Rein in bid-rigging bureaucrats

Re OPP probes suspected bid rigging, April 28 Toronto’s city manager has pointed out the shortcomings of his bureaucracy in catching apparent bid rigging. A police investigation is under way. How many times, in how many jurisdictions, have we heard the same story, costing taxpayers untold amounts?

Doesn’t it always get down to a dysfunctional system, with little oversight? This should remind us that bureaucracies, left unchecked, are not often high-minded institutions. They need firmness and recurring reform if they are to not go astray in their ethical service to the public.

But, perhaps, the most troubling is that if they see their bosses, the politicians, acting recklessly and irresponsibly, they will often parrot their failings. Mike Brown, Burlington