Michael wants the Ontario government to apologize for risking your life

A Northern Ontario MPP says a report by the Auditor General of Ontario on highway snow removal in the province is damning and its findings are totally unacceptable.

“Quite frankly this government owes Ontarians an apology for putting many of their lives at stake based on saving a buck,” said Michael Mantha, MPP for Algoma—Manitoulin.

The report specifically focuses on the years since 2009 when the service was shifted to performance-based contracts for contractors.

The report finds the province was successful in reducing costs, but winter highway maintenance service levels have declined from prior to 2009.

The Auditor General report found on average contractors used less equipment and less treatment material (salt, sand, etc.) since performance-based contracts were put in place and spent less time patrolling areas they were responsible for.

“This government made decisions knowing full well these contractors didn’t have the expertise, the equipment or the training to perform this type of work,” said Mantha.

The report said this led to hazardous driving conditions in some cases, creating significant safety concerns for citizens and emergency services.

The report notes contractors in Northern Ontario are not as closely monitored as those in southern Ontario, due to the longer distances co-ordinators are asked to monitor.

On average, co-ordinators in southern Ontario are responsible for an average of 250 km of roadway, whereas their Northern ontario counterpart are responsible for as many as 670 km.

“The Auditor General’s report does not provide me any comfort whatsoever that this will change by the next winter because these actual contracts are still in place,” said Mantha.

A call to MPP David Orazietti was not immediately returned.

Minister of Transportation, Steven Del Luca said the following in a press release sent immediately after the Auditor General's report, "Today's report has confirmed what we already knew, despite the improvements we have made - the additional equipment, additional oversight and organizational changes - the current system of winter highway maintenance needs to be better".

The news release from the Auditor General of Ontario is seen below:

*************************

Ontario’s motorists faced less safe winter highway conditions after the province moved in 2009 to save money by contracting out winter road maintenance primarily to the lowest bidders—bidders that in many cases did not have sufficient equipment to do the work—Auditor General Bonnie Lysyk says in a 43-page Special Report released today.

• Even though ministry staff, including engineers, raised serious concerns during the procurement
  process for performance-based contracts that the majority of winning contractors would not be able
  to meet their winter maintenance commitments because of insufficient equipment, these lowest-
  price contractors were still awarded the contracts. Contractors assured the Ministry that they would
  be able to meet the contract commitments. However, in many cases, this was not the case.
• We noted in one case that the lowest bidder actually ended up costing more than the next-highest
  bidder because the province had to step in and pay for more equipment to clear roads properly. If
  the next-highest bidder had been procured, the area could have been serviced with more equipment at a lower cost.
• Contractors under performance-based contracts used less highway treatment materials such as anti-
  icing liquid, sand and salt to service highways, resulting in less safe highways. In one contract area,
  anti-icing-liquid use over the winter season went from an average of 3.2 million litres under the original area maintenance contract to 9,500 litres in the first year of the performance-based contract.
• Patrolling to determine road conditions was no longer required to be conducted daily by contractors;
  instead, contractors were to “be aware” of road and weather conditions, and patrolled less often. As
  a result, equipment was not deployed soon enough before and during storms. This also contributed
  to the increased risk that highway condition information on the Ministry’s Ontario 511 website was
  not updated on a timely basis with the correct information.
• Contractors faced fines for failing to meet their targets. However, the Ministry waived $4.8 million of
  the $13.3 million in fines that were assessed during the winter of 2013/14. The waiving of fines has
  not been handled consistently throughout the province.

The Report acknowledged that the Ministry began taking steps in 2012 to restore service levels.

Subsequently, the Ministry funded contractors to add more equipment and use more anti-icing liquid, sand and salt to service highways, reducing ministry savings.

The Ministry continues to undertake initiatives to restore service levels.

Response by the Minister of Transportation, Steven Del Luca, can be seen below:

*************************

"Earlier today, the Auditor General released her report on winter highway maintenance in Ontario. 

I would like to thank the Auditor for her thorough and thoughtful review and recommendations.

I know that being able to travel safely on Ontario's highways is very important to all Ontarians. 

Over the past few years and following an internal review, the Ministry of Transportation and its maintenance contractors have been working together to improve the quality of winter maintenance in the province. 

We've added over 100 pieces of equipment, strengthened our oversight, enhanced the way we plow truck climbing and passing lanes and freeway ramps and shoulders, and tendered an improved contract in Kenora.

Today's report has confirmed what we already knew, despite the improvements we have made - the additional equipment, additional oversight and organizational changes - the current system of winter highway maintenance needs to be better.

That is why last week's budget includes funding for more equipment changes - dedicated spreaders for both urban congested areas and select locations in northern Ontario and funding to improve driving conditions with the increased use of de-icing liquids. 

We are also taking swift action on the Auditor's recommendations, with several to be in place by the start of next winter.

As a ministry, we have a lot of work to do.  But, so do our contractors. 

I will be meeting with them in person as soon as possible to determine how we can work together to improve this program and their performance.

Further, I have directed ministry staff to provide me with an action plan within 60 days that outlines plans to further strengthen and improve winter maintenance, while addressing the Auditor's recommendations, to ensure that we are doing everything possible to provide Ontarians with safe highway conditions. I will make that action plan public.   

I have also asked the Auditor General to provide a follow-up review of the winter maintenance program at the end of the next winter season to review our progress.

I look forward to reporting back on our action plan, our progress implementing the auditor's recommendations and the additional steps we will be taking to enhance winter maintenance in Ontario."

*************************

(FILE PHOTO)