Untendered contracts call for review

Hamilton Spectator - February 27, 2004
Editorial

Ontarians don't need to look as far as Ottawa to see scandalous waste of taxpayers' money to reward government "friends" and the suggestion of upper-level corruption. They can find the stench of it still lingering in the halls and backrooms from when the Tories ran Queen's Park.

Some $5.6 million of taxpayers' money was given out in "untendered contracts" only revealed when the Liberal government forced Hydro One and Ontario Power Generation to comply with the Freedom of Information Act. If the companies had their way, taxpayers would still not know that contracts providing payments ranging from $13,000 a month to $40,000 a month went to four of the most important backroom Tories in Ontario.

They are Conservative election campaign co-chair Leslie Noble, former Tory communications director Paul Rhodes, Conservative strategist Tom Long, and Michael Gourley, a close adviser to former premier Ernie Eves.

In one case, the company in which Long is an official received $83,000 to recruit Deb Hutton, an adviser to Mike Harris, to be a vice-president of Hydro One. Did Hutton — married to Conservative MPP Tim Hudak — require $83,000 worth of persuasion to take that plum job?

The Ontario acting auditor says he can't investigate until he's asked to by the Legislature's public accounts committee.

If so, what's the holdup? The committee should meet as soon as possible to get that request on the record.

Wonder what all the fuss is about? Go find a copy of your hydro bill. Look for the line itemized as "stranded debt." A part of what we're all paying off is this suspect $5.6 million; money awarded so that backroom players in a fallen government didn't have to fret about losing their paycheques when voters booted the Tories out of office.

Hydro One admits it broke its own rules but, citing market competitiveness, is still refusing to release the reports written under contract by the four Conservatives.

If the voters who paid for the reports can't see them, perhaps the government can scrutinize them — or the OPP.

NDP member Peter Kormos is right: First, there has to be a thorough and exhaustive audit, to determine if a criminal investigation is warranted. Then that can determine if charges and prosecutions are in order. It's this sort of government abuse of public money that shames us all.