- Hub staff

The Government of Ontario is encouraging municipalities and district school boards to find savings of 4 percent - four cents on every dollar spent.
 
$7.35 million is being provided by the Government of Ontario through the Audit and Accountability Fund to large urban municipalities and district school boards interested in conducting line-by-line reviews to identify potential savings while maintaining vital front-line services.  The implications for the local school board budgets, set to be brought for approval next month, have yet to be determined.

As Owen Sound is not a large municipality, the auditing funds are not likely available to the City, nor, as far as City officials are aware to date, are they being asked to find savings.  As City Manager Wayne Ritchie put it, "Through open and transparent budgeting every year , and every few years a full service review, these services are being provided as effectively and efficiently as possible."

Bill Walker, MPP for Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound said, “We campaigned on finding four cents for every provincial dollar spent and we are asking our partners in Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound and across Ontario to do the same.”
 
In Ontario, over 90 per cent of provincial spending goes towards funding school boards, hospitals, municipalities and other outside organizations.

“Municipalities and district school boards now have the tools they need to find real savings,” said Premier Doug Ford.

source: media release, Bill Walker, MPP

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