TORONTO - Ontario's Liberal government plans to get rid of at least 12 of its 259 provincial agencies and eliminate perks like golf club memberships for public servants.
Finance Minister Dwight Duncan says the number of government agencies will be reduced by five per cent as part of his cost-cutting plans to trim the near $19-billion deficit.
Some of the government agencies will be merged while others will be scrapped altogether. For example, more than a dozen Children's Aid Societies will be consolidated into half that number.
Duncan says there will be a ban on club memberships, seasons tickets to sporting events or lump sum payments for travel without receipts throughout the broader public service.
That rule will impact hospitals, universities and all Ontario government agencies, as well as the civil service.
There's no word on how much trimming the number of agencies and cancelling the perks will save the government.
The province is also cancelling two different awards programs which it says will save about $2.5 million a year.
