The auditor general’s latest report is a less-than-flattering assessment of the checks and balances designed to keep the provincial government’s fiscal house in order.
The report looks at the across-the-board financial statements for 2024 and whether oversight and operations are as efficient as they could be.
Apparently not, says AG Denise Hanrahan, noting for starters almost a third of her recommendations from last year have yet to be implemented.
Of chief concern are issues of conflict of interest, missed reporting deadlines, and attempted fraud, especially involving the one-time cost-of-living cheques.
The roughly $50 million paid in signing bonuses for nurses and doctors also raised red flags, with the AG saying monitoring of that money has been “insufficient.”
Auditor General Denise Hanrahan. (VOCM News)
Then there’s the nearly $2 million in salary overpayments, which has tripled for the civil service since 2019.
Elsewhere, the Francophone school board came under fire for “serious delays” with this and last year’s financial statements.
And the province’s $18-billion debt is also on Hanrahan’s mind, noting government “again plans to spend beyond its means next year.”
She also sounded an ominous tone on rate mitigation and power bills, stating “the future impacts are unknown and may be significant.”
