The Auditor General’s office released its annual report on Thursday, citing a lack of information from the Municipal Affairs department on flood mitigation and highlighting AHS shortcomings. The AG report states that the Department of Municipal Affairs refused to give the AG office access to certain documents and information while it was assessing the department's progress on implementing a previous recommendation to develop a flood mitigation system. “We asked Municipal Affairs to provide the analyses they said they had prepared related to risks and to controlling and regulating development in flood hazard areas,” reads the AG report news release. “The department did not provide any information to the Auditor General in this regard. Municipal Affairs told the Auditor General their analysis is privileged, and they could not provide it.” The denial of these requests is concerning, as it hindered the AG’s ability to analyze and hold the department accountable effectively. “Our report remains incomplete without this information, which we believe is important to the public,” said Auditor General Doug Wylie. “Examining analysis, prepared by a department, as it relates to risks and risk management is a routine part of our work. As a result, our findings may not reflect pertinent and significant information, and our work is incomplete in this regard.”Based on the information provided, the AG report found that current measures will not effectively reduce risks, and the department has no plans to monitor the effects on development in flood hazard areas. .The report also identified documentation issues found under the previous AHS system.“Alberta is undertaking the most significant health system transformation in over a decade, creating new health care entities and promising better results for Albertans,” said Wylie. “Transparent and reliable public reporting is essential to demonstrate cost-effective results are being achieved.”The AG claims that AHS did not comply with provincial law by failing to release its 2023 fiscal-year business plan and by publishing its 2024 business plan 300 days into the fiscal year. Wylie’s office stated that these issues should be addressed as the Alberta healthcare system is remodelled.“While our audit examined past performance, the learnings from the audit are very relevant to the restructured health system,” Wylie said. “The new health care organizations can set the foundation for success by clearly defining objectives, showing how results will be achieved, and reporting progress publicly.”.When analyzing financial reporting, the AG found that Albertans can have confidence in expense reporting in most ministries of the Alberta government. “I am pleased to report to Albertans that my office provided a clean audit opinion on the province’s consolidated financial statements for the year ended March 31, 2025,” said Auditor General Doug Wylie.“This independent assurance means Albertans can trust that the province’s financial statements are accurate, free from significant errors and prepared in line with Canadian Public Sector Accounting Standards.”Provincial policy mandates that expense reports and claims be submitted in a timely and consistently. The AG’s report noted success in most ministries’ expense reporting; however, it also identified some delays in submission and missing receipts in certain ministries. Investigations found that more than 600 expense claims and an additional $90,000 were not submitted/claimed in a timely manner. The AG concluded that the ministries of Environment and Protected Areas, Forestry and Parks, Public Safety and Emergency Services, and Transportation and Economic Corridors all have expense compliance systems aligned with provincial directives and policies that require moderate improvements. A copy of the full report is available on the AG website.
