The general public, City staff and anyone doing business with the City can report suspected fraud, waste, or wrongdoing involving City resources. The City of Toronto’s Fraud & Waste Hotline Program is operated by the Forensic Unit of the Auditor General’s Office.
To make a complaint to the Fraud & Waste Hotline, you can:
Are you a City employee? Learn about specific fraud and waste guidelines that may apply to you.
In order for an effective investigation into a complaint, please provide specific information to support any allegations that answers these questions: Who? What? Where? When? and How?
Specifically, complainants should try to answer these questions:
All contacts will be handled in confidence in accordance with the City’s privacy statement and policies. Complaints will remain confidential for those willing to identify themselves, and anonymous calls will also be investigated. If a caller identifies themselves, the identity of the caller will not be disclosed unless the Auditor General is compelled to do so by law. All participants in a fraud investigation are required to keep the details and results of the investigation confidential.
Each complaint received is tracked and screened by designated intake staff, with appropriate supervisory review. Forensic Unit staff, in consultation with the Auditor General, determine the appropriate disposition, or how to deal with the complaint. Disposition options that may be assigned to a complaint or a particular allegation within a complaint include:
1) Investigation:
2) No Action:
3) Future Audit by the Auditor General’s Office
4) Referral to Division:
If a complaint is actionable, we do not disclose the specific action taken to the complainant nor do we disclose the nature of any disciplinary action taken by divisional management. We are unable to provide complainants with any details as to the progress or outcomes of a review/investigation given the sensitive and personal nature of the information collected.
Wrongdoing: Wrongdoing, as defined by the Disclosure of Wrongdoing and Reprisal Protection Provisions, refers to serious actions that are contrary to the public interest including but not limited to:
Waste: The mismanagement of City resources or assets in a wilful, intentional or negligent manner that contravenes a City policy or direction by Council, as defined by the Disclosure of Wrongdoing and Reprisal Protection Provisions. Waste also includes incurring unnecessary costs because of inefficient or ineffective practices, systems or controls.
Fraud: Fraud is the act of using dishonesty as a tool for personal gain. Fraud (and other similar irregularities) includes, but is not limited to:
You can discuss this with the staff at the Auditor General’s Office or the Office of the Integrity Commissioner to determine what is appropriate in the circumstances. Generally, the Integrity Commissioner investigates and reports to Council when a complaint is filed against a City Councillor alleging a violation of the Councillor’s Code of Conduct.
If a suspicion of fraud or other wrongdoing is substantiated by the investigation, disciplinary action, up to and including dismissal, shall be taken by the appropriate level of management, in consultation with the Human Resources Division and the City Solicitor as appropriate.
The Fraud and Waste Hotline program provides City of Toronto staff and members of the public with a means to report any observed or suspected fraud, waste or wrongdoing involving City resources.
The Auditor General’s Forensic Unit, established in July 2005, administers the program. The unit:
In 2002, the City of Toronto was the first city in Canada to establish a Fraud and Waste Hotline program. A number of other Canadian cities have since established similar programs.
Financial accountability is a top priority for the City of Toronto. The Disclosure of Wrongdoing and Reprisal Protection formalizes the expectations of City officials and employees to report wrongdoing if they suspect it.