- News Release
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada … Auditor General Doug Wylie released the Report of the Auditor General—November 2020 today following its tabling in the Legislative Assembly.
The November 2020 report contains the results of the audit of the 2019-2020 Consolidated Financial Statements of the Province of Alberta, and more than 100 entities within the government ministries. It reports on whether the collection and disbursements of public money have been accounted for, and are reflected properly, in government accounts. The report also assesses the appropriateness of accounting and management controls.
On July 29, 2020, the Auditor General issued an unqualified (clean) audit opinion on the 2019-2020 Consolidated Financial Statements of the Province of Alberta.
“Based on our work, we concluded the 2019–2020 financial statements are presented fairly in accordance with Canadian Public Sector Accounting Standards,” Wylie said. “However, in our report, we highlight several significant findings that resulted in adjustments to the province’s financial statements.”
This includes:
- A $637 million dollar adjustment to expenses relating to 11 Crude-by-Rail contracts
- A $100 million adjustment to assets and liabilities of the Keystone XL pipeline agreements
- A $795 million adjustment to expenses for the Alberta Petroleum and Marketing Commission related to the Sturgeon Refinery
- A $102 million increase to the Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped (AISH) program expenses, and a $50 million increase to the Income Support program expenses
“While management did make all of the required adjustments, enabling us to offer a clean audit opinion on the province’s 2019-2020 financial statements, we felt it important to include these findings in our report, as they underscore the importance of having both effective financial control processes, and ensuring those processes are followed,” Wylie said. “If either of these conditions are not present, the public may not receive complete or accurate financial reporting.”
The audit also found that a process was not in place to ensure the legislative compliance of some grant expenditures under the Technology Innovation and Emissions (TIER) Fund.
Wylie said he is “extremely pleased” to report that through our annual financial statement audits, and seven follow up assessments, 23 previous recommendations have been implemented.
To read the report, please go to www.oag.ab.ca
Appointed under Alberta’s Auditor General Act, the Auditor General is the legislated auditor of every provincial ministry, department, and most provincial agencies, boards, commissions, and regulated funds. The audits conducted by the Office of the Auditor General report on how government is managing both its responsibilities and the province’s resources.
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