Commission on the Reform of Ontario's Public Services

The Challenge
The Ontario government faces the twin challenges of creating the best public service in the
world under the constraints of reaching fiscal balance by 2017–18. We have not placed an
annual growth target on operating and back-office expenditures because of their diffusion
through other program areas. However, just like program areas, back-office and operating
expenditures must transform to find cost efficiencies. That effort will require innovative ideas
and new ways to deliver on government priorities. This will include letting service delivery
outcomes adjust the size of the civil service; considering alternative service delivery where
value for money can be enhanced without compromising quality or access; and effectively
managing public service delivery by balancing the need for accountability with governance that
ensures the efficient and effective delivery of outcomes.
The objective of this chapter is to envision how Ontario government and BPS programs and
service delivery can achieve the best possible outcomes with their available resources.
The <strong>Commission</strong> recommends ways to transform and find cost efficiencies in areas such as
front-line service delivery, arm’s-length operations, regulatory services, information technology
practices and transfer payments. Achieving a sustainable fiscal environment will require
government to focus on future investment, as opposed to that which serves the status quo.
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