The eHealth spending scandal continued to loom over the Liberal government on Thursday as the Ontario legislature wrapped up its spring session.
Opposition parties have been relentlessly questioning government officials about the $5 million in contracts that were awarded to Liberal supporters and friends of eHealth managers without going out to tender.
They called for the immediate resignation of Health Minister David Caplan but Premier Dalton McGuinty once again dismissed the suggestion on Thursday.
"The opposition has raised some real concerns and I acknowledge those," he said. "I think the fair thing to do is to allow our provincial auditor to look into this matter and to come back with some substantive recommendations."
Critics also complained that eHealth consultants were filing exorbitant expenses.
Some of the expenses that eHealth Ontario employees have billed to taxpayers include:
- A $114,000 bonus for the CEO after she had worked at eHealth Ontario for only three months.
- Daily compensation rates of $2,700 for some eHealth Ontario consultants.
- Small food items -- including $5.69 for a box of Tetley tea bags and $1.59 for a can of Coca-Cola.
A provincial agency, tasked with setting up an electronic health record system for all Ontarians, set up eHealth last fall. The agency spent about $650 million but had little to show for it.
NDP Leader Andrea Horwath said opposition parties won't be able to put the same pressure on the Liberals now that meetings of the legislature are over for the summer.
The legislature doesn't resume until mid-September.
With a report from CTV Toronto's Paul Bliss
