B.C.s new auditor general for municipalities announced Wednesday that two of her first performance audits will look at cost containment measures in 18 local governments.
The announcement came on the same day that the Canadian Federation of Independent Business released a Big City Spenders report that suggests Canadian municipalities which often complain about not having enough money to provide services and infrastructure have a spending problem rather than a revenue one.
The assertion followed a look at the countrys four biggest cities Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal and Calgary that showed spending over the last 12 years has risen by more than 55 per cent, far in excess of population growth and the rate of inflation. The CFIB also compiled figures for four Metro Vancouver cities, including Surrey, Richmond, West Vancouver and Burnaby.
The City of Richmond argues the report ignores the fact that many services are driven by customer demand; if YVR, for instance, wants more police officers, the city has to provide them, which increases spending.
Theyre only looking at one side of the balance sheet, said city spokesman Ted Townsend.
This is a simplistic analysis. If this was turned in as an economics paper for a university course it would get a failing grade.
Officials in Richmond, Surrey and West Vancouver also maintain they have kept property taxes at the rate of inflation, raising funds through other user-pay fees for non-core functions to provide services.
The report was released ahead of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities convention, which will kick off at the Vancouver Convention Centre on Friday.
