Peel Region has hired its first auditor general. The new office will run independent value-for-money audits of the regional government that delivers policing, water, housing and social services in Mississauga.

The region announced on Monday, Jan. 26, that Nick Stavropoulos will take the job on March 2. Peel council set up the independent Office of the Auditor General in 2025. The region says the role is meant to strengthen financial controls and public trust in how it manages its $6.2-billion annual budget.

What the job involves

Under Ontario's Municipal Act, the auditor general works independently of the regional administration and its chief administrative officer and reports directly to regional council. The region listed these duties:

  • Performance audits to check that regional departments run efficiently

  • Oversight of how public money is managed

  • An annual audit plan, with findings reported to council

  • Finding chances for savings and better operations across regional infrastructure and social services

Stavropoulos has more than 25 years in the public sector, including 24 at the Office of the Auditor General of Ontario. There he served as chief operating officer, assistant auditor general, deputy auditor general and acting auditor general. Most recently he was chief financial officer of Supply Ontario, the province's procurement agency.

The establishment of this office brings Peel in line with the highest standards of municipal governance in Canada.

— Nando Iannicca, Peel Regional Chair and CEO

Why it matters in Mississauga

Most of a Mississauga property tax bill goes to the region, not the city. The city says 48 cents of every tax dollar goes to Peel Region for police and other services, compared with 37 cents kept by the city. The region says Toronto, Ottawa and Vancouver already have auditors general under similar models.

Audit oversight has also come up at Mississauga City Hall during this year's budget talks. At the Jan. 20 budget committee meeting, city staff responded to a residents' association's written questions about the city's audit committee compared with an independent auditor general, and about how to request a value-for-money audit. The new regional office covers Peel Region, not city departments, which answer to Mississauga's own audit committee.