Commission on the Reform of Ontario's Public Services

Furthermore, recent federal changes to the Criminal Code put fiscal pressures on provincial
court and correctional services. The <strong>Commission</strong> recommends that the Ministry of Community
Safety and Correctional Services explore the possibility of uploading responsibility for inmates
serving six months and longer to the federal government, which would better align fiscal
incentives for corrections, and would give these inmates access to federal rehabilitation
services. In addition, the uploading of these responsibilities would allow governments to
specialize and enhance their services to reduce recidivism, which could reduce long-run
costs while making communities safer.
See Chapter 14, Justice Sector, for the full recommendation.
Citizen Transactional Services
The Ontario government has transformed the way front-line public services are delivered with
the creation of ServiceOntario, which integrates the services delivered by various ministries
into one easy-to-access location. ServiceOntario has reduced wait times, improved
accessibility and achieved efficiencies.
The province has worked with the federal government to deliver integrated services such as
the Newborn Registration Service, BizPaL and a single 1-888 number for business, in addition
to co-locating four shared offices. The federal, provincial and municipal governments should
continue to explore other opportunities to work together and deliver integrated, seamless and
timely solutions for citizens.
See Chapter 16, Operating and Back-Office Expenditures, for the full recommendation.
National Transit Strategy
Despite Canada’s enormous geographical size, it is one of the world’s most urbanized
countries. Eighty per cent of Canadians live in urban centres. Unsurprisingly, traffic congestion
is not limited to the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area or Ontario. It is a systemic issue from
coast to coast, justifying a national approach. Indeed, the federal government is affected by
gridlock as much as any province through lost productivity and tax revenue; in 2006, Transport
Canada noted that congestion poses a national challenge in terms of the costs it imposes in
lost time, increased fuel consumption, and increased greenhouse-gas emissions. 15 And the
Canadian Chamber of Commerce has noted that despite Canada’s urban nature, it is the sole
member nation of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development that lacks a
national transit strategy. 16
See Chapter 12, Infrastructure, Real Estate and Electricity, for the full recommendation.
15 Transport Canada — Environmental Affairs, “The Cost of Urban Congestion in Canada,” March 22, 2006, downloaded from
http://www.gatewaycouncil.ca/downloads2/Cost_of_Congestion_TC.pdf.
16 Canadian Chamber of Commerce, “Strengthening Canada’s Urban Public Transit System,” downloaded from
http://www.chamber.ca/images/uploads/Resolutions/2009/T-Strengthening_Canada.pdf.
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