Durham Region one step closer to in-house auditor general
· Toronto Sun
OTTAWA — Durham Region may soon become the next Ontario municipality to have its own auditor general.
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On Wednesday, Regional Councillor Chris Leahy announced that his motion to install an independent auditor was approved by council, paving the way for the regional municipality east of Toronto to create an office overseeing the region’s $2.1 billion in annual spending.
“When you are responsible for $2.1 billion in annual spending, you owe taxpayers more than good intentions — you owe them independent oversight,” Leahy said in a statement.
“An auditor general is not about politics — i’s about professional, arm’s-length review to ensure every dollar is spent properly, efficiently, and transparently.”
Oshawa closed its auditor’s office in 2013
Creating a regional auditor general’s office wasn’t without its detractors, however.
Late last year, a motion on if establishing the role should be put to a referendum among Durham residents was defeated in a 13-13 tie — with proponents hoping to put the question on the ballot during this year’s municipal elections.
It’s also not the first time such an office existed in Durham Region — Oshawa opted to eliminate its own auditor general’s office over a decade ago after controversy over a contentious land deal, choosing instead to outsource auditing to outside firms.
Lehy said other communities adopting their own auditor offices have shown positive results.
“We’ve seen how a strong auditor general can root out waste, stop fraud before it spreads, and improve systems so problems don’t happen again,” he said.
“This is about building public trust and ensuring that taxpayers know someone independent is watching the books.”
Details and budget considerations will be presented to council and city staff in future meetings.
In-house auditors a growing trend
While many municipalities across Canada rely on hiring outside firms for auditing services, many cities and regional governments are establishing their own auditors general offices.
Large cities like Hamilton, Toronto and Ottawa have had their own in-house auditors for some time.
Windsor created their auditor general’s office in 2019, four years after the Markham established one.
Last month, the Region of Peel announced the appointment of Ontario’s former acting auditor general Nick Stavropoulos as the first-ever in-house auditor.
The City of Greater Sudbury, however, chose at the end of last year to shutter its internal auditor general’s office and replace it with internal auditing processes.
In-house auditors are more common in Quebec, where provincial law dictates that all cities with populations over 100,000 people — including Montreal, Gatineau, Laval, and Quebec City — must have their own independent auditor general’s office.
Independent auditor general offices can also be found across Canada in Vancouver, Calgary, Halifax, Edmonton and Winnipeg.