Where Is The Audit Of The Trillium Line Procurement?
We’re still missing an audit of the Trillium Line procurement.
You’ll remember that former councillors Diane Deans and Rick Chiarelli were told privately that the winner of the procurement failed the technical part of the procurement.
They made those facts public.
Meanwhile, city auditor general Nathalie Gougeon promised an audit of light rail that was outside the mandate of the Ontario LRT provincial inquiry. That report was released on Nov. 30, 2022.
Get Some Ethics City Council: BENN
Instead, Gougeon has dropped the Trillium Line procurement to a spot where her office will do it if it has time.
Come on.
Why does the city auditor general not want to do an audit of the most contentious issue of the entire Trillium Line project and one of the biggest of the whole light rail fiasco? Sniffing out the oddities of the procurement was one of the very few areas that city council actually appeared to do its legally mandated requirement of oversight.
So where is Ottawa City Council on this? Where is the audit committee on this? These people should be jumping up and down demanding an audit.
Where is Mayor Mark Sutcliffe on this? This issue caused an outcry throughout the city as residents tried to get a good answer on why the winning company didn’t passed the technical requirements for the project twice.
The job of Mayor Mark Sutcliffe, Ottawa City Council, the city auditor and the city’s audit committee is to provide oversight of municipal administration and public policy. They are legally mandated to do this. Where are the bright members of council doing? Show some responsibility.
Do your jobs.
Defend the interests of the community, its taxpayers, municipal democracy and fair play.
The actions of the auditor general on this issue of paramount importance are woefully inadequate and she is letting down the people of this community.
These are the members of the City of Ottawa audit committee:
Chairwoman Cathy Curry
Vice-Chairman Councillor David Brown
Councillor Marty Carr
Councillor David Hill
Councillor Allan Hubley
Councillor Theresa Kavanagh
Councillor Catherine Kitts
Councillor Wilson Lo
Mayor Mark Sutcliffe
Here is an excerpt from the AG’s 2022-23 workplan:
Engagements being considered for potential inclusion in the 2022-2023 Audit Work Plan, should
time permit, include:
• Council office expenses;
• OC Transpo route scheduling and planning;
• Stage 2 LRT – contract/program management;
• Stage 3 LRT – procurement;
• Culture audit; and
• Waste management strategy.
Sorry, but did that say the Stage 2 LRT-contract/program management will be done “should time permit?”
That should be at the top of the list. No doubt whatsoever.
So why isn’t it?
Ken Gray
Here are the audits Gougeon is doing at present from a recent release:
News Releases
- Auditor General Tabled Audit Report on the Prevention of Workplace Violence and Harassment at the City of Ottawa – Office of the Auditor General | City of Ottawa (oagottawa.ca)
- Auditor General tables two Reports related to an Investigation of Manotick Business Improvement Area Expenses – Office of the Auditor General | City of Ottawa (oagottawa.ca)
Communiqués de presse
- La vérificatrice générale a déposé son rapport sur la Vérification de la prévention de la violence et du harcèlement au travail à la Ville d’Ottawa – Office of the Auditor General | City of Ottawa (bvgottawa.ca)
- La vérificatrice générale dépose deux rapports liés à l’Enquête sur les dépenses de la Zone d’amélioration commerciale de Manotick – Office of the Auditor General | City of Ottawa (bvgottawa.ca)
Office of the Auditor General / Bureau de la Vérificatrice générale
City of Ottawa / Ville d’Ottawa
110 Laurier Ave West / 110, avenue Laurier Ouest
Ottawa, Ontario K1P 1J1
Ken Gray
—
Don’t miss our regular features
Everything Ottawa Full Local Bulldog Canadian
Opinion Comments Breaking News
Ontario World Get Cheap Gas Big Money
Pop Gossip Your Home Relax …
Bulldog Weather Full Local Sports
Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
– The Bulldog – News Feed Enter 
The Auditor General’s work plan is set by the Audit Committee. The Chair and Vice-Chair are part of the slim majority of councillors who voted in favour of that tainted decision.
Mayor Sutcliffe is on record as saying that he doesn’t want to revisit decisions made by previous councils. That certainly supports the rumours that this was part of the deal he struck with the Watson cabal to get their support for his successful run for the Chains of Office.
Put 2 + 2 together and one gets a work plan that avoids anything short of plain vanilla.
As an aside, I am curious how one audits a culture, in a tangible outcomes manner. As contrasted with a social faux science procedure, where everything is about perception.
And while I am at it, why are they auditing Stage 3 procurement? According to the most recent act of political theatre that emanated from Laurier Avenue, the very viability of Stage 3 is at issue. How does one audit a mirage that has evaporated?