Dozens of organized crime groups have “influence” in the public sector, according to a federal report.. Prison cell .“Overall, the quantity of criminal connections is less important than the quality of those relationships,” said the Public Report on Organized Crime in Canada by the Criminal Intelligence Service (CIS). .“Some of the more interconnected networks include higher level organized crime.”.Police counted 29 organized criminal groups it suspected “have influence or access within Canadian public sector agencies or departments primarily at the local or regional levels.” It did not name them..“Some industries have inherent risks associated with them such as privileged and sensitive information and monetary gains through government contracts which could be more attractive to organized crime groups including businesses associated with transport, warehousing and construction,” said the report..The report authors said there were some 30 Mafia networks based mainly in Toronto, Hamilton and Montréal. Another 134 street gangs “continue to be the most violent subset of organized crime groups,” mainly in British Columbia, the Greater Toronto Area and Montréal..Drug smugglers, including fentanyl dealers, numbered 350 different gangs, said Organized Crime. Drug traffickers were mainly based in British Columbia and Ontario..“For the first time, organized crime groups in Atlantic Canada are reported to be involved in fentanyl distribution,” said the report..In a 2022 report, the same agency complained it lacked information on the scope of gangland influence in the public sector..“This represents a significant intelligence gap and the actual proportion is likely higher as the involvement of almost two-thirds of the assessed organized crime groups in this sector is unknown,” said the 2022 report..“Of those who are, some have ties with municipalities through associates or personal relations within major Canadian cities.”.“Corrupt activities in government processes can increase project costs by up to 50% and risk damaging public confidence,” concluded the CIS, but provided no examples..According to Blacklock’s Reporter, the report follows a 2020 appeal by a retired Québec prosecutor to closely monitor federal contracting..“As a taxpayer, I have to wonder what control measures were implemented to prevent any inflated pricing, potential fraud and waste,” said Denis Gallant, deputy counsel at the 2011 Charbonneau Commission..Gallant testified at the Commons Ethics committee and warned that “nobody is ensuring oversight of the process” in federal contracting..“We went through those scandals,” Gallant said..Québec’s Commission of Inquiry on the Awarding and Management of Public Contracts in the Construction Industry prompted hundreds of criminal charges and the resignations of three mayors in the province.
Dozens of organized crime groups have “influence” in the public sector, according to a federal report.. Prison cell .“Overall, the quantity of criminal connections is less important than the quality of those relationships,” said the Public Report on Organized Crime in Canada by the Criminal Intelligence Service (CIS). .“Some of the more interconnected networks include higher level organized crime.”.Police counted 29 organized criminal groups it suspected “have influence or access within Canadian public sector agencies or departments primarily at the local or regional levels.” It did not name them..“Some industries have inherent risks associated with them such as privileged and sensitive information and monetary gains through government contracts which could be more attractive to organized crime groups including businesses associated with transport, warehousing and construction,” said the report..The report authors said there were some 30 Mafia networks based mainly in Toronto, Hamilton and Montréal. Another 134 street gangs “continue to be the most violent subset of organized crime groups,” mainly in British Columbia, the Greater Toronto Area and Montréal..Drug smugglers, including fentanyl dealers, numbered 350 different gangs, said Organized Crime. Drug traffickers were mainly based in British Columbia and Ontario..“For the first time, organized crime groups in Atlantic Canada are reported to be involved in fentanyl distribution,” said the report..In a 2022 report, the same agency complained it lacked information on the scope of gangland influence in the public sector..“This represents a significant intelligence gap and the actual proportion is likely higher as the involvement of almost two-thirds of the assessed organized crime groups in this sector is unknown,” said the 2022 report..“Of those who are, some have ties with municipalities through associates or personal relations within major Canadian cities.”.“Corrupt activities in government processes can increase project costs by up to 50% and risk damaging public confidence,” concluded the CIS, but provided no examples..According to Blacklock’s Reporter, the report follows a 2020 appeal by a retired Québec prosecutor to closely monitor federal contracting..“As a taxpayer, I have to wonder what control measures were implemented to prevent any inflated pricing, potential fraud and waste,” said Denis Gallant, deputy counsel at the 2011 Charbonneau Commission..Gallant testified at the Commons Ethics committee and warned that “nobody is ensuring oversight of the process” in federal contracting..“We went through those scandals,” Gallant said..Québec’s Commission of Inquiry on the Awarding and Management of Public Contracts in the Construction Industry prompted hundreds of criminal charges and the resignations of three mayors in the province.
