TORONTO — Ontario’s Auditor General has released a series of reports highlighting major concerns across several provincial systems, including the Family Responsibility Office, commercial truck driver licensing, DriveTest oversight, artificial intelligence use in government and special education services.The audits found recurring problems involving weak oversight, inconsistent enforcement, poor accountability and gaps in quality control.Here are some of the most significant findings from the Auditor General’s 2026 reports..1. Family Responsibility Office took an average of 8.5 months to register support ordersThe Family Responsibility Office (FRO), which enforces child and spousal support orders for more than 116,000 Ontario families, failed to meet its own timelines in most cases.Auditors found 92% of support orders reviewed in 2024/25 were not registered within FRO’s four-month target. On average, registration took 8.5 months, while 22% of cases took longer than a year. The report warned delayed registration can prevent families from receiving court-ordered support payments needed for housing, food and other necessities.2. FRO was holding $14.1 million in overpaymentsThe audit found FRO was holding approximately $14.1 million in overpayments collected from payors across nearly 15,000 cases. Some overpayments exceeded $25,000, and one surpassed $53,000. Auditors found garnishments often continued after arrears had already been paid off.The report also found $2.1 million in overpayments tied to closed cases, including some dating back decades.3. Caseworkers failed to answer 65% of incoming callsCustomer service failures were another major finding in the FRO audit.In 2024, case management officers failed to answer 65% of incoming calls directed to them. Nearly 24% of voicemails were not returned within the required two business days. Auditors also found some staff were logged into the phone system for significantly fewer hours than required.4. Forty-three former FRO employees still had access to confidential databasesThe Auditor General found serious privacy and access-control issues at FRO.Auditors discovered 43 former employees still retained access to sensitive government and third-party databases after leaving the organization. FRO had also failed to conduct required audits of database access over the previous five years.5. Truck-driving schools issued training certificates without completing mandatory trainingThe audit into Ontario’s commercial truck driver licensing system found serious weaknesses in training oversight.Auditors found some truck-driving schools issued Entry Level Training certificates even when students had not completed the required 103.5 hours of instruction. Some students were not properly trained in critical skills such as emergency stopping, reversing and left turns at intersections.6. Commercial trucks account for 12% of fatal collisions despite being only 3% of vehiclesThe truck-driver licensing audit noted that large commercial trucks make up only about 3% of vehicles on Ontario roads but were involved in 12% of fatal collisions between 2019 and 2023. The Auditor General concluded Ontario lacked effective systems to evaluate whether truck-driver training and licensing programs were improving road safety.7. DriveTest centres used inconsistent testing standardsThe audit also criticized inconsistencies across Ontario DriveTest centres.Some centres tested highway driving at speeds of only 50 to 70 km/h instead of 100 km/h, while some did not properly test reversing manoeuvres. Auditors warned inconsistent testing standards could allow underprepared drivers onto Ontario roads.8. Ontario government staff accessed hundreds of unsafe AI websitesThe Auditor General’s audit into artificial intelligence use in government found Ontario Public Service employees accessed hundreds of AI websites on government devices without adequate safeguards.Auditors found 244 of 400 AI websites accessed by staff were considered unsafe or unsecured. The report warned ministries lacked controls preventing staff from accidentally uploading confidential or sensitive government information into external AI systems.9. AI medical-note systems frequently generated inaccurate informationThe AI audit also examined AI “scribe” tools used in health care to summarize doctor-patient conversations.Testing found:45% of systems hallucinated information that was never discussed;60% recorded incorrect medication information; and85% omitted important mental-health details. Examples included fabricated diagnoses, invented treatment plans and inaccurate descriptions of patient conditions.10. Special education oversight lacked consistency across Ontario schoolsThe Auditor General’s special education audit found inconsistent support for students with disabilities and learning needs across Ontario school boards.Auditors found many Individual Education Plans lacked individualized accommodations, measurable goals and proper parent involvement. The report also raised concerns about staffing shortages, classroom safety, delays identifying students requiring supports and inconsistent training for educators.The Auditor General concluded Ontario lacked consistent provincial oversight to ensure equitable special-education services across school boards.
