Wednesday December 23, 2009

Auditor General Jim McCarter has revealed a lack of governmental commitment to keeping our roadways safe. Ontario's bridges have fallen into disrepair, and due to several years of inaction the cost of fixing our most dangerous bridges has ballooned to more than $2 billion. As more and more motorists are injured by falling concrete or other bridge-failures, however, we are aware that the costs are more than just financial. Ouch!

Tuesday December 22, 2009

The Royal Canadian Mint has been trying to track down more than $3-million in missing gold for the past year.  It has now been determined that the mint mistakenly sold this gold as 'slag' metal to U.S.-based refiners. A further $8-million worth of gold had also gone unaccounted for during this period. In light of these revelations, certain executives "will not receive their discretionary bonuses."  This, however, does not rectify the severe mismanagement which led to these abuses of tax-payer dollars. Ouch!

Monday December 21, 2009

Leader of the Opposition, Michael Ignatieff has announced that if elected Prime Minister, he would be willing to stay at the Chateau Laurier while 24 Sussex receives a face-lift. For most Canadians it is very unclear how this is a sacrifice on Ignatieff's part since tax-payers would surely be asked to foot the bill for the renovations to 24 Sussex as well as a temporary Prime Ministerial residence. Ouch!

Friday December 18, 2009

A recent investigation has found that our federal government spends more than $2 million annually on over-time payments for ministerial chauffeurs. Many of these chauffeurs receive more money in over-time than from their salaries. The actual expenditure is likely much higher, though, as nearly half of our federal ministries refused to disclose their chauffeur-related over-time expenses. Ouch!

Wednesday December 16, 2009

British Columbia's government has engaged in a long process of trying to hide the actual costs of the Olympic Games and facilities. While the government had put forth a total figure of $600 million (well above its initial expectations of $470 million), B.C.'s auditor general has recently pegged the actual costs closer to $2.5 billion. The security budget alone has increased to $900 million from the original estimate of $175 million. Ouch!

Monday December 14, 2009

Ottawa's Auditor General, Alain Lalonde, has finally succeeded in his bid to top-up his own pension by $104,000. This hypocritical move will undercut his ability to critique unjustified spending in the future, which is the main task of an auditor general. In pursuing this, Lalonde had to 'lobby' government officials on his own behalf - a practice that falls short of the standards of his own office. Ouch!

Friday December 11, 2009

Ontario's Auditor General has accused Finance Minister Dwight Duncan of lying and manipulating economic data. Duncan claimed that $45 million saved through the government's bulk purchasing program was used for 'front-line' services. The audit found, however, that $20 million had been used to set up an internal, government IT system, while the other $25 million could not even be traced. Ouch!

Tuesday December 8, 2009

Yesterday, Ontario's Auditor General released a 500-page report that details so much government waste that we can't fit it all into one 'Ouch!' The next several days will reveal the increasing irresponsibility of Dalton McGuinty's Liberal government. To begin: more than $1.2 billion has been overpaid to welfare recipients. The Auditor General reports a total lack of due diligence and oversight within McGuinty's government. Ouch!

Monday December 7, 2009

Calgary has just launched its first curb-side recycling program. At a cost of $50 million, however, the endeavour is more symbolic than effective. Leading environmental groups have advocated increased use of waste incineration technology instead - which produces less CO2 than coal, yet also produces usable energy. This is another example of our politicians focusing more on the perception of their actions, rather than the actual impact of new initiatives. Ouch!

Friday December 4, 2009

Ontario's provincial government has managed its finances rather poorly in the creation of a $25 billion deficit.  Despite this penchant for lavish spending, meaningful spending takes a back seat to pet projects and nanny-state initiatives. Ontario has claimed that there is no money to fund Legal Aid Ontario's needs, despite unaccounted billions wasted in various scandals. In refusing this legitimate funding request, Ontario is ensuring longer wait-times for trials and contributing to the potential release of dangerous criminals. Ouch!