Brampton council votes Jim McCarter to review finances from past five years

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The man who called out the Ontario government on some of its most infamous scandals in recent history – Ornge, eHealth and the cancelled gas plants – will review the City of Brampton's finances.

Brampton council voted on Wednesday in a special meeting to appoint former provincial auditor-general Jim McCarter as the interim auditor of Canada's ninth-largest city.

Brampton's new mayor, Linda Jeffrey, said in her inauguration speech in early December that she had invited Mr. McCarter to do the review as part of her commitment to improve accountability at city hall.

"I have great confidence that Mr. McCarter's experience and knowledge will be of great benefit to Brampton, and our new Council welcomes his input," Ms. Jeffrey said in a statement.

Throughout her campaign and after she was elected, Ms. Jeffrey shared her skepticism about the city's economic health. She cast doubt on claims from former mayor Susan Fennell and city staff that Brampton is debt-free. She has also questioned the legitimacy of the city's AAA credit rating.

Internal auditors and third-party firm KPMG approve the city's financial statements annually, but Mr. McCarter's review will have greater scope and look at the past five years of the city's finances.

The city has been subjected to much outside scrutiny this year. In the spring and summer, Deloitte Canada reviewed expenses filed by members of council and found several breaches of city policy, especially by Ms. Fennell. A separate investigation by the city's integrity commissioner had similar findings. Ms. Fennell and councillors were ordered to repay the city for misspent funds. This month, the mayor announced she has invited Ontario Ombudsman André Marin to review city hall bureaucracy as well.

Regional Councillor John Sprovieri, a 26-year veteran of council, welcomed the decision to bring in Mr. McCarter.

"We really need to start with a clean mindset or a new mindset because there just has been too much going on in the last couple of years that has created a lot of suspicion," he said.

Also at Wednesday's special meeting, council created several new committees, including a citizens' committee that will be made up of five residents who will review council's compensation and benefits packages and report on whether they need to be amended.

In 2013, councillors made $72,363. Regional councillors were also paid an additional $50,417 by the Region of Peel, bringing those six councillors' salaries to $122,780.

In an interview before her inauguration, Ms. Jeffrey criticized the previous council (four members of which were re-elected) for voting in salary increases last term and more generous severance packages, out-of-country health benefits and pensions.

"Traditionally, council makes a decision before the next term of council and doesn't try to enrich themselves during the term that they're there," she said.

On salaries, Mr. Sprovieri admitted, "Compared to other municipalities, we are at the high end." But he said he was unable to suggest what fair pay would be for members of council. If cuts are recommended, he said the city should trim regional councillors' salaries rather than those of city councillors.