Auditor General completes Audit of Temporary Shelters

HAMILTON, ON – The City of Hamilton’s Office of the Auditor General (OAG) completed an audit of the Barton-Tiffany Temporary Shelter, including an investigation and lessons learned.

The OAG found a lack of accountability, governance and control mechanisms in project execution and an absence of adequate oversight over project costs. There was also a lack of understanding the risks associated with the project and failure to have a strategy to mitigate or manage the related risks. 

“We conducted this audit in the hope that the City will capitalize on the experiences gained and lessons learned from this project,” said Charles Brown, Auditor General. “Overall, we found that the imperative of urgency overrode the importance of due diligence and good governance.” 

Lessons to be learned according to the OAG include the importance of adequate planning and due diligence, rigorous project management, having a project team with experience that aligns with the nature of the work and consistent use of contract tools. 

The OAG made 11 recommendations to help the City improve project delivery in future initiatives that may be similar in nature, and address lessons learned. 

Issues identified in the report include:

• Insufficient research of feasible alternatives, as well as a vendor search that was not done in an organized way
• City lacks standard processes for identifying and vetting vendors
• Inadequate project planning and management
• No strategy to identify and mitigate risks
• Contract management mechanisms and execution that were not effective in controlling costs and deliverables
• Delivery of shelter structures that did not meet Ontario regulatory standards and required costly modifications

Quick Facts: 

• The audit of the Barton-Tiffany Temporary Shelter project was launched by the Auditor General in 2025 as a spontaneous “lessons learned” value for money audit due to a number of Fraud and Waste Hotline reports that were received by the OAG regarding this project.
• This audit is Phase One of the broader Housing Services Audit that is part of the 2023-2026 Office of the Auditor General Work Plan (Report AUD23012, Appendix A).

Additional Resource:

• Report: AUD26002 Housing Audits: Barton-Tiffany Temporary Shelters Investigation and Lessons Learned | February 10, 2026