万锦市需要一个审计长!

Markham needs an Auditor General

万锦市议员申报的汽车里程数及汽油费看上去过高，因此有必要对市政开支进行审计核查。这也是确保市民税款不遭到浪费的重要步骤。
The seemingly excessive expense claims on mileage and gasoline costs by Markham city councillors have prompted the requests for expense auditing. It is critical to ensure that taxpayers’ money is not abused.
 
最近，我们自己去审查了议会成员财政支出的酬金及开支，看看辛苦赚来的纳税钱有没有用得其所。
Recently, we examined the remuneration and expenses of Council members and financial expenditures to take a reactive approach to see if we are getting value for our hard-earned tax dollars.

为什么我们要做这样做？这是因为万锦市升格为城市，但营运方式还是停留在小镇的运作状况。设立一个审计长将会主动和定期的来评估纳税人的钱是否有效地被使用。只有这样，我们才可保证议会和市政人员让“改进”的机制发挥作用。
Why is it that we have to do it this way? It is because Markham still acts like a Town instead of a City.  An Auditor General will take a Proactive approach to evaluate the effective use of tax payers’ money on a regular schedule.  Only then can we all ensure that Council and staff take advantage of “opportunities for improvement”.
 
虽然各个财务审计员审查的是花钱书面证据，但他们不会看看钱是否“花得值得”;前花得是否值得却是一个审计长的工作。审计长通过独立审计，看看政府在花钱上是否负责。审计长是向市议会，即纳税人负责，而不是向市政府的官僚们负责。 审计报告会向市议员提供客观的信息，帮助他们看看市府所做的项目和活动是否物有所值。
While financial auditors check on documented evidence of money spent, they do not address whether it is “well-spent”. That is the job of an Auditor General. The Auditor General aids accountability by conducting independent audits of government operations. The Auditor General will report to the Council and then to the taxpayers, not to the City’s Administration. These audits provide members of Council with objective information to help them examine the City’s programs and activities and to enable Council to hold all accountable.

2001年安省市政修订法指出：各市府现在可以有一个更有效的问责制度机构并有权力去建立一个诚信专员，监察专员，审计长，和说客登记系统。市政修订法指出“今天的这些市政修订法案(2001年)使全省地方政府可以更好地满足当地居民的需求，”
Amendments to Municipal Act 2001 proclaimed: Municipalities can now have a more effective accountability regime with the authority to establish an integrity commissioner, ombudsman, auditor general and lobbyist registrar. "Today's proclamation of these amendments to the Municipal Act, 2001 allows local governments across the province to better respond to their citizens' needs,"
 
万锦市不应限制最近刚聘请的诚信专员行使这项修正案。目前，他“角色”的只是处理2014年2月1日后生效的违反行为守则的投诉。虽然都同时市政的透明度和问责，但两个专业职位-诚信专员和审计长的角色很不一样。
Markham should not restrict its use of this amendment to the recently hired Integrity Commissioner, whose “reactive” role is to handle complaints on violations to the Code of Conduct, effective February 1, 2014.  These two professionals have very different roles to play in our City, although both deal with transparency and accountability.

在没有审计长的情况下，万民问责市府大联盟（MCCRG）只好代表万锦市的纳税人问责，正如其使命声明中所声明的那样，重视开放性，透明度和问责制。
In the absence of an Auditor General, the organization MCCRG with its mission statement focusing on openness, transparency, and accountability, has taken on this task on behalf of Markham taxpayers.

通过对报销文件的审查，一位议员凭自觉申报的汽车公里和汽油报销超过$5,000元。以每公里52分的补偿率去计算，这将意味著该市议员驾驶超过10,000公里。是赵议员的选区比其他议员的选区大得多？是否该选区要考虑重新划分？是否他有很多的市政活动要参加，而他的同事却啥地方都没去？他将如何解释他与其他市议员之间的报销差距呢？
Upon reviewing the remuneration reports - one Councillor claimed discretionary expenses for mileage and gasoline over $5,000. That would mean traveling over 10,000 Km on behalf of the City last year at a compensating rate of 52 cents per kilometer.  Is Councillor Chiu’s Ward that much bigger than all the others? Was this taken into account in the Ward redistribution exercise?  Is he going to that many municipal functions that his colleagues are not?  Is there some other explanation for the huge disparity?
 
由於市府已经为为市长租赁了汽车，我们是否还应该为他支付$5,278元的汽油钱？如果是这样，这意味着市长耗费了3,770升汽油和开了4万多公里出差。
Since the City is already paying for a leased car for the Mayor, then should we assume that the $5,278 on the remuneration summary is all for gas? If so, that will translate into 3,770 litres of gasoline and over 40,000Km of traveling.
 
同时，区域市议员Gord Landon报销了超过$2,000元的高速公路通行收费。费用如此之高，这表示他在安大略省唯一的收费公路407上行驶了8000多公里。我们应该要求他对这笔费用解释。
As well, the charge of over $2,000 for Regional Councillor Gord Landon on Highway toll fees is an exorbitant amount. That represents over 8,000km on the only toll road in Ontario, the 407. People should demand an explanation for this expense.
 
另一个例子是，市府将在未来5年内每年花上$10.3万元购买礼物和奖章表彰员工服务，该计划共耗资60万元。这些奖章是由黄金和白银打做，如果在第4和第5年的金银价格有所上涨，这些奖章的价格也要跟着涨。
Another example - a minimum of $103,400 will be authorized each year over the next 5 years to buy gifts and lapel pins for the Employee Service Award program for a total of over $600,000 dollars. Yes, these lapel pins are made of GOLD and Silver and subject to price escalation in the 4th and 5th years as stated in the Staff Report.
 
我们被告知，每年300至400名员工将在未来的3年中得奖。算下来每年要用 $300多元用作领章和礼品来奖励一个员工。这笔钱是否值得花？
We were told that 300-400 employees are qualified every year over the next 3 years. Over $300/year is spent on average for each of them to get them a lapel pin and gift! Is the money well spent?
 
我们还发现，万锦市府在2013年花了$7.2万元让市长和议员用以参加培训，会议和研讨会。这些花费值得吗？这些活动的具体内容是什么？有没有重叠的情况？  有没有评估这些活动对市民带来的好处？
What value are we receiving from the almost $72,000 spend in 2013 for the Mayor and Councillors to attend training, conferences, and seminars?  What were they?  Was there duplication of attendees?  Are there reports of the benefits for the City?
 
说了这么多问题，但它们不过是冰山一角。这就是我们要去聘一名审计长的许多理由之一。难道我们还想在发生一个花在溜冰体育馆项目的、员工花了多长时间工作的说不清的事？我不想这种事再发生。那种错误实在是太离谱。
Having said all this, they are but the tip of the iceberg for reasons to hire an Auditor General. Need we go into the unaccountable staff hours and reports spent on the Arena project? I guess not – that one is way off the Charts.
 
如果没记错，万锦市长曾在竞选中提出需要一个审计长。不仅如此，他僱用了一个！实现低税收的最好办法是确保我们的钱花在正道上。一个审计长要比给员工发金质奖章更重要！
If memory serves us, at one time the Mayor campaigned on Markham’s need for an Auditor General.  Not only that, he hired one!  The very best way to achieve low taxes is to ensure that our money is well spent.  An Auditor General is worth his weight in gold pins!
 
如欲联络或对本文发表意见, 请电邮 isqas@yahoo.ca，或 cng@096.ca。
Please email isqas@yahoo.ca or cng@096.ca with your comments for this article.