Auditor general to review controversial GO stations

A provincial committee voted to ask the spending watchdog to audit two stops that the Star revealed were approved under pressure from the Ministry of Transportation.

Thestar.com
Sept. 27, 2017
By Ben Spurr

A provincial committee has asked the auditor general to review two controversial new GO Transit stations, after Liberal MPPs abruptly dropped an effort to block the request.

Opposition Progressive Conservative MPPs moved a motion for an audit of the stops on Wednesday at a meeting of the public accounts committee at Queen's Park.

The move followed a Star investigation that revealed Metrolinx approved the stations despite reports that recommended against them.

One of the stops, called Kirby, would cost about $100 million to build and is in the Vaughan riding represented by Transportation Minister Steven Del Duca. The other, Lawrence East, would cost roughly $23 million and is part of Mayor John Tory's "SmartTrack" plan.

Internal documents show that the board of Metrolinx, an arm's-length agency of the provincial government, approved the stations in June 2016 under political pressure from Del Duca's ministry.

The Liberals hold a majority on the committee and had the ability to block the motion, which called for a "value-for-money" audit. At the start of Wednesday's meeting, Liberal MPP John Fraser signalled he intended to do just that, declaring: "I won't be supporting the motion."

Fraser said that, while the committee has the authority to direct auditor general Bonnie Lysyk to investigate projects, giving her such specific instructions risked infringing on her independence.

"It's a tool that I think should be rarely used," said Fraser, who represents Ottawa South. "The auditor general is autonomous ... She can make those decisions as to what she would like to audit."

However, less than 20 minutes into the meeting, Fraser asked for a recess, and left the room with his Liberal colleagues. When they returned soon after, he said he would support the motion because he was satisfied it was broad enough not to affect Lysyk's autonomy.

He noted that Lysyk had already stated she was aware of concerns raised about the stations, and intended to consider them as part of a wider review of Metrolinx's regional transportation plan in her 2018 annual report.

"I looked at the motion. I don't think that the concerns that I raised in terms of her discretion are greatly affected … so I think that we can pass that motion and, at her discretion, she will do what she feels is appropriate," Fraser said.

Lysyk isn't scheduled to release her 2018 annual report until at least November of next year, five months after a provincial election expected in June.

The Conservatives considered amending their motion to have Lysyk report back on the GO stations as soon as March, which was the earliest she said she could complete the work. But the Liberals said they wouldn't support the earlier timeline.

Ontario PC transportation critic Michael Harris doesn't sit on the committee, but crafted the audit motion. He argued it would have been better for the public to see the results of the audit before the end of next year, but "we took half a loaf by passing the motion as is."

"There will be specific focus on Kirby and Lawrence East, and I think that that's a win for taxpayers," he said.

Harris claimed the Liberals changed their minds about supporting the motion only after they realized there was a reporter in the committee room.

"Clearly the government was hoping that nobody was watching or paying attention to this and were prepared to defeat what we felt was a realistic, fair motion," said Harris, who represents Kitchener-Conestoga.

Lysyk said in an interview that while her office already intended to audit Metrolinx's transportation plan, as a result of the motion being approved, her annual report would "specifically highlight" Kirby and Lawrence East.

The Metrolinx board approved the two stops last year as part of a package of 12 new stations proposed for a $13.5-billion expansion of GO service.

Business cases commissioned before the vote determined that both stations would attract so few passengers that they would actually cause a net decrease in GO ridership. A report summarizing the business cases, which Metrolinx has never made public, recommended against considering either stop for another 10 years.

In June 2016, the board met behind closed doors and agreed to support a list of 10 new stations that didn't include Kirby and Lawrence East.

The next day, Del Duca's ministry sent the agency press releases, indicating he intended to announce stops that the board hadn't supported.

Soon after, agency officials altered their recommendations to the board to support Kirby and Lawrence East.

Board members then met in public and approved a list of 12 new stations, including the two controversial stops.

Since the Star's investigation, Metrolinx board chair Rob Prichard has ordered a review of Kirby and Lawrence East. Both Prichard and Del Duca have said that neither stop will be built unless the review determines they are warranted.

Del Duca has declined to explain why his ministry sent the press releases, dismissing the events surrounding the approvals as "historical details."

He has said he provided "input" into Metrolinx's decision making process, and believes that future growth in Vaughan will support the Kirby stop.