The Interns had the privilege of meeting Peter Weltman, Ontario’s Financial Accountability Officer. Mr. Weltman spoke about his extensive experience in business and working at the Parliamentary Budget Office in Ottawa prior to his current role as the Financial Accountability Officer.
Mr. Weltman shared with us the important role of the Financial Accountability Office as a non-partisan Office of the Legislative Assembly, providing independent analysis on the state of the province's finances and trends in the provincial economy. Throughout the conversation, Mr. Weltman emphasized the importance of centering the needs of Ontarians and keeping their interests in mind in all the work that the FAO does.
We were astonished to learn that during the COVID-19 pandemic, the FAO published a record 24 reports in 2020 due to the drastic changes in the economic and fiscal situation of the government. Mr. Weltman discussed his passion for translating financial information for everyday Ontarians, referring to some of the FAO’s strategies that include Fiscal Friday social media posts, the launch of their first newsletter, FAO Monthly Round-Up in March 2021, and infographics that have helped make this information more accessible to the public.
It was very interesting to hear about the role of the FAO in overseeing financial activity within the government, and the importance of always keeping the Ontario government accountable. Many of us are interested in working within the financial branches of the public sector, so we were excited to hear first-hand about the unique work of the FAO. Thank you, Mr. Weltman, for sharing your incredibly valuable insights and time with us!