Ontario auditor general addresses environment, casinos and education in 2022 report. Here are the highlights

Bonnie Lysyk released her annual report on Wednesday. Here are the key points.

Thestar.com
Dec. 1, 2022
Kris Rushowy

Highlights from the 2022 auditor general’s report from Bonnie Lysyk:

• Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation need to boost efforts to clamp down on potential money laundering in provincial casinos after undercover operatives were able to “wash” money by playing table games and slots and obtaining “casino cheques with large amounts of cash, without anyone confirming where the money came from.”

• Poor co-ordination among four provincial agencies may lead to the increased risk of flooding, which could cause damage to millions of homeowners’ properties as drainage systems get “overwhelmed.”

• There’s not enough staff to “properly monitor and protect” the ecologically sensitive Niagara Escarpment.

• The government “could do more to improve consumer protection” in the auto industry sector, where rates still wildly vary depending on where motorists live.

• Government delays in managing invasive species “has increased the risk of introduction and spread.” The report notes that risk assessments for 12 invasive species added to the list in 2022 “were completed on average almost four years before the species were ultimately listed and regulated, with just one staff member “regularly” assigned to do that work. Invasive species have a $3.6 billion impact on the economy, but the province spends just $4 million to fight them.

• Dangerous invasive plants are unregulated and “several are available to buy in Ontario.” The Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, it adds, “has left at least 30 harmful terrestrial invasive plants (plants that grow on land) and their pathways unassessed and unregulated,” including the “tree-of-heaven” that houses an invasive insect that poses a threat to vineyards, fruit and vegetable trees and hardwood.

• The Ministry of Transportation’s “business case” for axing tolls on Highway 412 and 418 and licence plate sticker fees did not follow provincial guidelines.

• Ontario universities are relying too much on international students to boost their coffers, which is risky because of outside factors including availability of or restrictions on visas. The auditor also found “weaknesses in universities’ financial management practices.”

• By allowing colleges to grant degree programs and universities to offer certificate programs, “over time the originally intended purposes of Ontario’s post-secondary institutions have blurred and now overlap, creating confusion in differentiating between these two types of institutions, and could impact their ability to sustain themselves in the long term.”

• While car insurance rates varies greatly between communities, on average they increased to $1,642 in 2021, a 14 per cent increase -- making it the highest in Canada, even though injuries from crashes in the province are among the lowest.