AG: Province lacking action on 2016 recommendations

Almost one-third of the recommendations auditor general Michael Pickup made to the Nova Scotia government in 2016 have yet to be completed four years later.

In a report released Tuesday morning, Pickup noted 13 recommendations made to improve homes for special care, species at risk, licensed child care, school capital planning and critical infrastructure resiliency had not been completed.

“For the 2016 performance audits, government completed 70 per cent of our recommendations,” Pickup said.

“This is disappointing and after three years since the audits were completed the completion rate should be higher.”

Of the five recommendations on species at risk made to what's now dubbed the Department of Lands and Forestry, only one has been completed.

Establishing recovery teams to develop and review recovery management plans for species at risk, as required under the Endangered Species Act, and review all species listed in the endangered species regulations and amend or develop appropriate practices to protect their habitat, are two of the four recommendations the province has yet to follow through on.

In January 2019, Robert Bancroft, a wildlife biologist and head of the Nova Scotia Naturalist Society, and three naturalist societies, filed for the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia to review what they say is the minister of the Lands and Forestry Department's failure to uphold a mandatory duty under the provincial Endangered Species Act to protect at-risk plants and animals.

The case was heard in October and is awaiting the judge's decision.

In a management summary provided by the Department of Lands and Forestry in October 2019, it says it's transforming its species at risk program to "meet the requirements of the Endangered Species Act, to increase efficiency and effectiveness, and to introduce performance measures."

Pickup also noted in his report the three recommendations given on homes for special care: identification and management of health and safety risks have yet to be completed.

The Health Department has not established “clear responsibilities and accountability for service provider performance and reporting requirements to ensure these activities are carried out.”

Pickup said by not following through on this recommendation, the Health Department “may not be adequately monitoring and managing homes for special care.”

The Education and Early Childhood Development Department also didn't complete six recommendations given in Pickup's 2016 audit report.

The province's auditor general warned of “risk that inspections completed by agency staff are not thorough or that violations are not corrected” and grants “may not be based on actual eligibility and grant money may not be distributed according to actual need” as three recommendations on licensed child care that remain outstanding.

While Pickup was concerned about how the government has followed up on his recommendations made in 2016, he was pleased with the completion of his recommendations given in 2015 and 2017.

All but five recommendations he gave government in 2015 have been completed.

“This was the first year we followed up on the 2017 audits and only nine recommendations are not complete after two years. This is a very encouraging result and I am pleased to see government getting this work done,” Pickup said.

But of the nine recommendations not completed in 2017, five were made toward improving mental health services.

Pickup determined the IWK Health Centre has completed its recommendation to determine and clarify wait time standards for initial and subsequent mental health services, while the Health Department and the Nova Scotia Health Authority have not.

The Nova Scotia Health Authority has also not finalized policies for emergency mental health services in collaboration with the IWK as required, implemented the emergency department safety recommendations identified in the 2017 Improving Workplace Safety report or ensured funding to programs and services is allocated based on service delivery plans, the report found.

"By not completing these recommendations, there are risks that policies are inconsistent, identified emergency department safety issues may not be addressed, and funding to programs and services may not be based on service delivery plans," Pickup said.

NDP health spokeswoman Susan Leblanc said the AG report points out access to care may not be consistent across the province.

“When it comes to mental health care people need to know that they will get the care they need, when they need it," Leblanc said. "We have to address these gaps in mental health care the same way we would for any other kind of health care in our province.”

The NDP caucus tabled legislation to create a mental health bill of rights, which would require the government to spend 10 per cent of the health budget on mental health care, as recommended by the World Health Organization.

Pickup encouraged elected MLAS and Nova Scotians to use his report as “a useful tool to hold the government accountable.”

After six years in office, Pickup will be resigning as Nova Scotia's auditor general on July 24. He will take his position as the auditor general of British Columbia on July 27.