September 1 – Ontario's largest arm's-length bodies will no longer have final approval of their own expenses.
Starting this fall, employees at Ontario's largest agencies, boards and commissions will be required to have their expenses reviewed by Ontario's Integrity Commissioner.
Under the new rules, employees who claim unacceptable expenses like personal items and alcohol for staff functions will repay taxpayers.
Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty announced the new rules today, making employees at agencies, boards and commissions subject to a similar oversight process as ministers and political staff.
Yesterday, the government made public all expense claim reports and receipts for OLG's executive and senior level staff from January 1, 2007 to December 31, 2008. Recent employee expenditures included inappropriate and unacceptable items and services and a number of claims did not include itemized receipts.