queensparkOntario’s auditor general says drivers have faced “less safe winter highway conditions” since the province sought to cut costs in 2009 by contracting out road maintenance to the lowest bidders.

Auditor general Bonnie Lysyk says in many cases the lowest bidder for winter road maintenance contracts did not have the proper equipment to clear roads after a snowstorm, but still got the job.

Lysyk says before the change to “performance-based” contracts, Ontario’s most travelled highways were cleared about 2.1 hours after a storm, but that increased to an average of 4.7 hours by 2013-14.

Timmins-James Bay MPP Gilles Bisson says the report wasn’t all shocking, as Northern Ontarians lived with those roads every day during the winter time.

“Whenever there was a snowfall in Northern Ontario, we saw either the road being closed or the road being in bad shape and they were conditions that we weren’t used to,” he said, “Because Ministry of Transport, when they used to maintain the roads under the old system, you could always be guaranteed that you went out on the road, roads would be in a lot better condition than they are now.”

He says it proves what the NDP have been saying for years, that privatization has failed.

“The Auditor-General has shown that our roads, particularly in the North, have become less safe under the Liberal government. Just think what it will happen if they privatize Hydro One.”

Kathleen Wynne was Transportation Minister in 2010-11, when many of the new “Area Maintenance Contracts” were signed.

The NDP has raised the issue of poor winter road maintenance for years.

In 2012, the NDP launched its Northern Road Report to monitor complaints. One year ago, Kenora-Rainy River MPP Sarah Campbell successfully passed a motion demanding that the government review its winter road maintenance contracts and improve winter road conditions.

Last year, the NDP submitted a Freedom-of-Information request seeking copies of all the area maintenance contracts, as well as penalties. The government has still not fulfilled this request.

Six of the 20 contracts did not even meet the province’s standard of clearing the highways of snow within eight hours 90 per cent of the time, which the auditor calls a “generous standard” compared with other jurisdictions.

After 2009, road-clearing contracts gave the lowest bidding companies “full autonomy” to decide how they would get the work done, instead of the previous criteria that also looked at the contractor’s ability to provide the services.

The auditor says contractors started using less salt, sand and anti-icing liquids on roads after the change to performance-based contracts and patrolled highways less often, “resulting in service failures.”

Lysyk says winter road contractors faced $13.3 million in fines in 2013-14 for failing to meet their targets, but the government waived $4.8 million of the fines.

“The waiving of fines has not been handled consistently throughout the province,” Lysyk wrote in her report.

(With files from The Canadian Press)