The province has been cleared of any wrongdoing in acquiring land in the Global Transportation Hub land deal.
After concerns were raised earlier this year about how the land was purchased, Premier Brad Wall asked the provincial auditor to look into the matter. The auditor general’s report was released Thursday.
The report found that while the government did nothing wrong in the land purchase, it needs to have a clear policy about how land is purchased, and that policy needs to be communicated with the public.
Additionally, the auditor general found that the government needs to be aware of conflict of interest rules, and better document its actions.
The auditor general also found a lack of co-ordination between the GTH and the Ministry of Highways led to “delayed decisions on buying the land during a period of time of rapidly escalating land values,” according to a report. Adding, the delays, “contributed to buying this land at a significantly higher price”. The report also says that the government needs to do a better job of protecting themselves against price increases.
“I want to thank the provincial auditor and her office for their very thorough work and for their recommendations that will improve the processes the government uses when acquiring land for these kinds of major projects,” Premier Brad Wall said in a news release. “Government needs to strike a careful balance between safeguarding taxpayers’ dollars, ensuring landowners are treated fairly and keeping the public informed. The Auditor has identified some deficiencies in our past practices and we will take steps to address them, based on her recommendations.”
