Staff Post
By Heather Young 

The Ontario Ministry of Finance is planning to introduce these guidelines for organizations receiving funding from the Government of Ontario.

They propose standards for making purchases (e.g. seeking comparative quotes) — and will set expectations for how publicly funded organizations should behave in making their expense decisions. At the moment, they are guidelines — not requirements.

This is happening in the wake of the 2010 Broader Public Sector Accountability Act, which issues procurement *directives* to an array of organizations including hospitals, school boards, colleges, universities, Community Care Access Centres, Children’s Aid Societies and organizations that receive more than $10 million in funding from the Ontario government.

The Ministry is seeking feedback on its proposed guidelines.

The Ontario Nonprofit Network (ONN) is one sectoral association that’s addressing this topic on behalf of all of us. They are circulating copies of the draft guidelines and will assemble the comments they receive into a report for the Ministry.

If you’re interested in learning more, please contact Sue Wilkinson, ONN’s Director at 416-642-5786. She needs your comments by DECEMBER 14, 2011, in order to include them in her report.