Parliamentarians in the dark over summit costs: Auditor general summit

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Parliamentarians in the dark over summit costs: Auditor general

OTTAWA — Parliamentarians were left in the dark on the total costs of the G8 and G20 summits in 2010, and MPs ended up approving $1.1 billion in spending for meetings that, in the end, cost only $664 million, the federal auditor general said Thursday.


The audit report found there was a "lack of overall assessment" and government departments overestimated how much the G8 Summit in Hunstville and the G20 Summit in Toronto in June of 2010 would cost.


It points to gross overestimations such as $25 million budgeted for RCMP hotel rooms in Toronto because the Mounties estimated the rooms would cost $600 a night but they actually cost $200 a night.


The RCMP also estimated it would need $14 million for hotel rooms in Huntsville but needed none because plans changed. The Force requested $16 million to purchase portable radios but bought them for $5 million.


The auditor general's report notes that from the sample studied, the money requested was used for its intended purposes but the auditor general did not look at whether money was well spent.


"We did not examine the effectiveness of the summits or the appropriateness of the level of security or hosting provided, nor did we question the merit of goods and services identified by summit planners as requirements," the report notes.


Some of the security costs included $60.5 million for temporary police accommodation at the G8 summit; a $34 million contract to a private security firm to make up for a shortage of police personnel; and $1.3 million that was spent to lease the Toronto Congress Centre although it was never used.


The auditor general blamed much of the cost on last-minute planning and changing priorities that were primarily caused by the government's decision to host the G20 summit at the same time as the G8, a mere nine months before the meetings were to take place.

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Departments overestimated security personnel needs and availability; overestimated their operational resources needs and costs; planed for high contingencies and budgeted for worst-case scenarios, the auditor general said.


The auditor general was primarily concerned, however, by the fact that Parliament, which was responsible for approving the money, was not given an adequate picture of what the summits would cost taxpayers.


MPs were asked to approve seven separate funding requests from 14 departments at four different times.


"The way the information was presented made it very difficult for parliamentarians to know the total amount of funding being requested for G8-G20 summits," the auditor general's report said.


And even though government officials knew at some points that they were asking MPs for money they didn't need, they still pressed ahead.


"We found that by the time (a second funding request was) tabled in Parliament, government officials had already determined that due to changes in plans, the majority of the funds approved for security ($179 million) would not be required for the 2009-2010 fiscal year," the report states.

The audit report found there was a "lack of overall assessment" and government departments overestimated how much the G8 Summit in Hunstville and the G20 Summit in Toronto in June of 2010 would cost