The "one step forward, two steps back" expression usually applies in the ongoing struggle to try and make more government information public. It seems that once legislation is enacted to ensure more freedom of information, government and/or corporations discover new ways to stall releasing information or find legal loopholes.

So it was a very pleasant surprise to see that the provincial information and privacy commissioner has made it clear that companies that are doing business with hospitals must disclose financial and performance details of their contracts.

The issue arose when the Hospital Employees' Union made requests for details on outsourcing contracts in hospitals. The contracts involve cleaning and patient food services. The companies argued that to make financial information public would seriously impair their ability to compete and win those contracts.

The Liberal government has been supporting the fight to keep that information private for close to a decade. But Elizabeth Denham, the commissioner, said, "Health authority outsourcing contracts must be disclosed."

Will the Liberals try one more time to keep that information under wraps? Perhaps. But we hope not.

Companies such as Sodexo Canada are not working for the Liberal government - or the hospitals. They are, in fact, working on the public's dime - taxpayer money. The public deserves to know how its money is being spent, but also whether they are getting good value and service for their tax dollars. And, perhaps equally important, the public needs to know what standards of service have been agreed to in those contracts and how the government is evaluating performance. We applaud Denham for her ruling.

Now, let's see what we've been paying for and if we've gotten value for our tax dollars.