Ontario Provincial Police officers are investigating suspicions that companies rigged bids for City of Toronto paving contracts to drive up profits while costing taxpayers millions of dollars, the Star has learned.The allegations were uncovered by city auditor general Beverly Romeo-Beehler, whose briefing to city councillors Thursday left many alarmed by warnings of lax internal controls and predicting her ongoing probe will unearth more evidence of possible corruption.“I`m concerned that this is the tip of a slippery slope,” said Councillor Josh Matlow, adding that signs of “fraudulent and insidious behaviour both externally and internally is just the beginning of this story, not the end.”Romeo-Beehler previously said she was so alarmed by findings of possible contractor collusion to drive up paving prices that she had referred her findings to police but refused to say if it resulted in any action.The Star confirmed Thursday that provincial police are looking at the possibility of criminal conduct.“The OPP has been contacted and we are in fact carrying out an investigation,” acting Staff Sgt. Peter Leon, spokesperson for the OPP, said in an interview, declining to provide details on the ongoing probe.Romeo-Beehler scoped paving contracts awarded by the city to private companies between January 2010 to June 2015 to ensure the tendering process is fair and competitive, after an earlier audit raised concerns.She found indicators of companies allegedly colluding to ensure inflated bids would win some contracts, with winning companies apparently rewarding losing firms with lucrative sub-contracts. The auditor general also suspects possible legal “unbalanced bidding” — schemes including contractors submitting apparently low bids knowing work involved will eclipse the city estimate and drive up their eventual profits.The audit found examples of inappropriate conduct by city staff “entrusted to indep ...
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