Nova Scotia’s top watchdog has given the government top marks on its implementation of past audit recommendations, in her office’s latest follow-up report released April 15, but notes important changes are still needed.
The latest annual report from auditor general Kim Adair tracked the completion rate on recommendations in 11 performance audits between 2020 and 2022. It found that, of those previous years, the government had completed 82 out of 103 recommendations and had raised its three-year implementation rate to 80 per cent up from 60 per cent in last year’s progress report. Adair told reporters Tuesday this represents “a huge leap.”
Adair called performance audit recommendations “a blueprint for organizations to improve their services and programs,” and these annual follow-up reports are done to track progress on those recommended changes.
She said the report provides “mixed commentary” because it notes some important recommendations remain incomplete, including two out of five from the 2020 audit of Government Wide Contaminated Sites without a timeline for completion; four out of four from the 2020 audit of QEII Halifax Infirmary expansion project; and 12 out of 20 from the 2022 audit of Oversight and Management of Government Owned Public Housing.
Overall, Tuesday’s report found the government had completed nearly three-quarters of her office’s recommendations from 2020 and 2022 performance audits, at 70 per cent and 74 per cent, respectively.
But the biggest achievement was in the government’s perfect score on implementing her office’s 26 out of 26 recommendations from 2021 performance audits, including those on Planning and Implementation of the Pre-Primary Program, Internet for Nova Scotia, Value for Money of Early COVID-19 Relief Programs for Individuals and Small Businesses and a two-phase audit of Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation.
“For the first time in the history of the follow-up report,” a process which began in 2002, “the government has received a perfect score on a year’s worth of audit recommendations,” Adair said Tuesday.
She added that the government’s commitment to implementing these changes “shows it values the work and the recommendations made by the office.”
In February, Adair held a different type of news conference over the first piece of legislation introduced in the House of Assembly’s spring sitting, which included changes that would have had a chilling effect on her office. Clauses within Bill 1 as introduced–An Act Respecting Government Organization and Administration–would have given the government the power to fire the auditor general without cause and to limit her office’s reports.
Directly after the bill was introduced, Adair called on Tim Houston’s government to walk back those changes, which they inevitably did. The much-maligned omnibus bill did pass through the House with several changes to legislation intact, such as the end of fixed election dates, the dissolution of Communications Nova Scotia and the ability for the government to dismiss non-unionized public sector workers without cause.
On Tuesday, Adair closed her report’s press conference by thanking her office’s staff for their work on the report, as well as giving thanks to the “many public servants across government and crown corporations who are key to our ability to do work like this every year.”
Low point, early progress seen in two outlier audits
Along with the typical review of previous years’ audits, Tuesday’s report included a summary of progress on 2023 performance audit recommendations as well as a more detailed examination of two audits outside of the 2020-2022 timeframe: the 2019 Selection and Quality Management of Bridge Projects in Central and Western District audit and the 2024 Health, Safety, and Well-Being of Children Placed in Temporary Emergency Arrangements and Child and Youth Care Homes audit.
Since 2019, only two of seven performance audit recommendations have been completed by the Department of Public Works towards the Bridge Projects audit. Adair calls this “a low point” in the report because of how much progress is still needed after half a decade.
This audit was done to assess whether there was an adequate process for selecting and assessing bridge projects across the province. The government agreed to implement all seven in 2019. As of Tuesday’s report, five recommendations are still outstanding, which include making sure bridge inspections are completed as required and using consistent criteria to manage bridge repairs and replacement. Adair said the government has committed publicly to completing all recommendations within a two-year timeframe of the audit
Her report notes the work that has been completed, which includes the department’s creation of a province-wide system to monitor bridge conditions and inspections.
“But we’re five years after that report and [its] recommendations,” Adair told reporters Tuesday. “And today they cannot say that in that province-wide system they have a complete inventory of the inspections of all of the province’s 4,200 bridges.” She notes that not all inspections across all districts and levels have been uploaded to the system.
She says it leads the public to wonder how the government is prioritizing bridge inspection and maintenance without comprehensive reporting in their province-wide system. “It’s a public safety issue,” said Adair, “so I’m surprised five years out, they do not have them done.”
In a different vein, Tuesday’s report found that early progress is being made on the 20 recommendations from the 2024 performance audit, the Health, Safety and Well-Being of Children Placed in Temporary Emergency Arrangements and Child and Youth Care Homes. performance audit of Child and Youth Care Homes.
This audit reviewed whether the Department of Opportunities and Social Development, formerly known as the Department of Community Services, was ensuring the health, safety and well-being of children placed in child and youth care homes and temporary emergency arrangements. Adair’s report says it included an early follow-up on this audit “because of the impact they have on a vulnerable population.”
The audit, which was released in May 2024, had found that the average stay for children in temporary spaces meant to be used for 4 days was 8 months.
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It also concluded there was weak oversight of children in temporary emergency arrangements, with necessary changes required to how children were met with and cared for, how critical incidents were monitored and assessed and how the department should hold service providers accountable for care provided.
Adair notes the department had accepted and committed to completing all of the audit’s recommendations when the report was released six months ago, and has since completed three, which it calls “notable progress.”
These include updating policies related to social worker contract requirements with children in temporary emergency arrangements, updating child and youth care home inspection policies and timelines for addressing violations, as well as reviewing whether correcting specific inspection violations will require more time, as required by policy.
The report notes the department is “committed to addressing the remaining 17 recommendations, with work underway.”
On Wednesday, Adair will present Tuesday’s follow-up report at the Legislature’s Public Accounts Committee at 9am.
This article appears in Apr 1-30, 2025.