Department Information
Vision
To be recognized as leaders in building public trust in civic government in support of our shared vision of a vibrant and healthy city.
Mission
To Support City Council and the Civic Administration in the achievement of organizational objectives by providing objective and independent information, advice and assurance with respect to governance, accountability, risk management and performance.
Mandate
In 2002, the Manitoba legislature passed Bill 39 to create The City of Winnipeg Charter Act. The City Auditor’s responsibilities are outlined in Sections 102 to 106.
(a) operations of the city are carried on, and money is expended, with due regard for economy and efficiency; and
(b) satisfactory procedures have been established to measure, and report to Council, on the achievement of economy and efficiency in the conduct of the city and each affiliated body;
and the City Auditor must report to Council in respect of those examinations with any recommendations that the auditor considers relevant.
Furthermore, the City Auditor has the power to carry out audits of trusts and grantees ·
(a) any fund or property held in trust for the benefit or purposes of the city; and
(b) any person to whom the city or an affiliated body makes, or has made, a financial contribution or a transfer of property for no or substantially inadequate consideration.
Finally, under Section 105, Council may direct the City Auditor to examine and audit
(a) anything done by the city or an affiliated body; or
(b) any person to whom the city or an affiliated body has made a financial contribution or a transfer of property for no or substantially inadequate consideration;
and to report as directed by Council in respect of the examination and audit.
Similar to the role played by the Federal and Provincial Auditor Generals, the Audit Department occupies a unique position in the City of Winnipeg. Independent of the Administration, the City Auditor reports directly to City Council through the Audit Committee (EPC). Independence is an essential component to building public trust and preserving the objectivity and integrity associated with the audit function.
While independence is an important component of our relationship with the organization as a whole, and essential to achievement of our legislative mandate, we recognize that we must maintain a cooperative relationship with the Administration if our recommendations are to lever positive change. We can only realize our role as change agents if we achieve credibility and the respect of the Administration. In this capacity, we continue to perform an internal audit function. Internal audit is defined as “an objective assurance and consulting activity that is guided by a philosophy of adding value to improve the operations of the organization. It assists an organization in accomplishing its objectives by bringing a systematic and disciplined approach to evaluate and improve the effectiveness of the organization’s risk management, control and governance processes”.
As the mandate and role of the Department expanded in the early 1990’s, Audit increasingly became a proactive partner in driving cultural and strategic change in the organization. Issues we were involved with became more diverse, complex, strategic and political. Audit continued to update its products and services and increasingly looked for innovative ways to continue to be relevant and add value for our clients. And in doing so, we had great success in influencing organizational change. The Department was instrumental in initiating a number of corporate change initiatives that significantly impacted the cultural environment. We produced comprehensive reports on the budget, business planning and alternative service delivery processes. We led the Focus on Winnipeg Services project that, for the first time, created a list of public services that the City provides its citizens. The new Chief Administrative Officer and staff used this model and the department’s reports as a platform for implementing major initiatives such as corporate and business planning, performance measurement and budget reform.
At the same time, we recognized that we had to balance our participative approach with our responsibilities as legislative auditors. This was not an easy task to accomplish as recent events in the United States and Canada have proven. Both countries are looking at regulatory changes to ensure that auditors do not compromise their independence in their enthusiasm to work with their clients in a consulting capacity to help them achieve their business objectives.
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