HALIFAX 鈥� Nova Scotia鈥檚 auditor general called out the provincial government on Tuesday, saying it has been so slow to act on her office鈥檚 recommendations that she questions whether it is committed to following through.
In a new followup report, Kim Adair said the government has implemented 60 per cent of the recommendations from audits in 2019, 2020 and 2021 鈥� a rate she called unsatisfactory. Furthermore, she said, the government鈥檚 response rate dropped during that period from 76 per cent in 2019 to 45 per cent in 2020 and 42 per cent in 2021.
鈥淟ately we鈥檝e found government implementation of auditor general recommendations is slipping,鈥� Adair told reporters. 鈥淚n fact, the completion rate 鈥� has slipped so much in the past three years it raises questions about government鈥檚 commitment to get them done.鈥�
Adair鈥檚 report is particularly critical of the Department of Public Works, which has completed just one of seven recommendations from 2019 to improve the management of bridge projects. The report by former auditor general Michael Pickup concluded the department wasn鈥檛 providing its managers with the information needed to make decisions about the replacement, rehabilitation and maintenance of the province鈥檚 4,200 bridges.
Adair said that when the audit was released, the department promised to implement all seven recommendations within two years, including to inspect bridges as required and prioritize bridge repair and replacement with consistent criteria.
鈥淥bviously the department missed those deadlines several times over,鈥� Adair said.
The department now says it will have all the recommendations completed this month, she said, adding that her office plans to verify next year.
鈥淏ecause in my view there鈥檚 safety concerns with bridge repairs 鈥� so we鈥檙e going to go back on that one,鈥� she said.聽
In an October 2023 response to Adair鈥檚 office, the Department of Public Works said it had hired an engineer to manage structural assets, had collected, analyzed and validated bridge data, and had reviewed all bridges for ownership, inspection and maintenance responsibilities. It said it had also started to develop a new software system with accurate and accessible bridge information that was expected to be accessible by May 2024.
Meanwhile, Adair鈥檚 report also found that six recommendations are still outstanding from a 2021 audit on the province鈥檚 pre-kindergarten program, including to ensure that all staff background checks are properly completed.
Other audits she highlighted included reports in 2019 and 2020 on the QE II Health Sciences Centre redevelopment project, in which five of nine recommendations hadn鈥檛 been completed, and in 2020 and 2021 on the Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation, for which 11 of 22 recommendations were still outstanding.
Adair said she was at a loss to explain the reasons for the lack of government compliance.
鈥淵ou almost have to look at each audit individually and the department involved 鈥� I hope that things improve and that there is a more serious commitment,鈥� she said.
Liberal member Braedon Clark said the numbers released by the auditor general are concerning and are 鈥渢rending in the wrong direction.鈥�
鈥淚f the recommendations are put on a shelf and forgotten, that鈥檚 a pretty dangerous thing,鈥� Clark said. 鈥淎ll governments ignore things that probably they shouldn鈥檛 and that鈥檚 no excuse, but that鈥檚 often what happens in politics.鈥�
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 7, 2024.
Keith Doucette, The Canadian Press
