Under its expanded Whistleblower Program expected to launch early in the new year, the City of Mississauga says residents will be able to confidentially report any concerns related to alleged fraud, waste or wrongdoing at the municipality.<\/p>\n
A new fraud and waste hotline to be in place within the first three months of 2027 will provide city employees and members of the public with \u201can independent and confidential reporting mechanism that strengthens accountability and reinforces public trust in the integrity of city operations,\u201d a staff report presented to city councillors late last month stated.<\/p>\n
Senior city staff said at a late September meeting that as reports\/complaints are received, they\u2019ll be initially assessed by a team comprised of staff in the internal audit, legal services and human resources departments.<\/p>\n
From there, officials will decide if the matter will be investigated internally or if an external investigator will be brought in.<\/p>\n
Should the complaint involve a higher-ranking city official, such as the city manager, a commissioner or senior manager, the matter would in all likelihood be turned over to an investigator outside the municpality.<\/p>\n
Such cases that involve \u201canybody in the higher positions would require, most likely, an external investigator to make sure that the independence is there when the investigation happens,\u201d city staff said.<\/p>\n
The City of Mississauga established its Whistleblower Program in 2014 to provide employees with an independent and confidential mechanism to anonymously report workplace wrongdoing, the staff report from Amy Truong, the city\u2019s internal audit director, noted.<\/p>\n
\u201cOver the past decade, the program has supported accountability, ethical conduct and a workplace culture where concerns can be raised without fear of reprisal,\u201d Truong\u2019s report continued.<\/p>\n
In March 2026, Mississauga city council approved enhancements to the program that included \u201cexpanding reporting access to members of the public.\u201d<\/p>\n
The enhancements \u201care intended to strengthen transparency and public confidence in the city\u2019s governance and oversight framework,\u201d the report further stated.<\/p>\n
Once up and running, the new hotline will provide city workers and the public with a confidential way in which to report concerns related to fraud, waste or wrongdoing \u201cthat may affect the integrity, accountability and effective stewardship of city operations,\u201d Truong wrote in the report.<\/p>\n
Hiring of auditor general considered\u00a0<\/p>\n
City councillors and staff also discussed back in March the idea of hiring an auditor general to ensure accountability to the public<\/a>.<\/p>\n While the notion, in principle, received support, most councillors said they wanted to further study such a move before making a final decision.<\/p>\n An auditor general is an independent official who examines government operations and spending in an attempt to ensure accountability, transparency and proper use of public funds.<\/p>\n The cities of Toronto, Ottawa and Hamilton already have such an official in place while Mississauga and Brampton do not.<\/p>\n