When Premier Christy Clark announced she was creating an Auditor General for Local Government, we at the Canadian Taxpayers Federation were thrilled. Finally, cities and regional districts would be given the same level of scrutiny as the provincial and federal government.
Clark’s announcement, if you can believe it, came two-and-a-half years ago. Eighteen months ago, Basia Ruta was appointed B.C.’s first AGLG.
And we still have yet to see a single report out of the AGLG. This, despite the fact her original timeline promised 18 audits (bundled into two broad themes – purchasing and policing) by the end of March 2014.
Now, the Times Colonist is reporting that it will be another year before the public gets to see the policing audit. On purchasing, the AGLG promises one community’s audit within a few days, and the other five purchasing audits by August 31.
Promises, promises: just get on with it.
However, the T-C dropped a very interesting tidbit:
Auditors uncovered a “pressing issue” that required immediate attention and diverted resources, the office states in its most recent service plan. It did not say what the issue was.
Intriguing, but a memo to the AGLG: Our patience is wearing thin. Time to deliver some results.
Is Canada Off Track?
Canada has problems. You see them at gas station. You see them at the grocery store. You see them on your taxes.
Is anyone listening to you to find out where you think Canada’s off track and what you think we could do to make things better?
You can tell us what you think by filling out the survey