agencies

The operations of the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board, Liquor Control Board of Ontario, Legal Aid and the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario are among agencies that are under review.

The provincial government says the reviews will focus on their efficiency, governance and productivity.

Metrolinx, Supply Ontario, Ontario Cannabis Retail Corporation and Agricorp are also subject to the reviews.

President of the Treasury Board Peter Bethlenfalvy says the eight were specifically selected for review based on their reliance on government funding, financial performance, and the size of their workforce.

“We are asking agencies to look at financial metrics, different metrics,” says Bethlenfalvy.

“We’ve given them that correspondence, and we have communicated that today with them, and we expect them to come back to us with options for their financial performance and their financial position.”

Bethlenfalvy calls the reviews good governance and says they owe it to the taxpayers to conduct them.

He says everything will be on the table.

“It’s a range of things that they can look at,” says Bethlenfalvy.

“They can look at their spans of control, they can look at their administrative costs, the paperwork, they can look at retraining and re-skilling, they can look at their strategic plans.”

Bethlenfalvy notes that the number of government agencies has been reduced by nearly a third since the Ford government came to power in 2018.

They have also instituted new policies that redirect resources to increasing frontline service staff.

Agencies have also been under a hiring freeze since last fall and required to reduce the use of outside consultants by 20%.

“We’re very proud of the fact that actually for the first time in eight years agencies reduced their headcount by 0.4%,” states Bethlenfalvy.

“Of course, our expectations for the delivery of the frontline services and the critical business delivery remain intact, and in fact we’re looking to enhance it.”

The results of the reviews are likely to be known later this year.