Ontario’s auditor general appears to be conducting investigations into special education and child care, according to internal government documents, potentially offering fresh insight into how the province funds and handles the two key files.
The information is contained within a briefing document prepared for Education Minister Paul Calandra in March and obtained by Global News using freedom of information laws, which says there are “active audits” underway on both topics.
An auditor general investigation into the Ford government’s Greenbelt land swap, published in 2023, turned the controversy into a scandal, while reports into Ontario Place, the Ontario Science Centre and emergency room staffing left ministers with difficult questions to answer.
It is unclear when the potential special education and child care audits were started or when exactly they’ll be published. The auditor general has far-reaching power under Ontario legislation to compel government documents and dig deep into various files.
None of the Ministry of Education, Premier’s Office or the auditor general’s office would confirm the probes to Global News.
“We have not yet disclosed any of the audits we’re working on this year,” a spokesperson for the auditor general’s office said, adding they couldn’t “comment on speculation.”
Critics of the government welcomed the possibility of auditor general investigations into both child care and special education, with the latter an area of particular concern for some.
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Educators and parents have suggested that a lack of support for children with special education needs in Ontario’s schools has been harming their education and making classrooms less effective for everyone.
A report by the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario earlier this year said that English public school boards in the province have, on average, one educational assistant for every 10 children with special education needs.
Kate Dudley-Logue from the Ontario Autism Coalition told Global News that an audit of how special education programs are funded and managed is long overdue.
“Delivery of special education in schools is at a crisis level — children are not safe, children are not accessing a meaningful level of education, they’re not accessing curriculum, and the most telling factor is so many children with disabilities are just not in school at all,” she said.
Dudley said she was concerned about funding, as well as what she sees as a patchwork approach to special education, which can differ from one board to another.
A survey conducted by the Ontario Autism Coalition of parents found that almost 20 per cent of the children of those polled were not in school full-time, instead relying on modified schedules.
“This is a very large issue,” she said. “Students with disabilities have a right to be in school.”
The internal briefing documents also suggest the auditor general will be looking into child care, an area where the government has made major changes to attempt to implement a federal vision for $10-per-day care.
Ontario was the last province to sign onto a child-care deal with former prime minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government in March 2022. The agreement was worth $13.2 billion, the two governments said at the time.
Operators have since raised concerns about how the deal impacts their bottom line and the viability of small businesses, with some operators shutting down and saying the system isn’t viable.
In the spring, Calandra wrote to his federal counterpart asking for a renewed commitment to the $10 plan, suggesting prices could rise above $22 per day without a fresh commitment from Ottawa.
Ontario NDP MPP Teresa Armstrong said she would look forward to any audit of the child care file, one that she said she felt the government had attempted to make positive changes in without success.
“I think the government is trying to do the best they can, but I think an auditor general report will open up some of the issues where they need to act on that people have been saying that hasn’t been happening,” she said.
“We’ve had a lot of auditor general reports, and they make excellent recommendations, quite frankly.”
The Ministry of Education said it could not answer questions about the possible audits.
“As always, the ministry would cooperate with any and all requests from the Auditor and her team,” a spokesperson said.
— with files from The Canadian Press
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