Cabinet minister Lloyd Hines says he’s “pleased” with an ombudsman’s report into his spending habits as a county warden, that was critical of his expense habits.
READ MORE: N.S. Ombudsman says Guysborough County spending built for ‘personal advantage’
In a report released Friday, Nova Scotia’s Ombudsman characterized the spending by Hines and other top officials in the municipality as “indulgent and opportunistic.”
For his part, Hines told reporters that he was “very pleased” with the report.
“It clearly indicates there was no misappropriation (of funds), there were no laws contravened,” he said.
But he sidestepped questions about whether he owed his constituents more of an explanation, or whether he thinks they are happy with what’s in the report.
“I wouldn’t be able to say on that,” Hines said. “We’ll see how they feel.”
Premier Stephen McNeil backed Hines, saying he had his full confidence.
“There’s no question the Ombudsman raised issues that we know are there with municipal spending … so we will have legislation that will come in that will reflect the tightening of the rules.”
Inside the legislature, Municipal Affairs Minister Zach Churchill also came to Hines’s defence while responding to questions from Tory backbencher Karla MacFarlane.
She said the Ombudsman’s report said Hines treated his spending privileges as “a luxury.”
“I do not agree with the characterization that member (MacFarlane) has presented,” said Churchill. “I know that member and I know that he serves the interests of his people always, and I know the Ombudsman’s report indicated there was no misappropriation of funds.”
Although the report found no wrongdoing, it said Hines used his corporate credit card to pay for thousands of dollars worth of personal purchases, which violated written policies. It also said the use of his card for cash advances amounted a form of short-term loans from the community.
The report noted that in every case of personal purchases, Hines repaid the money within the same month or in the following month to the Municipality of the District of Guysborough.
“Minister Hines has been working in our government and there’s been no inappropriate spending, and the Ombudsman in his report did not say the minister did anything illegal or wrong,” said McNeil.
–With a file from Marieke Walsh, Global News
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