UPDATE 1:19 PM TUESDAY: I just had a phone call from Minister Ida Chong's office, letting me know that the MAG legislation won't be introduced today after all, but will definitely come later this week, as the House rises on Thursday. Thanks to the Ministry for the clarification.

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The long-awaited, highly-anticipated, mildly-contested Municipal Auditor General law will be introduced by the BC Liberal Government today. Thanks to some smart procedural wrangling, it will stay on the order paper over the Christmas break and come to the Legislature for a full debate in the new year.

As the Times Colonist notes, the Municipal Auditor General (MAG) is a contentious issue for some mayors and councillors across the region. As most of you know, at the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, we are generally allergic to growing government in any way, shape or form, but the MAG is different—this is a much-needed addition to the accountability of how city halls spend our property taxes. It was so important, we made it a key part of our Contract with Taxpayers.

Here are three reasons why a MAG will be helpful:

1. City leaders will finally hear about what didn’t work in other communities. Municipalities are pretty good at getting their success stories out. We know what the best practices are in things like sewer, water, garbage, recreation, and policing. But municipalities are also pretty good at keeping their worst practices hidden away. These need to be advertised, not to punish, but to inform other communities about what isn’t working, so the same mistakes aren’t replicated. Every project, every contract should be a tool to learn more and expand the knowledge base of every community.

2. The provincial government will be held accountable too. City leaders are quick to point fingers at Victoria and Ottawa, and blame rising tax increases on “downloading” of services. If this is true, mayors and councils will soon have a MAG to bring their cases to. This will shine a light on the costs and consequences of provincial and federal decisions on local government. It never hurts to have an impartial referee give an issue a second look.

3. Citizens will have a higher authority to appeal to. If something is rotten at City Hall, if something seems to be broken, residents will soon have someone available to look at the problem with fresh eyes. The MAG may dismiss their concern, but at least it was looked at. Sunshine is the best disinfectant, as the saying goes, so having light on an issue is an important piece of keeping our leaders accountable.