Ontario announces new oversight plans for child welfare before audits conclude [Video]

The Ford government is pushing forward changes to how child welfare organizations report financial decisions in newly tabled legislation — before a series of monetary investigations launched last fall have wrapped up.

On Thursday, Education Minister Paul Calandra tabled an omnibus bill focused on the province’s school boards, with changes included for children’s aid societies and universities as well.

As part of the bill, if passed, the government will require children’s aid societies to review and update their bylaws before making them publicly available. The government will also consult on how to make the time and content of board meetings public for the arms-length, taxpayer-funded organizations.

Regulations will follow the passing of the bill that will also increase oversight of some financial decisions made by children’s aid societies.

Those tweaks for children’s aid societies, the government said, will bring transparency to a sector which has been under the spotlight for some time.

“The changes we …