Auditor’s Report Paints Picture Of An Arrogant Government That Is Ignoring Ontarians

 A Submission from the Office of Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath

QUEEN’S PARK, December 12, 2012 – New Democrat Leader Andrea Horwath says the Auditor General’s Annual Report paints a picture of an arrogant and out-of-touch government that’s ignoring the challenges facing families in tough times.

Ontario NDP leader Andrea Horwath .

“Today’s report has shown that the McGuinty Liberals are wasting hundreds of millions of precious public dollars when families are being asked to sacrifice more,” said Horwath.

In his Annual Report, Auditor General Jim McCarter found numerous examples of across the board mismanagement of public money that will cost people more:

• Ontario’s Diabetes Strategy has done little to stop or slow the rapid growth of diabetes in Ontario. Only 3 per cent of the $741 million Ontario Diabetes Strategy has been devoted to diabetes prevention, in spite of the fact that 90 per cent of cases are preventable. By 2020 diabetes is expected to affect nearly 2 million Ontarians and cost $7 billion in treatment;
• The wait for long-term care has tripled since 2004/5. Seniors at “crisis” level are waiting more than three months. While Ontarians requiring “non-crisis” care are, in some regions, waiting more than three years for placement. Long-term care wait times continue to vary radically by region;
• The growth of private healthcare clinics continues to cost Ontarians more. The Ministry of Health estimates that 20 per cent of the privately-provided diagnostic imaging conducted by independent health facilities is “inappropriate.” Furthermore, the Ministry has let Ontarians down by failing to inspect or review many of these facilities;
• The McGuinty Liberals promised that the Presto fare-card would make public transit more efficient and convenient to move around the GTHA. Instead, the Auditor General revealed Presto is on-track to be “among the more expensive fare-card systems in the world;” and
• The Ministry of Finance is expected to write off $1.4 billion of the $2.4 billion in unpaid taxes. 90 per cent of this is related to the Corporate and Retail Sales Tax.

“Whether it’s health care, public transit or fiscal responsibility, the McGuinty Liberals are more focussed on their own interests than the day to day challenges facing Ontarians,” said Horwath. “In tough times people expect their government to put their needs first. Instead, their concerns are being ignored.”

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