Local Health Integration Networks or LHINs were created to manage provincial health care spending at the local level, but there has been much controversy surrounding their success.

There has been so much criticism, in fact, that the province's opposition parties have promised to get rid of them if elected.

Ontario PC Leader Tim Hudak said "We saw the LHINs squander these health care dollars on consultants, fat salaries an administrative costs."

Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath has called it "A damning indictment of a system that is unaccountable and completely unresponsive."

The LHINs were initially created to ensure decisions about health care spending would be made locally, not by bureaucrats in Toronto.

However, the opposition argues LHINs have become a costly layer of bureaucracy unto themselves.

The 14 LHINs in Ontario oversee two thirds of the provincial health care budget, which in 2011 was about $47 billion.

They decide how much money goes to each local organization, like hospitals, but in the five years since they were created by the Liberal government there have been several missteps.

Natalie Mehra is the director of the Ontario Health Coalition, a health watchdog group.

She says "The LHINs as they're currently constituted, we think, are very problematic and they should be eradicated."

She believes the primary purpose of the LHINs is to cut and consolidate services, not strengthen local health care.

"I think that the idea that the LHINs would create local decision-making is utter nonsense and I think it was never true from the beginning…In fact what they do do is provide a political buffer for the Minister of Health."

If that is the case, they don't seem to always do a very good job.

In August of 2010, Ontario Ombudsman Andre Marin harshly criticized a Niagara-area LHIN for passing an "illegal bylaw" allowing board members to discuss hospital restructuring behind closed doors.

Marin said "We don't want any cloak and dagger decision-making."

Marin's investigation revealed the closed door meetings were spreading to other LHINs and the government later ordered all of the LHINs to rescind the bylaws.

Then Liberal MPP John Milloy said "The LHINs have got up and running, they've evolved. I know locally the meetings are open, reports are published in the paper, members of the media are there."

In October 2010, CTV News reported on controversy at the Waterloo-Wellington LHIN (WWLHIN) over $10,000 spent for the group's chair to take management classes.

Kathy Durst, former board chair of the WWLHIN, said at the time "Proper oversight, learning about all facets of governance was important for this board, so this board approved that I attend this course."

The controversy went all the way to Queen's Park amid revelations Durst billed Ontario patients $81,000 in per diems, even though the job was part time.

And while that was disclosed, details surrounding the departure of the first CEO of the WWLHIN have not.

Sandra Hanmer left the organization abruptly in September 2010, but the three paragraph news release on her departure reveals little, and no information on whether she continues to be paid.

Applications made by CTV for information under the Freedom of Information Act were rejected by the LHIN in February 2011.

Despite an appeal and two revisions to the request, no information has been disclosed.

Milloy won't discuss it either, "I wasn't privy to any of the details. The LHINs have a certain degree of autonomy, they do have a community board."

The board also refuses to talk. After initially agreeing to an interview, the LHIN backed out saying their status as a Crown corporation prevents them from commenting on issues raised during an election campaign.

Meanwhile a mandatory review expected in March of 2010 was pushed back to July 2012, and that will likely only happen if the Liberals are re-elected.

Coming up in part two: What would the opposition parties do about the LHINs if elected?