Alberta To Search For A New Auditor General Even As Wylie Offers Two-year Extension - Beritaja

The Alberta authorities is connected the hunt for a caller auditor general, but the Opposition NDP says they’re forcing him retired earlier he finishes investigating a health-care contracting ungraded involving allegations against the governing United Conservative Party.

Auditor wide Doug Wylie has been looking into wellness statement procurement processes pursuing allegations of corruption by a erstwhile caput of Alberta Health Services earlier this year.

The allegations haven’t been proven successful court, and a government-commissioned study recovered nary grounds of wrongful interference from Premier Danielle Smith, her ministers aliases staff.

With his eight-year word group to expire successful April, Wylie offered to enactment connected for an other 2 years to decorativeness what he started.

But United Conservative Party members of a legislature committee utilized their mostly Monday to petition that a hunt committee statesman headhunting to capable the role.

The UCP caucus said successful a news merchandise it’s modular believe for the committee to clasp an unfastened and merit-based process to name a caller auditor general.

“We’re grateful to Mr. Wylie for his dedicated work and the important activity his agency has done successful about 8 years,” said committee chair Brandon Lunty.

Justice Minister Mickey Amery told reporters successful the legislature there’s nary precedent successful Alberta for an automatic renewal of Wylie’s contract.

“We’re assured that the agency will stay and that a caller auditor wide will proceed pinch that activity and proceed pinch immoderate it is that the erstwhile (auditor general) was doing,” said Amery.

Wylie told BERITAJA that he was hoping to person other clip to thief hole his agency for a activity transition, and that the health-care procurement investigation remains active.

“I wanted to make judge that, if it did spell complete past my term, that I would person an opportunity to spot that portion through,” he said.

He said his agency is laser focused connected getting its activity done, but if it doesn’t, it will beryllium up to the caller auditor wide to determine really to grip it.

NDP legislature personnel David Shepherd told reporters that by refusing to widen Wylie’s contract, the authorities is “cutting him disconnected astatine the knees” to protect their ain governmental interests.

“This is the authorities choosing to fire, to remove, the individual that is presently investigating them successful 1 of the about superior scandals — immoderate of the about superior allegations we’ve ever seen against an Alberta authorities — earlier he’s had the chance perchance to complete that work,” he said.

He said UCP committee personnel Scott Cyr suggesting that Wylie could simply re-apply for the occupation was “an insult.”

Wylie, erstwhile asked whether he planned to re-apply, said he offered to stay successful the domiciled to thief woody pinch the transportation to caller leadership.

“I did not connection to enactment connected different 8 years. My connection was for 2 years.”

Cyr, successful committee, said they want the champion personification for the job, and the NDP’s effort to politicize the process was “shameful.”

“The allegation that we’re firing him is wholly false,” said Cyr.

“To propose that we’re trying to do immoderate nefarious enactment by moving guardant this request, that’s wholly ludicrous and insulting.”

Shepherd told the committee he’s seen “abundant” past precedent for committees to connection one- aliases two-year extensions to independent officers of the legislature, particularly erstwhile they’re undertaking substantive work.

Shepherd noted that Wylie has had to travel to committees aggregate times to inquire for other backing for his agency this past year.

“It’s unprecedented because of the uncertainty and the chaos that’s being created successful their activity by this government,” he said.

Wylie said he expects to merchandise different substantive study soon looking into the government’s privatization of organization laboratory services, and consequent argumentation reversal.

In 2023, the authorities cancelled handling of organization laboratory testing by backstage supplier Dynalife aft months of complaints of agelong hold times and work bottlenecks successful immoderate areas.

However, Wylie said immoderate of the different activity his agency had planned to statement retired to thief audit the government’s books will request to beryllium pushed backmost without an other injection of almost a cardinal dollars.

Wylie said he needs $977,000 much this twelvemonth to audit the ongoing monolithic restructuring of wellness attraction successful the province, including recently established organizations, arsenic good arsenic a caller subsidiary for a financial Crown corporation.

“We request money now, truthful that’s why we made the petition now,” he said.

UCP members utilized their mostly connected the committee to defer the petition until aft Wylie submits fund accusation successful December.

The restructuring will spot Alberta Health Services, the province’s erstwhile azygous authority connected wellness care, relegated to a infirmary services provider, on pinch the creation of caller governing agencies.

Wylie said his agency perchance needs to analyse the transportation of assets, liabilities and programs crossed 12 imaginable financial statements, alternatively than four.

“With each of this modulation and restructure comes a awesome woody of audit work.”

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