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Ontario NDP Leader Marit Stiles is asking the auditor general to open an investigation into the government’s decision to give Staples the contract to sell supplies to elementary school teachers.
In a letter sent Monday morning, Stiles raised questions about the value of a $66 million contract the government gave to the company to set up a portal for teachers to spend up to $750 each on equipment for their classroom.
“There are serious and growing concerns about the decision to make Staples the sole vendor for the new $750 classroom supplies fund, including the availability and pricing of supplies on the Staples portal, delays in the shipment of supplies, and delays and barriers to access for teachers who should be able to make purchases,” she wrote in her letter, requesting the probe.
After the portal was set up, some teachers began sharing reports that products were more expensive on the portal or flagging non-classoom products available for purchase.
“That’s to be expected, Staples is a corporation, they’re in it to make a profit, ” David Mastin, president of the Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario, previously told Global News.
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Ontario Education Minister Paul Calandra has acknowledged issues with the portal but said a core selection of classroom supplies was available at the lowest possible price.
“If they look at the products that they asked for — the 200 products that they said had to be on there — you will not find a cheaper price, I am very, very confident of that,” he previously said.
“I’m excited by this, teachers are excited by this. But it’s not meant to be perfect from day one, but it will get there.”
Calandra’s office emphasized the fact that the core list of products was at the lowest possible price, like 20 cents for a ruler, 10 cents for two erasers and 71 cents for a pack of highlighters.
Stiles is asking the auditor general to look into why Staples was given the contract without having to bid against others for it and whether it provides the best value-for-money for education dollars.
“Students learn best when their classrooms have the resources and materials they need. Teachers, students, and parents deserve to know if the Ministry of Education appropriately spent public dollars on its deal with Staples,” she wrote.
“An independent audit by your office would provide Ontarians with clarity, accountability and transparency.”
In a statement on Monday, Calandra’s office again defended the portal, how it had been rolled out and the choice of Staples to run it.
“After an open, fair and competitive process led by Supply Ontario, Staples Canada was selected as the vendor with competitive pricing, nearly half the price of the second-ranked bidder, significantly increasing value for taxpayer dollars,” a spokesperson wrote.
“Staples Canada has demonstrated it has the province-wide infrastructure, distribution network, technology and customer support needed to reliably deliver large quantities of classroom supplies to teachers quickly across Ontario, including to rural, Northern, remote and fly-in communities.”
The auditor general has wide-ranging powers to compel documents and look through government accounts to inform reports on value and best practice.
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