Toronto Escorts

'Line by line audit' shows Liberals spent most on, er, health care and education

Charlemagne

Well-known member
Jul 19, 2017
15,451
2,483
113
Reevely: 'Line by line audit' shows Liberals spent most on, er, health care and education

DAVID REEVELY

Updated: September 25, 2018

Reining in the Ontario government’s budget will mean spending less on the services people use most, the Progressive Conservatives’ “line by line audit” of provincial operations says, and this can best be achieved by running the government better.

So that’s settled.

Treasury Board President Peter Bethlenfalvy hired Ernst & Young to produce the study of 15 years of government spending over about four weeks in August. Its conclusions were always going to be superficial, just like the quickie job done by the “independent financial commission of inquiry” Finance Minister Vic Fedeli organized to put a real number on the government’s budget deficit.

Both are more thoughtful than the hyperpolitical committee investigation of the Liberals’ financial practices that Premier Doug Ford now promises. Neither exactly blew the doors off.

“The Liberals left us a 15-year legacy of mismanaged spending and a $15-billion deficit that the Wynne government desperately tried to hide from the public’s eyes,” Bethlenfalvy said Tuesday, releasing the Ernst & Young report.

Ernst & Young didn’t really conclude that. The growth in spending on internal government operations has been almost zero for 15 years, the consultants found.

Ontario has been spending more on services, though. Health care, education, and economic development are the biggies. Almost all that spending — 99.8 per cent of spending increases, after inflation is factored out — is in transfers to hospitals, doctors, universities, colleges and school boards, whose behaviour the government doesn’t control directly.

If the province wants better outcomes, or the same outcomes for cheaper, it’ll have to fundamentally change the way it funds these institutions, Ernst & Young says.

“The opportunity for Ontario is to engage in a comprehensive review of its various funding models and to introduce the notion of an ‘efficient price’ for services in as many cases as possible,” it says.

So hospitals might get $10,000 for replacing a knee. Elementary schools $5,000 to educate a second-grader for a year. We’d let them figure out whether they can do it for less.

In practice, this is really, really hard. Is $10,000 for a knee replacement an equally fair price in Ottawa, Toronto and Kenora? Can I set up my own private clinic for only knee jobs? What if the second-grader has dyslexia, or uses a wheelchair, or speaks neither English nor French? Will we pay the $5,000 to a madrassah as happily as we will to Berrigan Elementary School?

At the same time as it proposes delivering public services by having local agencies compete to become more productive, the Ernst & Young report proposes centralizing other government functions for efficiency.

You’ve heard of Phoenix, the federal government plan to standardize a patchwork of increasingly rickety payroll systems in numerous ministries and agencies into one big modern one that doesn’t work. And Shared Services Canada, which pulled government email and network services into one consolidated horrorshow.

Conservatives are generally supposed to be against centralization. Distributed services are supposed to be more agile: What you lose in economies of scale, you gain in responsiveness to local needs. It’s easy to imagine Doug Ford complaining about the inefficiency of a provincial office in Pembroke having to order pens from Toronto rather than just getting a box from Staples and expensing it.

The government should consider means-testing for some programs, the report breezily suggests, so if you make more money you’d pay for government services others get free. Ernst & Young offers no examples. Bethlenfalvy said the government’s downscaling of the Liberals’ public drug coverage plan — so it picks up what private insurance doesn’t rather than replacing private insurance for many drugs — is an example. Maybe hospital care will go the same way? Are we all OK with that little trim?

Businesses win when they get more productivity out of the same inputs; citizens win if their governments pull off the same trick. For decades, the Ontario government changed its licence-plate designs every year. Then you’d have to go in to a government office to pay for a new licence sticker. Now you can order a sticker online and it comes in the mail. Yes, sure, let’s have more progress like that.

“(W)hile investment in digital and data is required, it cannot be viewed as a cost centre — it is at the heart of what the government must become,” the report says.

For 16 years, starting under the last Tory government but mostly overseen by Liberals, Ontario has been working on digitizing medical records. Where it works, it’s great.

It’s also been fantastically expensive. The data has to be kept secure and private. Computer systems need to be standardized. Who pays for the necessary equipment in every solo MD’s office? A decade-and-a-half later, we’ve spent billions and we’re still not done. Maybe it’s not a cost centre but it is a cost.

The Tories have inherited the situation they expected, and have no baggie of pixie dust to sprinkle around and fix it.

https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/reevely-line-by-line-audit-shows-liberals-spent-most-on-er-health-care-and-education
 

Charlemagne

Well-known member
Jul 19, 2017
15,451
2,483
113
The real political cover-up is privatization, and Conservatives share the blame

Publication Date
Monday, September 24, 2018 - 3:45pm

Toronto – OPSEU President Warren (Smokey) Thomas says that if Premier Doug Ford wants to get to the bottom of “the biggest government scandal in a generation,” he’ll set sights on privatization and the political insiders getting rich because of it.

“The privatization of public services is the biggest rip-off we’ve ever seen in this province. It’s how public dollars end up in private pockets,” said Thomas. “Liberal and Conservative cronies are getting rich off privatization, and the rest of us are left with a $15-billion deficit and services that are shoddy and dangerous.

“I sincerely hope the legislative committee that the premier announced this morning won’t just be a witch-hunt against his political enemies in the Liberal party. He could actually bring honesty and integrity back to Queen’s Park by having the committee investigate privatization and all the insiders profiting from it.”

Thomas points out that the Auditor General examined a number privatization projects called “public-private partnerships” or “P3s,” and determined they led to more than $8 billion in extra costs to Ontario tax-payers.

Many of those P3s were authorized by Liberal Premiers, and Thomas said there’s plenty of evidence of close connections between Liberal powerbrokers and the people who benefitted from privatization deals.

An OPSEU publication from 2015 called “It’s in their DNA” tracks many of those Liberal connections stretching back decades. (See Quick Facts below, and the original document here)

“None of these Liberal insider connections should come as a surprise to anybody,” said Thomas. “When we published ‘It’s in their DNA,’ we sent a copy to all our MPPs, including Finance Minister Fedeli.”

But Thomas said the Liberals weren’t the only party to enter into questionable privatizations. He points out that it was the Mike Harris Conservatives who sold off Highway 407 for billions less than it was actually worth.

Much more recently, Thomas said that a Conservative operative connected with Ford’s own campaign appears to have profited from the privatization of retail cannabis sales.

Will Stewart was once chief of staff to former Conservative MPP and MP John Baird, who was a member of Ford’s transition campaign.

Stewart has since become involved in the cannabis business as a lobbyist and executive. Last month, he wrote an op-ed in the Toronto Sun in which he identified himself as vice-president of the cannabis retailer Hiku Brands, which was recently acquired by Canopy Growth for a reported $250 million.

Thomas urged the new premier to act.

“Doug Ford is right: there is a huge political cover-up that is costing taxpayers billions of dollars. It’s called privatization and it’s time to put an end to it.”

https://opseu.org/news/real-political-cover-privatization-and-conservatives-share-blame
 

Frankfooter

dangling member
Apr 10, 2015
79,744
17,570
113
The liberals held the line on pay increases, with the only increases going towards health care and education.
 

oldjones

CanBarelyRe Member
Aug 18, 2001
24,495
11
38
Not to mention that all the figures we've seen so far were published and discussed well before the Election. There's nothing new here, except more fuss and fury, and certainly no moves or plans to fix anything they're furious about.
 

K Douglas

Half Man Half Amazing
Jan 5, 2005
26,135
6,344
113
Room 112
The liberals held the line on pay increases, with the only increases going towards health care and education.
Like our educators need a pay increase. They are, on average, paid higher than any other jurisdiction on this planet.
 

Frankfooter

dangling member
Apr 10, 2015
79,744
17,570
113
Like our educators need a pay increase. They are, on average, paid higher than any other jurisdiction on this planet.
I think you have the wrong planet, kirk.

On this one they are about average.
'Course you could try to pay them less like the states, where public education is in dire straights and teachers have been striking all over the country, with the support of the people.
 

oldjones

CanBarelyRe Member
Aug 18, 2001
24,495
11
38
I think you have the wrong planet, kirk.

On this one they are about average.
'Course you could try to pay them less like the states, where public education is in dire straights and teachers have been striking all over the country, with the support of the people.
Not too mention teachers, Principals and trustees running for office in record numbers — some on bi-partisan platforms — specifically to defeat incumbents who have nickel and dimed American Public Education into failure and illiteracy.
 

Boober69

Well-known member
Feb 23, 2012
6,722
263
83
The real political cover-up is privatization, and Conservatives share the blame

Publication Date
Monday, September 24, 2018 - 3:45pm

Toronto – OPSEU President Warren (Smokey) Thomas says that if Premier Doug Ford wants to get to the bottom of “the biggest government scandal in a generation,” he’ll set sights on privatization and the political insiders getting rich because of it.

“The privatization of public services is the biggest rip-off we’ve ever seen in this province. It’s how public dollars end up in private pockets,” said Thomas. “Liberal and Conservative cronies are getting rich off privatization, and the rest of us are left with a $15-billion deficit and services that are shoddy and dangerous.

“I sincerely hope the legislative committee that the premier announced this morning won’t just be a witch-hunt against his political enemies in the Liberal party. He could actually bring honesty and integrity back to Queen’s Park by having the committee investigate privatization and all the insiders profiting from it.”

Thomas points out that the Auditor General examined a number privatization projects called “public-private partnerships” or “P3s,” and determined they led to more than $8 billion in extra costs to Ontario tax-payers.

Many of those P3s were authorized by Liberal Premiers, and Thomas said there’s plenty of evidence of close connections between Liberal powerbrokers and the people who benefitted from privatization deals.

An OPSEU publication from 2015 called “It’s in their DNA” tracks many of those Liberal connections stretching back decades. (See Quick Facts below, and the original document here)

“None of these Liberal insider connections should come as a surprise to anybody,” said Thomas. “When we published ‘It’s in their DNA,’ we sent a copy to all our MPPs, including Finance Minister Fedeli.”

But Thomas said the Liberals weren’t the only party to enter into questionable privatizations. He points out that it was the Mike Harris Conservatives who sold off Highway 407 for billions less than it was actually worth.

Much more recently, Thomas said that a Conservative operative connected with Ford’s own campaign appears to have profited from the privatization of retail cannabis sales.

Will Stewart was once chief of staff to former Conservative MPP and MP John Baird, who was a member of Ford’s transition campaign.

Stewart has since become involved in the cannabis business as a lobbyist and executive. Last month, he wrote an op-ed in the Toronto Sun in which he identified himself as vice-president of the cannabis retailer Hiku Brands, which was recently acquired by Canopy Growth for a reported $250 million.

Thomas urged the new premier to act.

“Doug Ford is right: there is a huge political cover-up that is costing taxpayers billions of dollars. It’s called privatization and it’s time to put an end to it.”

https://opseu.org/news/real-political-cover-privatization-and-conservatives-share-blame
Haha no bias here from Mr Union. Has Smokey looked at how much money the union has in the bank, taken from its own members?
Has Mr Smokey ever considered how much union wages are compared to the private sector?
 

JohnLarue

Well-known member
Jan 19, 2005
16,157
2,150
113
The liberals held the line on pay increases, with the only increases going towards health care and education.
What a pile of bullshit
The liberals ran deficits in 12 or 13 years out of 15 and doubled / tripled the provincial debt
Teachers salaries now average $83K , almost $100k all in cost per & they start maxing out 10-20 years before private sector employees
The liberals bought labor peace with debt & now the bill is due.
 

JohnLarue

Well-known member
Jan 19, 2005
16,157
2,150
113
How much is this ‘line by line’ audit costing the taxpayer?
Far less than what it costs the province to pay teachers in July and august
Far less than the Liberals green energy program each year
Far less than a dozen other issues Ford needs to fix
This is a one time spend vs the permanent structural operating deficits the liberals create
 

JohnLarue

Well-known member
Jan 19, 2005
16,157
2,150
113
I think you have the wrong planet, kirk.

On this one they are about average.
'Course you could try to pay them less like the states, where public education is in dire straights and teachers have been striking all over the country, with the support of the people.
Ah yes
Ask them to be reasonable & you get the threat of a strike
How trump like
 

oldjones

CanBarelyRe Member
Aug 18, 2001
24,495
11
38
Far less than what it costs the province to pay teachers in July and august
Far less than the Liberals green energy program each year
Far less than a dozen other issues Ford needs to fix
This is a one time spend vs the permanent structural operating deficits the liberals create
Teachers are only paid in July and August if they elect to take their pay that way. They get the same total amount in a year, no matter how many cheques the Board cuts.

So, you're trying to convince us this so-called audit (by non-auditors) cost less than nothing.

This non-sense about a non-issue is exactly like the PC's 'discovering' the deficit the Liberals and the Auditor had been publicly going back and forth about for months. Not a penny ever moved, not a bank balance changed, and everything is just as it was. It just got labelled differently.
 
Ashley Madison
Toronto Escorts