ABOVE THE FOLD
Christmas comes early for the transparency-minded crowd: Auditor General SHELLEY SPENCE is unwrapping four — count ‘em, four — special reports today.
It’s a rare quadruple-header of government accountability, and if you’re in the business of holding the powers-that-be to account (it’s me, hi!), this is basically our Super Bowl. Here’s your pre-game cheat sheet on what led to this point, and what to watch for when the audits drop.
SKILLS DEVELOPMENT FUND (TRAINING STREAM) — Consider this one the Greenbelt’s messy cousin. DOUG FORD’s government has poured $2.5 billion into its shiny Skills Development Fund, writing big cheques to private outfits to train workers — but questions keep piling up about what taxpayers are actually buying.
Flashpoint: A pair of eyebrow-raising grants totalling $11 million to Toronto’s Scale Hospitality, rubber-stamped despite a late application and a mercy pass of a score (51 per cent). Not to mention the company is also closely linked to the rul…