Commission on the Reform of Ontario's Public Services

Immigration settlement and integration services: Both the federal and Ontario
governments provide immigration settlement services, with significant overlap that creates
inefficiencies and reduces co-ordination. Responsibility for integrating newcomers should lie
with local authorities, which can respond to regional needs. Settlement programs have been
devolved to provincial governments in British Columbia, Manitoba and Quebec, but the federal
government has not agreed to do the same for Ontario. The federal government should
devolve these services to Ontario with funding.
Corrections services: Effective rehabilitation keeps communities safe and controls
correctional expenses, but the current arrangement prevents the maximization of these
benefits. Offenders sentenced to less than two years go to provincial prisons, while the rest
serve their time in federal penitentiaries. There are too few inmates serving sentences of
between six months and two years for the province to provide rehabilitation services.
The government should explore uploading the responsibility for inmates serving six months
and more to the federal government; this would give these inmates access to federal
rehabilitation services.
Citizen transactional services: ServiceOntario, which integrates the services delivered
by various ministries into one easy-to-access location, has reduced wait times, improved
accessibility and achieved efficiencies. The federal, provincial and municipal governments
should continue to explore other opportunities to collaborate.
National transit strategy: Traffic congestion is a systemic issue from coast to coast,
justifying a national approach. Canada is the sole nation in the OECD that lacks a national
transit strategy.
Environmental protection and regulation: Environmental management is shared by
the provincial and federal governments. Although the two co-operate on environmental
assessments, more remains to be done. The federal government is reviewing its legislation
in this area and has shown interest in removing duplication between approvals processes.
The two governments should continue to pursue the creation of a “one project–one
environmental assessment” solution.
Provincial–Municipal Relations
Municipalities provide many services — such as social housing, social assistance, drinking
water quality, public transportation, land use planning and waste management — that are
governed by provincial legislation and standards. Most municipal revenue comes from local
sources, mainly property taxes. Yet provincial transfers account for nearly one-fifth of their
revenue, including contributions to cost-shared programs and unconditional funding
through the Ontario Municipal Partnership Fund (OMPF).
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