No one is being held accountable for the failures within the municipality, according the Canadian Taxpayers Federation. Alberta Director Derek Fildebrandt says KPMG’s external audit should have been more detailed.
“The audit scratches only the surface, it talks about the big picture stuff but it doesn’t name names. It doesn’t hold anyone accountable. It talks about all the problems but it doesn’t go through and look at who did what when,” says Fildebrandt.
On Tuesday, KPMG presented the Accountability, Integrity and Transparency Audit report during a council meeting. It focused on eight areas the RMWB fell short on between Jan. 1, 2011 and May 30, 2014. Auditors say in many cases, there was a lack of policy or procedures or guidelines were severely outdated.
“It’s making it pretty clear that it is an amateur hour,” says Fildebrandt. “It’s frankly a joke of a government in some senses; not a even a basic set of rules for expenses, not even a basic set of rules surrounding severances.”
The CTF was the first to expose the severances and expenses of RMWB employees. Some councilors have called the reports an embarrassment that’s tarnished the reputation of Wood Buffalo. A report released earlier this year uncovered more than $7 million dollars in severance was paid out to 88 employees in about two years.
Fildebrandt says the RMWB should follow-up with another, more detailed audit, and there’s even more grounds for Municipal Affairs to investigate. The CTF continues to investigate local government and it’s filed a number of Freedom of Information requests. Fildebrandt says it’s focusing on land acquisition and expropriation.
