Item - 2020.AU5.4

The Audit Committee recommends that:  

1. City Council receive the report (January 27, 2020) from the Auditor General for information.

2. City Council request the City Manager to formally remind all City of Toronto staff of the importance of reporting fraud, waste or wrongdoing to the Auditor General's Office, through the Fraud and Waste Hotline, in accordance with Chapter 192 of the Toronto Public Service By-law.

The following City staff gave a presentation to the Audit Committee on this Item:

- Sean MacIntosh, Acting Director, Forensic Unit

- Jasmin Bhatia, Audit Manager, Forensic Unit

This report represents the 2019 annual report on fraud, waste and wrongdoing at the City including the activities of the Fraud and Waste Hotline Program (the Hotline Program). It highlights the complaints that have been communicated to the Auditor General’s Office. It does not represent an overall picture of fraud or other wrongdoing across the City.

In 2019, 587 complaints comprised of approximately 950 allegations were received by the Auditor General’s Office.

The Hotline Program has helped to reduce losses and resulted in the protection of City assets. The cumulative total of actual and potential losses for complaints received in previous years (2015 to 2019) is more than $13.2 million (actual) plus $3.4 million (potential) had the fraud not been detected. Additional benefits that are not quantifiable include:

- the deterrence of fraud or wrongdoing
- strengthened internal controls
- improvements in policies and procedures
- increased operational efficiencies
- the ability to use complaint data to identify trends, address risks, make action-oriented - recommendations to management and inform the audit work plan