“Tough times demand tough decisions.”
– Auditor General Jim McCarter, 2012 Annual Report
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 13, 2012
QUEEN’S PARK – Revelations in the Auditor General’s report highlight the mismanagement of Ontario taxpayer dollars over the past nine years according to Opposition MPP Toby Barrett.
“First, the Auditor pointed to government’s waste of $24 million on a diabetes registry that wouldn’t work and was scrapped.” Barrett commented following yesterday’s report. “Second, at a potential cost of $700 million, the Presto transit card will be among the most costly in the world. But there is still no integrated transit fare system – which is what Presto is for.”
“Overspending and mismanagement puts everything we value at risk, like health care, education and strong transportation networks.”
The Auditor General’s report highlighted other examples of more money spent for fewer results, including:
* Ontario Provincial Police costs up 27 per cent over five years. The number of calls to the OPP haven’t changed over that time
* The number of people on the Long-Term Care home waiting list went up 85 per cent. The number of LTC beds increased just three per cent
* The cost of the Youth Justice Services program is up 25 per cent. The number of young people served has gone up just four per cent, and
* The number of Crown Attorneys has doubled. The number of criminal charges handled by them is unchanged
“Many will also identify with the Auditor’s concerns over the Drive Clean program, which took $30 million from the pockets of motorists last year, while contributing little to recent reductions in vehicle emissions,” added Barrett. “Bottom line, the Auditor General’s 2012 Report is
another catalogue of misspending, poor oversight and wasteful spending.”
“As the Auditor noted, ‘tough times demand tough decisions’. It’s time for clarity and honesty about our priorities – priorities that ensure those tough decisions are made.”
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For more information, please contact MPP Toby Barrett at: (416) 325-8404,
(519) 428-0446 or 1-800-903-8629