Wynne government braces for Auditor General report

For journalists and the opposition parties here at Queen's Park, Christmas comes Wednesday.

Santa Claus appears in the form of Auditor General Bonnie Lysyk, delivering a gift that keeps on giving: a report full of examples of wasteful spending, likely to provide fodder for opinion columns and Question Period outrage for days to come.

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Premier Kathleen Wynne will avoidbearing the brunt of the auditor's critique this week. She's on a trade mission to Japan and Korea, so she won't be around to face questions until next Monday.

Lysyk will be examining 13 topics in depth in her "value for money" audits. Keep your eyes on these five, likely to provide the most interesting results.

1. Electronic health records

The last time an auditor probed eHealth Ontario, following a scandal first revealed by CBC News, it showeda billion-dollar boondoggle that brought down a cabinet minister. This audit won't have the same impact. It will, however, show that the province failed to meet itstarget of providing an electronic health record to everyOntarianby 2015(as Ireported last year).

You can tell how concerned the Liberals are about the perception of waste at eHealth: they commissioned privatization guru Ed Clark to produce a pre-emptive report on how much value the electronic medical record program has provided to taxpayers.

2. Road construction contracts

The auditor is looking into road construction and repair, something the province is spending$2.1billion on this year. She will assess the process for awarding contracts, the ministry's oversight during construction, and the quality of the work done.

3. Physician billing

The province spent $11.6 billion last year on its 30,000 doctors, most billing fee-for-service, but some working on salary.

This audit takes Lysyk into some politically interesting territory: her reportwill assess whether the payment models "fairly compensate physicians." Health Minister Eric Hoskins has tried to make an issue out of the growing number of doctors billing OHIP more than $1 million a year. The auditoralso examines whether the doctor payment system is cost-effective and meets the needs of Ontarians.

4. Employment Ontario

This agency, part of the Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Development, spends$1.3 billion a yearand is in the midst of"modernizing and transforming" itsemploymentprograms.Its biggest role is running the province'sjob-search offices, with some 670,000 people using its database each year to look for work. It also runs apprenticeship, job transition and literacy programs.

The auditor will assess whether its programs and services are effective. In her report last year, Lysykquestioned the effectiveness of $1.4 billion in business grantsat creating jobs.

5. Metrolinx

The government is already trying to defuse what could be a scathing report on Metrolinx, the agency responsible for GOTransit, the Union-Pearson Express and the multi-billion-dollar transit expansion plans in the Greater Toronto Area. Just last Wednesday, Transportation Minister Steven Del Ducareleased a report listing work that Metrolinx has done to "enhance" oversight and accountability and to "ensure resources are well-spent."

Theaudit of Metrolinx examines its awarding and oversight of contracts, and whether taxpayers are getting value for money from its projects.

Other topics to be probed by the auditor:

• Mental health services: The auditor is investigating the timeliness and cost-effectiveness of mental-health services to children and youth, examining the housing and supportive services provided to people living with mental illness, and assessing whether Ontario's four specialty psychiatric hospitals are meeting the needs of patients.
• Environmental assessments and approvals: The auditor will report on the province's environmental impact assessment process, and whether the environment ministry's system of approvals for pollution permits is working effectively. The auditor is also looking at the status of the government's plan to tackle climate change.
• Contracting and procurement: The province spends $3.5 billion annually on goods and services. The auditor is investigating whether the procurement process is open, fair and transparent.

Finally, an often-overlooked section of the auditor's report is worth watching: her follow-up studies on the topics she examined in her 2014 report. Lysyk will update Ontarians on what's happened since she reported the failings of hydro smart meters, waste in the province's flu vaccine program and erratic inspections of child-care centres.

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