Auditor General’s report shows continued mismanagement, lack of oversight

NEWS RELEASE
Ted Arnott, MPP
Wellington-Halton Hills
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 17, 2012

Auditor General’s report shows continued
mismanagement, lack of oversight
(Queen’s Park) – On December 12, Ontario Auditor General Jim McCarter released his 2012 Annual
Report.

Wellington-Halton Hills MPP Ted Arnott says that the Auditor General’s report highlights a recurring
pattern of overspending, mismanagement, and lack of oversight by the Liberal Government at Queen’s
Park.

“If there’s anyone out there who needs more proof that the Liberals can’t manage taxpayers’ money, this
report should do it,” said Mr. Arnott.

The report details over 400 pages of problems. Amongst the worst:
• The introduction of Metrolinx’s PRESTO card system. Intended to create an integrated regional
transit fare system, it may end up costing more than $700 million. This would make it one of the
most expensive fare-card systems in the world.
• The Ministry of Finance estimates that it may need to write off $1.4 billion in outstanding, unpaid
taxes. Mr. Arnott points out that this represents approximately 10% of the provincial deficit this
year. The Auditor General found that more timely and aggressive action could have been taken
to ensure that these taxes were collected.
• The Auditor General demonstrated that the number of crown attorneys in Ontario has more than
doubled over the past decade while the total number of criminal cases has remained about the
same.
• The total expenditures of the Youth Justice Service Program have increased by more than 25%
over the past 5 years, even though the number of youth served has risen by only 4% over the
same period.

“We’ve yet to see any evidence that the Liberal Government is taking this report seriously. They need to
take immediate steps to fix these problems,” Mr. Arnott argued.

Early next year, the Auditor General is expected to release a special report into the cancellation of the
Mississauga and Oakville gas plants.

The Auditor General’s full report can be found at: http://www.auditor.on.ca/en/reports_2012_en.htm.

– 30 –

Ted Arnott, MPP
Phone: 416-325-3880
Email: ted.arnott@pc.ola.org