Ministry's notes on winter road maintenance different than auditor general's report
TorontoSun.com
April 30, 2015
Shawn Jeffords,
Steven Del Duca received messages from Transportation Ministry staff in June 2014 that were in stark contrast, or in some cases contradict, damning findings released Wednesday by Ontario’s Auditor General Bonnie Lysyk, the Toronto Sun has learned.
“Ontario has among the safest roads in North America,” reads the first line of the notes meant to brief Del Duca when he became transportation minister. It then goes on to outline the MTO’s so-called “bare pavement achievement standard,” clearing snow from major highways within eight hours, 90% of the time.
“The ministry has always achieved this performance target,” state the notes, obtained by the Toronto Sun through a Freedom of Information request.
But Lysyk’s report said motorists were put at greater risk on the province’s highways because cost-cutting let winter road maintenance deteriorate between 2009 and 2014.
In fact, six of 20 contract areas in the province did not meet the bare pavement standards, with Lysyk noting the eight hour measure is “a generous standard when compared to other jurisdictions.”
A chart, dating back to 2004 highlights the target, showing that contractors dipped only as low as 91% once, in 2008-2009, stresses that the MTO has winter maintenance standards that are “among the highest in North America”.
The note tells the minister that if he’s asked about a 2012/2013 or 2013/2014 internal reviews of the winter maintenance program, he should say they are completed every season.
“Any recommendations that could be easily achieved were implemented for winter 2013/2014,” the note says. “Work continues on the recommendations and will be implemented as soon as possible.”
The briefing note to Del Duca was written after the MTO fined contractors for failing to meet their targets, with the ministry actually waiving $4.8 million of $13.3 million in fines assessed in 2013/2014, according the auditor general’s report.
But Del Duca’s press secretary, Patrick Searle, said while the briefing notes might not reflect it, the minister received comprehensive updates on the Winter Maintenance file early in his term and “became aware of the challenges and issues related to this file.”
In a statement to the Sun, Del Duca said since becoming transportation minister his “focus has always been on making sure Ontario’s roads remain amongst the safest in North America.”
Del Duca said he has committed to a responding to the AG’s report, to come back within 60 days with a winter maintenance action plan and has requested the AG to review the MTO performance during the 2015/2016 winter season.
“All these actions confirm that the safety of our roads is paramount to me as Minister,” he said. “I am committed to getting it right so that Ontarians can drive on our highways with the confidence they deserve.”
MTO spokesman Bob Nichols said the ministry statements about Ontario’s road safety are derived from fatality rates. Ontario had the second lowest rate ever recorded, 0.60 per 10,000 drivers, in 2012. Ontario, has ranked first or second in North America 14 years in a row based on that measure, he said.
Progressive Conservative transportation critic Michael Harris said the briefing note doesn’t do much to provide info on the troubled file.
“Now that I see this document, it’s easy to see why the Minister is so out of touch on this file,” he said. “He’s reading from a playbook that’s more like a cheerleading guide.”
