“We have to do more with less. That will apply across the board. It will have to apply to the very good work [of the child advocate], it will have to apply to my office, it will have to apply to the auditor general’s office. That’s the way it’s going
Continue readingTag: Auditor-General
Northern Insight / Perceptivity: All the spin that’s fit to print
This week, British Columbia saw evidence that corporate media does not report adverse details about public finance unless the material is dropped on desks in digested form, complete with defensive spin from government or industry. The issue of BC taxpayer subsidies to the oil and gas industry is not new.
Continue readingNorthern Insight / Perceptivity: Don’t follow the law, change the law
British Columbia’s Auditor General reported to the BC Legislature and there is interesting commentary throughout. Carol Bellringer qualified her opinion as to the fairness of the province’s financial statements and professional accountants regard that as not-good. “This year, our audit opinion on the Summary Financial Statements contains twoqualifications, or areas
Continue readingSusan on the Soapbox: The Tory Airplane Scandal–Excuses, Excuses
“I am optimistic that your review will assist in securing Albertans’ continued confidence in their government and trust in their elected officials.”—Premier Redford’s letter to the Auditor General requesting a review of her compliance with the Travel and Expense policy, Mar 4, 2014 Ms Redford Ms Redford’s optimism quickly turned
Continue readingdaveberta.ca - Alberta politics: Alison Redford resigns as MLA for Calgary-Elbow
TweetOne-hundred and thirty-six days after Alison Redford was forced to resign as Premier of Alberta, she has announced that she will resign as the MLA for Calgary-Elbow. Through an opinion-editorial published in the Edmonton Journal and Calgary Herald, the former premier defended her record as premier and refused to apologize
Continue readingSusan on the Soapbox: Alberta’s Climate Change Strategy Goes Up in Smoke
Alberta’s Auditor General blew a gasket. He called the government’s performance on climate change strategy “troubling” and “disturbing”. Hey, he’s a mild mannered accountant; this is as in-your-face as he gets. Our feisty Auditor General Mr Saher kicked off the July 2014 audit report with a lesson on the role
Continue readingdaveberta.ca - Alberta politics: Airplane scandal takes off as Tory support, fundraising effort nose dives
TweetYesterday’s Speech from the Throne was old news as scandal erupted today over Premier Alison Redford’s alleged inappropriate use of government-owned airplanes. After facing criticism over her $45,000 trip to South Africa and a $9,200 trip from Palm Springs, Ms. Redford struggled to control the story today by announcing plans
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: Terry Paddon’s Report #nlpoli
If you want to understand what the provincial government’s audited financial statements really mean, you will have to skip Tom Marshall’s comments last week and look instead at the lengthy set of observations from the Auditor General released on Friday. Paddon’s comments are especially important for two reasons. First of
Continue readingSusan on the Soapbox: The Auditor General’s Report: Alberta’s “Enron” Moment
God bless Merwan Saher, Alberta’s Auditor General! He grabbed the government by the scruff of the neck and gave it a shake for dragging us into the abyss of “Enron” accounting. Sadly, the government refuses to budge and opaque financial reporting will continue. Merwan Saher has been a government auditor
Continue readingThe Canadian Progressive: NDP demands action on missing $3.1 billion in anti-terrorism funding
By: Obert Madondo | The Canadian Progressive: Last week, the Auditor General reported that the Harper Conservatives can’t account for $3.1 billion of the $12.9 billion allocated to the Public Security and Anti-Terrorism Initiative [PSAT] for the period 2001 to 2010. The New Democrats are demanding action and accountability. Via a motion that was scheduled for
Continue readingThe Canadian Progressive: Search and Rescue personnel deserve applause, says Union
By: Union of Canadian Transportation Employees | Press Release: OTTAWA, May 1, 2013 – The Union that represents Search and Rescue specialists with the Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) is not surprised at the… The post Search and Rescue personnel deserve applause, says Union appeared first on The Canadian Progressive.
Continue readingNorthern Insight: BC Auditor General site down Mar 29-30
Since the website of the British Columbia Auditor General is inaccessible early morning March 30, and was down late March 29, I provide this access to recent reports from the Auditor General. An Audit of Carbon Neutral Government by NRF_Vancouver An Audit of Air Ambulance Services in B.C. by NRF_Vancouver
Continue readingNorthern Insight: Pacific Carbon Trust officials must resign
Finance Minister Mike de Jong must demand resignations of the senior executives and directors of Pacific Carbon Trust. They are officials of a publicly owned enterprise but instead dedicated their loyalty to vested interests that do business with PCT. Additionally, director Mike Watson appears to have a conflict of interest
Continue readingNorthern Insight: From the audit of carbon neutral government
“… [Carbon] offsets can only be credible in B.C. if, among other things, the revenue from their sale is the tipping point in moving forward on a project. It must be an incentive, not a subsidy, for the reduction of GHGs. Yet neither project was able to demonstrate that the
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: One Newsroom. Two Stories. @nlpoli
For the English crowed in Newfoundland and Labrador, @cbcnl gave its audience one story from the Auditor General’s report. They focused on horrendous salary increases in one government agency. From the Radio Canada desk in the same newsroom comes a completely different story that fits exactly with the Big Story
Continue readingPolitics, Re-Spun: Who’s Running BC?
It has been a month of amateurish politics starting with the government posting the auditor-general’s job. Then this week the government backed down several steps to keep from ejecting the well-respected A-G John Doyle from his chair with an attempt at saving face by changing the legislation surrounding his appointment.
Continue readingNorthern Insight: Deception and financial fakery for friends
A few days ago, I wrote Cronies, henchmen and the future and noted the loss of revenue government derives from natural resources, even though prices have risen dramatically in the past decade. BC Government revenue from natural resources, taken from annual public accounts, were these: 2001 = $3,975,000,000 2012 = $2,699,000,000
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Tuesday Morning Links
This and that for your Tuesday reading. – Don Lenihan responds to Allan Gregg’s recent critique of Canadian politics, featuring this on the connection that ought to exist between ideology and policy: First, the fact that a policy is based on ideological conviction does not mean it is opposed to
Continue readingNorthern Insight: What’s hidden from the Auditor General ?
Vancouver Sun’s excellent business writer David Baines considers tax implications of government paying $6 million in legal fees for convicted criminals Basi & Virk. $6-million question: Should corrupt aides pay tax for defence? David Baines, Vancouver Sun, June 23, 2012 “Is the $6 million in legal fees that taxpayers paid
Continue readingImpolitical: Today in secret deliberations
Something to watch for today as the Conservatives keep digging their democratic deficit, the Commons public accounts committee meets to decide the future of the F-35 hearings. Not in public, mind you! Where do you think you are? The committee is scheduled to meet again Thursday behind closed doors. The
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