Auditor to report on autism services, private schools, Ontario Northland | iNFOnews | Thompson-Okanagan's News Source
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Auditor to report on autism services, private schools, Ontario Northland

Ontario Auditor General Bonnie Lysyk prepares to deliver the 2013 annual report at the legislature in Toronto on Tuesday, December 10, 2013. Lysyk says salaries, pensions and bonuses at Ontario Power Generation are “significantly more generous” than for comparable positions in the public service, and have a financial impact on the cost of electricity.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young

TORONTO - Ontario's auditor general focuses on services in health care, education and energy in her annual report on the provincial government to be released later today.

Bonnie Lysyk will report on whether or not the Liberal government is meeting the needs of children with autism, hospital patients who require rehabilitation services and women who are victims of domestic abuse.

Lysyk also checked to see if the Ministry of Health is hiring the right mix of doctors, nurses and other health-care professionals, and will report on the cost-effectiveness of land ambulance services.

The report will also look at the government's oversight of the 1,000 private schools in Ontario, and the Ministry of Natural Resources' ability to manage 334 provincial parks.

It will also look at the Ontario Power Generation, which the auditor says has had trouble improving its operational efficiency and reducing operating costs, especially labour.

Lysyk will also issue a second report today on the province's efforts to divest itself of the Ontario Northland Transportation Commission.

The Liberals shut down the Northlander passenger train service last year, saying its annual subsidy had grown from $27 million to $100 million in 10 years, but ONTC still operates passenger bus lines, rail freight services and the Ontera telecommunications network.

The government recently changed its position on ONTC to talk about 'transformation' and not just 'divestment,' said Northern Development Minister Michael Gravelle.

"Divestment no longer should be viewed as the only option," said Gravelle. "What's important is for us to make the right decisions in terms of the long-term sustainability of the operations, so that includes restructuring, alternate service delivery and divestment is still one of the options."

News from © The Canadian Press, 2013
The Canadian Press

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