Ontario Auditor General Bonnie Lysyk released her annual report Nov. 30 on 15 key areas of the province’s public sector programs.
Highway Priorities
The report found the Ford government ignored advice given by experts about highways in the province—deciding to stop work on six highways that had been approved for funding—in favour of building four other highways, including Highway 413 and the Bradford Bypass, that were ranked lower priority by technical and engineering staff, but were key parts of Doug Ford’s reelection campaign.
“The combined proposals exceeded the planned 10-year budget by $245 million,” the report said.
The report also found that the province removed tolls from Highway 412 and 418 ahead of the 2022 election, without a strategy to recover lost revenue. “Our audit concluded that the Ministry did not consistently plan and prioritize highway projects effectively, based on provincial infrastructure needs,” said the annual report….