Vote to clean up Niagara’s conservation authority

RE: NPCA NEEDS TO RESTORE PUBLIC TRUST, SAYS AUDITOR GENERAL, SEPT. 27

Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority’s board chairman, Fort Erie regional Coun. Sandy Annunziata, has stated in the past that it is the most open and transparent agency in Ontario with complete and independent audits conducted yearly by Grant Thorton LLC.

These audits, according to the NPCA website, consist of statements of financial position, operations, debt, reserve fund, cash flow, notes to financial statement and statements and schedules of segment and revenues and expenses.

St Catharines regional councillor and former chair Bruce Timms has also stated the NPCA is a model of transparency and that conducting a second audit would only be a waste of time and that taxpayers money would be better spent on planting trees.

It all sounded good but over the last couple of years public outcry over agency practices has pressured the NPCA into a corner.

After a huge struggle the agency finally accepted the Auditor General 0f Ontario’s offer to conduct a complete and thorough audit.

Recently, Auditor General Bonnie Lysyk released an in-depth audit and her report is startling to say the least.

In her findings, the AG found the NPCA board members’ per diem claims increased 422 per cent since 2010, the existence of weak governance and operational practices, significant issues in human resources, questionable procurement policies, poor flood mapping data and leadership problems.

Legal bills climbed 633 per cent from 2012 and board members interfered with day-to-day operations of staff.

The list goes on and on and as you can see not all audits are the same.

The residents of Niagara deserve better and although the auditor general’s report indicates serious problems one of the easiest ways to correct these issues is to drain the swamp.

We can fix this problem once and for all on Oct. 22 by exercising our right to vote. Remember regional councillors and mayors make up most of the board of directors at NPCA. Robert Milenkoff Welland