 per cent between July 1, 2021, and June 30, 2024. Ms Spencer said despite increasing demand for water and a drying climate, DWER couldn't be confident that licence holders were meeting their licence conditions and that water was being extracted appropriately. 'This audit shows that DWER is not doing anywhere near enough to adequately protect our water resources, with compliance activities in recent years reactive and ad hoc,' she said. 'Poor management, over-extraction and illegal taking of water all threaten the long-term sustainability of our groundwater supplies and creates an uneven playing field for operators who are doing the right thing. 'As regulator, DWER has a critical role to ensure those licensed to extract and use water comply with their licence conditions.' Reports by the OAG in 2003 and 2009 also found the regulator's monitoring of water use in WA was not sufficient to ensure the resource was not being taken illegally. The report noted DWER had few staff to carry out on-ground inspections and while some compliance activities were performed by licensing officers, there were only seven dedicated compliance officers. In a response to the findings, DWER said it welcomed the report, would review its findings and implement improvements. It said the audit was held during a transitional period for its water assurance activities and while improvements were under way. 'An increase in enforcement activity under the Rights in Water and Irrigation Act 1914, including the issuing of daily penalty notices, resulted in record fines for water assurance enforcement activities in 2024,' it said.
Toronto Star
29-05-2025
- Business
- Toronto Star
Ontario unveils changes to provincial immigration nominee program
Ontario has introduced changes to its popular provincial immigration program to meet evolving economic needs. On Wednesday, the government tabled new legislation which, if passed, will give the provincial immigration minister the ability to establish or remove immigrant nomination streams to quickly respond to the changing job market and labour demand. The proposed changes to the provincial immigration program would also: •Allow officials to return applications that no longer match current job market needs or raise concerns; ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW •Grant inspectors the authority to require in-person interviews with applicants through the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program, to improve program integrity and prevent fraudulent claims; •Further digitalize the application process by letting employers hoping to sponsor foreign workers for permanent residence submit applications directly and electronically to a new employer portal, starting this summer. These are among 18 new proposed measures in the Working for Workers Seven Act, 2025 that the Conservative government hopes to adopt to meet changing economic needs and build a stronger workforce. 'We're proposing changes that will prepare workers and businesses for the jobs of the future, while helping workers facing impacts from U.S. tariffs and economic uncertainty,' said David Piccini, minister of labour, immigration, training and skills development, in a statement. 'This package underscores our unwavering commitment to protecting our province's most valuable resource — our workers.' The Ontario immigration program, which allows the province to select and nominate prospective permanent residents for federal processing, has grown in capacity from 6,650 spots in 2019 to 21,500 last year, becoming a significant driving force of economic immigrants to the province. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW However, the Office of the Auditor General last December also identified numerous problems with the management of the program. Not only did few nominated immigrants have jobs or work experience in occupations with the highest vacancies, it found that verification processes were weak, particularly where documents are susceptible to misrepresentation or forgery. 'Results of inspections pointed to weaknesses in the Ministry's processes and mechanisms to prevent and catch misrepresentation before an application is approved and candidates are nominated,' said the report, noting that most inspections took the form of desk audits. Other proposed measures in the Working for Workers Seven Act include: requiring automated external defibrillators on construction projects; demanding job posting platforms to have a mechanism to report fraudulent publicly advertised job postings to the platform; speeding up referrals to in-demand training such as micro-credentials; and increasing support for workers in response to tariff-related terminations and layoffs.
