Nova Scotia Auditor Questions Province Ceding Control Of COVID-19 Relief Program

By The Staff The Canadian Press

Posted November 23, 2021 12:26 pm

1:56Nova Scotia to launch program offering tax relief to hotel owners

After a dry tourism season during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Nova Scotia government has announced new support for struggling hotels, motels and inns. As Elizabeth McSheffrey reports, they’ll have to have enough cash to pay their bills first – Oct 29, 2020 Nova Scotia’s auditor general is commending the province for quickly establishing COVID-19 relief funds, but she questions a $100-million contract given to Dalhousie University to administer some programs.

Kim Adair says that ceding control of the programs helping individuals and businesses meant the province was no longer able to redirect money if all the funding earmarked for relief programs was not needed.

She says in her report released today that the program was well managed by the university, but her office is concerned that unspent funds will never return to the province.

The report says more than half of the $100 million is currently either unallocated or relates to loan guarantees, which may also remain unused at the end of the agreement.

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The audit, also found no evidence of monitoring of $30 million in emergency childcare grants from the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development.

Adair says the audit covering March to September 2020 found no significant errors or fraud, but the absence of guidelines on how to allocate the funds left the province open to risk.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 23, 2021.