‘Past my comfort zone’: Halifax auditor general refers mayor’s office spending to police

Police are investigating Halifax Mayor Andy Fillmore following an auditor general report.

The spending watchdog for the Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM) has referred some spending issues from the mayor’s office to police.

Auditor general (AG) Andrew Atherton says four specific transactions in Andy Fillmore’s office were examined for compliance at the request of unnamed HRM management.

Atherton says two invoices for legal services were submitted and paid, despite not being authorized by the municipal solicitor.

The expenses audit says Fillmore paid those back, once notified to do so.

In addition, the AG says two procurements for consulting services for the mayor’s office did not follow competitive processes.

One was for HR services worth about $90,000, and the second was $14,000 for speech writing.

Although not compliant with policy, the AG noted the services were received.

The municipality also told the AG additional training has been provided to staff in the mayor’s office.

Atherton says he won’t make recommendations as a result of the audit work.

However, he turned the matter over to Halifax Regional Police, who then passed it on to RCMP.

“I referred my concerns to Halifax Regional Police for a couple of these because I felt this was a little past my comfort zone and they felt a little too close to the situation, so they passed it along to the RCMP and as I understand it the RCMP are doing their investigation,” he said during an audit and finance standing committee meeting Monday.

Cpl. Mandy Edwards with the RCMP says they received a referral from Halifax Regional Police due to a possible conflict of interest on the financial irregularities identified by the auditor general on May 22.

CTV Atlantic reached out Monday for a response from Fillmore’s office, which provided the following statement:

“The Mayor’s Office fully co-operated with the Auditor General during this audit and I accept the report’s conclusion.

“These transactions occurred during a period of significant transition for both the Mayor’s Office and senior HRM administration, including the first mayoral change in more than a decade. While the Auditor General did not make any recommendations as a result of their audit, residents reasonably expect that all involved bodies follow HRM policies.

“That is why, as noted in the report, additional staff training has taken place to ensure future compliance.”

Fillmore also said it’s a “very uncomfortable place to be.”

“I’m certain that it will all be found to be unremarkable,” he said.

Councillor Sam Austin called the situation “disappointing.”

“Ultimately, in politics the actions of one reflect on all of us and so, you know, I think it is damaging,” he said. “I think it does breed cynicism.”

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