Evangeline Colman-Sadd, auditor general for the Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM), released two reports on Tuesday that reviewed the city’s approach to water safety and surplus buildings.
The reports are the second and third reviews produced by Colman-Sadd’s department since she was appointed to the role in September 2016.
READ MORE: Halifax needs to improve how it manages contracts, finds auditor general
Water safety review
According to the auditor general’s report, Halifax Water’s management of safe drinking water in the municipality is reasonably well handled with the utility regularly performing water quality tests and swiftly taking action if drinking water safety is compromised.
However, Colman-Sadd also notes that Halifax Water needs to improve its reporting process to the Nova Scotia Environment Department, the provincial regulator, as reports are sometimes not completed or prepared accurately.
If action is required by the environment department, then the status of that action must be tracked by Halifax Water to ensure regulatory compliance.
Another detail in the report was that three former employees still had access to the utility’s web-based system used to track and compare results of water quality samples.
The issue was corrected as soon as the auditor general’s office notified management at Halifax Water.
WATCH: Halifax councillors debrief on contentious council meeting
Surplus buildings and land
According to the auditor general, the HRM is not regularly reviewing which buildings it owns in order to identify what it no longer needs, leaving the municipality and regional council without the necessary information to make key decisions.
According to Colman-Sadd, the municipality should regularly provide regional council with a list of properties that have been declared surplus, what the costs are associated with the keeping of the building and the property’s current status.
Some surplus buildings that were involved in the audit by the auditor general stayed under the HRM’s control for at least two years, costing the municipality $2.5 million since 2013.
The review also found that the HRM was regularly selling buildings as-is, without disclosing known environmental risks, such as underground fuel tanks, previous oil spills and hazardous building materials.
Colman-Sadd said the municipality should change this policy and inform possible buyers of any environmental risks in the future.
Comments