Item - 2023.AU1.1

The Audit Committee recommends that:  

1. City Council receive the report (January 29, 2023) from the Auditor General for information.

The Auditor General and Deputy Auditor General gave a presentation on the Auditor General's 2022 Annual Report - Demonstrating the Value of the Auditor General's Office.

This report provides information about the Auditor General's Office 2022 activities and the financial and non-financial benefits achieved by the City through its implementation of report recommendations.

In 2022, the Auditor General's Office presented nine audit, investigation, cybersecurity and other reports. The findings and recommendations in these reports focused on improving the efficiency and effectiveness of responses to calls for emergency services, addressing housing priorities and improving outcomes for people experiencing homelessness, and identifying and protecting the City and its Agencies and Corporations from cybersecurity threats. Additionally, our Forensic Unit managed 1,032 complaints through our Fraud and Waste Hotline, and conducted some complex investigations.

Every year, we demonstrate the value our Office brings with a quantified return on investment. The Auditor General's Office calculates the return on every dollar invested in the Office by comparing the ratio of five-year audit costs to the cumulative estimated five-year realized savings. The City achieved savings of $398 million over the last five years by implementing the Auditor General's recommendations. The cumulative costs of operating the Auditor General's Office since 2018 were approximately $31.8 million. This means for every dollar invested in the Auditor General's Office, there was a return of about $12.52.

Equally important is the value that our reports bring through the non-quantifiable benefits, including enhanced cybersecurity and internal controls, robust data analytics, improved policies and procedures, more effective management and use of City resources, better customer service, and stronger security of City assets. Our reports also help to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of programs, systems and processes, the impacts of which are not always easily quantified in financial terms. For example, our audit recommendations this year helped to strengthen the safety of the City's IT systems and critical infrastructure, identified opportunities for the Toronto Police Service to support more effective responses to calls for service, and helped to improve outcomes for emergency shelter clients through an increased focus on case management.