SENT VIA EMAIL: pgraham@npca.

ca

27 March 2017

Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority (NPCA)

250 Thorold Rd. W.
Welland, ON
L3C 3W2

Mr. Graham:

On behalf of the communities we represent in the Region, we urge the NPCA to withdraw the
Request for Proposal (RFP) issued at last weeks board meeting and instead reconsider the Ontario
Auditor Generals offer to conduct a financial audit of the board, a course of action that we believe
would go a long way in restoring our respective communities faith in their local public conservation
authority.

As you know, the Auditor General is an independent officer of the Legislative Assembly who is
responsible for ensuring that public dollars are used appropriately by the provinces ministries and
agencies. Mandated to work at arms length, the Auditor General ensures that citizens receive value
for public dollars. We are deeply concerned that the NPCAs decision to decline the Auditor
Generals offer to conduct a financial audit of the NPCA free of charge adds an unnecessary
financial burden to our respective municipalities. Furthermore, there is the troubling possibility that
the refusal to accept this offer of support from a trusted, impartial third-party that specializes in such
services could further undermine the principals of transparency and accountability that we all share
and are bound to uphold in our respective roles as public servants.

This appeal is further underscored by our review of the fine print of the RFP as considered at the
Boards March 8th meeting. The motion ordering the NPCA sanctioned review was a stark
departure from the eight motions brought forward by the Regions municipal councils in previous
months and failed to adequately reflect the concerns tabled by our local representatives. We are
troubled by the removal of the term fiscal financial audit from the RFPs parameters which, as you
know, differs considerably from a financial audit or an operational review. But what is even more
troubling is the perception that the terms of the RFP lack the wording required to assure that the
public will receive a complete picture of the Boards activity. These particular omissions are not
helpful in ensuring transparency, accountability, nor are they helpful in restoring public trust.

Lastly, we understand that a subsequent motion was passed at a St. Catharines City Council
meeting last week that seeks to immediately withdraw the Citys funding to the NPCA in response to
the Boards recent action on the RFP. It is a real concern that other municipalities may decide to
follow suit with similar actions of non-confidence, unnecessarily disrupting funding that the NPCA
relies on to serve the citizens of the Region.

In light of these developments, it is our hope that you will immediately withdraw the RFP tabled at
the last NPCA board meeting and instead agree to the assistance of the Auditor General of Ontario

Queens Park Room 357, Main Legislative Building, Queens Park, Toronto ON M7A 1A5
: (416) 325-7106 : (416) 325-7067 : cforster-qp@ndp.on.ca
a decision that is not only fiscally responsible, but would considerably help the efforts underway to
restore public trust in the NPCA.

Sincerely:

Cindy Forster, MPP Paul Miller, MPP

Welland Hamilton East Stoney Creek

*original signed*

Wayne Gates, MPP James (Jim) Bradley, MPP

Niagara-Falls St. Catharines

cc: Bonnie Lysyk, Auditor General of Ontario

Diane Saxe, Environmental Commissioner of Ontario
Dick Hibma, Chair, Conservation Ontario
Alan Caslin, Regional Chair, Niagara Region