Auditor general releases special report on Ontario’s response to COVID-19

Ontario’s auditor general says the province’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic was slower and more reactive relative to other provinces.

In a special report released Wednesday, Bonnie Lysyk said outdated provincial emergency plans and insufficient staff played a role in the slow response, along with systemic issues like lack of laboratory surge capacity and old IT systems.

It also had tough words for Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. David Williams, concluding that he and other public health officials “did not lead” Ontario’s response to the pandemic.

The Auditor General says much of this was avoidable as Ontario failed to act on key lessons identified after the 2003 SARS outbreak that had not been implemented.

The audit also concluded Ontario’s COVID response was often disorganized and inconsistent because of variations in management and operations among public health units.

The report is split up into three sections: Emergency Management in Ontario, Outbreak Planning and Decision-Making and Laboratory Testing, Case Management and Contact Tracing.

Minister of Health Christine Elliott has responded to the report, calling it “disappointing” and says there are “mischaracterizations” in it.