Auditor General of Ontario

Auditor General of Ontario
La vérificatrice générale de l'Ontario
Incumbent
Shelley Spence
since January 8th, 2024
Reports toLegislative Assembly of Ontario
AppointerLegislative Assembly of Ontario
Term length10 years
non-renewable
Constituting instrumentAudit Act
Salary$371,700/year (Equal to that of a senior deputy minister of the Public Service of Ontario)
Office of the Auditor General of Ontario
Bureau du verificauteur general de l'Ontario
Agency overview
Formed1869
HeadquartersToronto, Ontario, Canada
Employees145
Annual budget$24.75 million
(2020)[1]
Websitehttps://auditor.on.ca/

The auditor general of Ontario is an independent officer of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to aid accountability by conducting independent audits of Ontario provincial government operations. The office was created in 1869.

Office

The auditor general is appointed by the Legislative Assembly of Ontario (formerly by the governor in Council) for a 10-year term. Removal of the auditor general requires approval by the legislature.

History

The auditor's office was created in 1869.[2]

Before 1886, the auditor's office was an adjunct of the Treasury Department.[3] Since the passage of the 1886 Audit Act, the office has evolved (after the 1950 Audit Act) into an independent provincial agency.[2] With the passage of the 1978 Audit Act, the auditor general no longer submits his or her findings to the provincial cabinet, but to the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario (and thereby reports back to the legislature).

Following the abolition of the Office of the Environmental Commissioner of Ontario by the provincial government of Premier Doug Ford in 2019, responsibilities for the enforcement and administration of the Environmental Bill of Rights were transferred to the auditor general's office.[4] Serving as an Assistant Auditor General, the first Commissioner of the Environment, Jerry V. DiMarco, was announced on July 8, 2019.[5] Following his departure to the federal Office of the Auditor General,[6] DiMarco was subsequently replaced by Tyler Schulz.[7]

The office is based in Toronto, Ontario. The most recent auditors general are chartered accountants by profession, but early appointees did not necessarily have an accounting or audit background.[8]

List of auditors general of Ontario/provincial auditors

  • William Cayley 1869–1878 – unofficial provincial auditor; lawyer and Inspector General of Accounts for Upper Canada
  • Charles Sproule 1878–1905 – first official provincial auditor; worked as a clerk and bookkeeper in the Audit Branch
  • James Clancy 1905–1920
  • Gordon Brown 1920–1938 – worked up the ranks of the office as an audit clerk
  • Harvey Cotnam BComm, CA 1938–1963 – first auditor with an accounting background
  • George Spence BComm, CA, FCA 1963–1973
  • William Groom FCA 1973
  • Norman Scott FCA 1974–1981
  • Douglas Archer FCA 1982–1991
  • Jim Otterman, FCA 1992–1993
  • Erik Peters CA 1993–2003
  • Jim McCarter CA, MBA 2003–2013
  • Bonnie Lysyk, MBA, CPA, CA, LPA 2013–2023
  • Shelley Spence, CPA, CA, LPA 2024-

Auditor General of Land Patents

A separate office created in 1791 to ensure check land granting (or land patents) process in Upper Canada was adhering to the laws by other offices and departments (namely Provincial Secretary/Registrar or the Attorney General). The position was eliminated in 1835 and passed over to the Executive Council Office (later transferred to the Legislative Assembly).

Holders of the office:

References

  1. ^ "Office of the Auditor General of Ontario Operations Report" (PDF). Office of the Auditor General of Ontario. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
  2. ^ a b "Our History". Auditor General of Ontario. 28 June 2011. Archived from the original on 9 January 2012. Retrieved 22 November 2011.
  3. ^ Dutil, Patrice (2011). The Guardian: Perspectives on the Ministry of Finance of Ontario. University of Toronto Press. p. 16. ISBN 9781442642546.
  4. ^ Jones, Allison (5 June 2019). "Health, education, environment: A look at where Ontario's PC government has made cuts so far". CTV News Toronto. The Canadian Press. Retrieved 9 June 2019.
  5. ^ "News Release: July 8, 2019 – Auditor General of Ontario Appoints Commissioner of the Environment" (PDF). Office of the Auditor General of Ontario.
  6. ^ "Auditor General Karen Hogan Appoints Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development". 14 January 2021.
  7. ^ "Auditor General of Ontario Appoints Commissioner of the Environment".
  8. ^ "Charles Sproule, Provincial Auditor". Auditor General of Ontario. 28 June 2011. Archived from the original on 4 November 2011. Retrieved 5 December 2011.