Response to procurement inquiry

In August 2016, The Ministry of the Attorney General received an anonymous complaint alleging inappropriate practices at LAO. Staff at the Ministry advised Legal Aid Ontario (LAO) of the complaint, and also advised that they would not be taking any action on their part. LAO retained an independent third party to undertake an audit of the practices that were the subject of the complaint. The complaint alleged that three (3) senior-level LAO representatives engaged in inappropriate procurement practices and/or cover-up of such practices as well as poor project management regarding the implementation of the Clinic Information Management System (CIMS) project. The independent auditor was requested to review the complaint to determine if there was any validity to the complaint. LAO provided all records and access to the individuals named in the complaint as well as access to any other employees identified by the auditor. Overall, the report found that the management of the project was done well. The independent auditor provided a few suggestions to strengthen risk governance in the future. LAO will continue to refine its enterprise-wide process for risk management in support of the recommendations. The investigation concluded that all of the allegations of unethical and illegal activities related to the CIMS project were unfounded.