NS Auditor General raises question around COVID-19 relief deal with Dal

A report from Auditor General Kim Adair has questioned the amount of money provided by the Government of Nova Scotia to Dalhousie University to create and run COVID-19 relief programs on the government’s behalf before they had been developed and costed, reports CBC. The money has not been fully spent to date, according to CBC. Dal officials told a Nova Scotia Legislature committee that the university was open to renegotiating the $100M deal signed in March 2020, but Associate Deputy Minister Geoff Gatien told the committee that the department is not looking to do so. Economic Development Deputy Minister Scott Farmer said NS had not had the resources to handle relief programs alone. "[Dal was] a valuable tool in the toolkit the province had to be able to deliver relief," said Farmer. CBC (1) | CBC (2) (NS)