Although certain language-deficient readers (I’ve forgotten their names) did not like to read anything negative about their country, I’ll still report on the bullshit that typically goes on behind the scenes. Bullshit paid for by OUR tax dollars with absolutely no accountability.
The COMMENTS story contains two such stories from the STAR. The first discusses the millions of dollars of $$ abuse by the OLG–the lottery organization–and the second one reports on a bunch of physical and mental abuse and humiliation that has been going on at Mississauga’s Transportation and Works department for YEARS. The problem is, the supervisor in charge of this abuse is still working there and since it was going on for years, many people obviously knew about it. The official who was interviewed claimed that “There was significant discipline taken.” Really? The asshole still works there. What did you do, take away his/her free parking privileges for one day? Sheesh…
OLG spent lavishly on cars, home computers (Rob Ferguson Queen’s Park Bureau)
A new report into lax spending controls at the troubled Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation reveals a gravy train of expense account meals for staff, lavish car allowances for executives and $500 personal computer subsidies for staff.
The report by Auditor General James McCarter was ordered last year by Finance Minister Dwight Duncan after concerns about loose spending at the Crown corporation came to light.
McCarter confirmed suspicions that employee expense claims were “routinely approved” without “required documentation” such as detailed receipts or written explanations for everything from meals to taxis, tolls and parking.
“More than 20 per cent of the claims we examined for such meals had no itemized receipts and 10 per cent had no list of attendees as required by OLG’s policy,” McCarter wrote in the 18-page report.
In 2001, the corporation began offering staff up to $500 every three years toward the purchase of a new computer for personal use.
McCarter said he “questioned the need” for that benefit and noted the car allowances for 26 senior employees were “vastly different” from the levels in government ministries, where only deputy ministers are provided with vehicles.
The allowable cost for executive, non-hybrid vehicles at OLG ranged from $41,519 to $57,512, which the report noted is “significantly higher” than the maximum of $30,000 set by the province for deputy ministers.
In addition, the company’s lottery division was routinely spending $100,000 a year on season’s tickets and corporate boxes at sporting events – not including the cost of food and drink, which often exceeded $100 per guest.
OLG also spent freely on employee meetings and hospitality – about $1 million in the fiscal year ending in 2009, but because of a lack of detailed receipts it was impossible to tell how much of that went to meal expenses for staff meetings.
There were “excessive costs” of $1 million on corporate and divisional meetings, including a four-day gaming conference for 250 senior employees held in 2009 at a resort casino with a price tag of $551,000 – not including their travel costs to get there.
And there were “team-building” exercises held at spas, resorts and on a boat cruise.
Heads have already rolled at the corporation, with the board of directors replaced and former chief executive Kelly McDougald fired last August after several weeks of political furore over spending revelations that Duncan deemed “unacceptable” at the time.
The firing cost Ontario taxpayers about $750,000 in an out-of-court settlement after McDougald filed a suit for wrongful dismissal. The settlement was quietly announced on Christmas Eve to minimize public scrutiny.
The expense tales that dribbled out fanned the flames of the previous eHealth Ontario spending scandal, prompting the government to take a harder line.
In his report, McCarter noted that OLG officials were not heeding his reminders that government agencies should be “spending taxpayer dollars with the same care they would take in spending their own money.”
But since the corporation receives its revenues from lottery ticket sales and casino proceeds, “the province has allowed it considerable flexibility in making financial, human resource and administrative decisions,” McCarter added. “At the same time, OLG is a public agency, and it is therefore reasonable to expect it to manage public resources prudently.”
McCarter noted OLG has started to make changes, such as adopting the government’s travel expense policy and no longer purchasing season’s tickets and corporate boxes for sporting events.
Mississauga employees duct-taped, abused — City says supervisor is still employed after video reveals ‘inappropriate incidents’ (Joseph Hall Staff Reporter)
Employees in Mississauga’s transportation and works department were tied up with duct tape, spanked until they were bruised and humiliated at the behest of one of their supervisors, a city official says.
Some of the bizarre abuse was videotaped and shown to an independent investigations company hired by the city when the “inappropriate incidents” came to light, confirmed Martin Powell, the department’s commissioner.
The supervisor who was found to have instigated the physical and mental humiliation is still employed by the city, Powell says.
“I’m not at liberty to get into the details of it (but) I will conclude the supervisor is still an employee,” he said.
“But there was not just (the) supervisor involved, there were other employees.”
Reached at her home Tuesday night, Mayor Hazel McCallion said she would be following up on what happened.
“I’m aware of the situation,” she said. “I’m asking for all the reports — to be debriefed on all the reports — and then I will be able to comment.”
Powell says the investigation began when an employee brought a cellphone video to the department’s human resources managers showing two employees being duct-taped.
The tape showed two employees facing each other with their legs, hands and bodies taped up.
One frame grab from the video obtained by the CBC shows what appears to be a man bound and lying in a fetal-like position. Duct tape is wrapped around his torso and legs.
“Based upon that we made a determination that we wanted to hire an external investigator,” Powell says.
“We did a very thorough investigation, interviewed many employees and there was substantiated inappropriate conduct going on.”
Powell said he was constrained by legal advice from revealing just what that conduct included.
“I don’t think it’s appropriate that I get involved in all the details,” he said, although he did confirm a CBC report Tuesday that said bruising, spanking, whacks to the groin and mental humiliation had occurred weekly and for years.
“I would just like to state that there was inappropriate behaviour that is not condoned by the city,” he said.
“There was significant discipline taken.”