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Ontario commissioner calls for purchasing transparency
Toronto—The Ontario government isn’t as transparent as it should be, particularly in the area of procurement, according to Ann Cavoukian,
Ontario Information and Privacy Commissioner (IPC).
In a press release, Cavoukian said government officials aren’t living up to a 2004 memorandum issued by Premier Dalton McGuinty to his ministers and deputies. The memorandum called for more open and
transparent government. Yet government organizations are refusing to disclose requested information, she noted.
“In some cases, provincial organizations have rejected freedom of information requests for information virtually identical to what
had already been ordered released in previous appeals,” Cavoukian said.
Some of the requests relate to government contracts, she
added. “I have been very clear that the contracts for goods and services should be routinely disclosed. Despite the Premier’s memorandum as well as IPC orders issued to that effect, access to this basic information continues to be denied.”
To address the problem, Cavoukian is recommending the government make
purchasing more transparent. Citing British Columbia as an example, she is urging the government to post the winning bid for every contract awarded by a provincial government organization to a web site, accessible to the public. To ensure the entire process is transparent, she suggests the unsuccessful bids should be posted alongside the successful bid.
“While this may come as a shock to those who are used to the veil of secrecy involved in the old model of public procurement, the public deserves transparency and accountability,” she said. “The government needs to adopt a policy requiring the disclosure of all successful
bids and unsuccessful bids. This policy would apply to all...requests for proposal and tender packages.”
The information and privacy commissioner reports to the Ontario Legislative Assembly and is independent of the government of the day.
In this role, Cavoukian oversees the access and privacy provision of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. b2b
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