City hall fraud may grow
$500Gs in fake claims, 500 fixed parking tickets could be 'tip of iceberg'
By
IAN ROBERTSON, SUN MEDIA
Last Updated: 22nd February 2009, 2:31am
The head of Toronto's audit committee has vowed to put managers on the carpet after city employees were accused of filing fake benefit claims up to $500,000 and fixing 500 parking tickets.
Another councillor fears those figures may be doubled after investigations.
Councillor Doug Holyday said yesterday he'll seek clarification about staff "disciplined" after 500 parking tickets were tossed and for filing up to $50,000 in bogus overtime.
"I don't know what 'disciplined' means ... were they fired?" said Holyday, who added he will seek another term as chairman of the audit committee when appointments are made next month.
Nor did an auditor's report released Friday identify departments where ticket-fixing, porn downloading onto computers and padded overtime claims occurred.
And it did not say if any criminal charges were laid or whether police investigated.
"I'm not saying zero tolerance," Holyday said in an interview. "In some cases if it's petty ... you have to use some discretion."
But obvious theft should not be tolerated by employees, he said.
Holyday wants managers held more accountable for overseeing their departments.
"If you have bad apples, they should be gone," he said.
As revealed in the Sun yesterday, nine social services department employees were escorted from their offices last week after an insurance company complained of false claims filed for medical, dental and eye care.
Holyday said he heard claims around city hall of "half-a-million-dollars," but had no confirmation or details about who is accused or how long ago the questionable claims were allegedly filed.
Until a police investigation concludes, the nine staffers are on paid leave. None have been identified.
Holyday said he understands labour regulations requiring paid leave until such cases are concluded either by exoneration or criminal charges, "but if it's gone to court, their names should be made public."
Auditor-general Jeffrey Griffith's 8th annual report from the city's Fraud and Waste Hotline identified $260,538 lost by the city due to staff wrongdoings -- and only $15,903 recovered.
The 618 allegations received by a lawyer who staffs the hotline were 18% higher last year than in 2007, with 42 allegations substantiated.
Up to 60% of complaints proved groundless, Griffiths said, with another 34% not involving fraud or other improper service. Auditor's staff were called in on 9%, some probes continue and police are involved in an undisclosed number of cases.
After the report's release, Councillor Rob Ford said "I believe this is the tip of the iceberg," and predicts the alleged insurance scam could top $1 million and ticket-fixing up to 1,500 cases.
Holyday said "I'm not so sure it's so rampant, as Councillor Ford thinks. But I'll bet more of it can be found."
Expressing regrets the city is tarnished by reports of staff fraud, he is confident "the vast majority of our employees are honest and hard-working."
And those who may be tempted to steal or betray public trust "might get scared off" knowing they can be pursued, even prosecuted.
More important, Holyday said, is confidence in city hall's willingness to investigate public and employee complaints, which have increased since the hotline began in 2002.
"It's like a police Crime Stoppers' line, letting people provide anonymous tips," which can be investigated to determine any basis in fact, he said.
The city's Fraud-Waste Hotline is 416-397-7867.
IAN.ROBERTSON@SUNMEDIA.CA
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