Burgoyne bridge audit findings delayed

The Burgoyne Bridge forensic audit may not be wrapped until after the holiday season.

It was initially thought last month that Niagara Region had received the final audit report on the $93-million project.

However, during a pre-committee meeting held ahead of a Burgoyne Bridge task force meeting set for Dec. 7, it was determined some details had yet to be included in the document, said Jennifer Feren, the Region’s director of legal and court services.

“We thought we had the final report and then through questions found out there is still information outstanding,” she said, adding that information may or may not have an impact on the overall findings.

The task force meeting was subsequently cancelled.

It’s common practice at the Region for pre-committee meetings to be held for the chair and vice-chair to go over the agenda and related reports.

Much of the discussion surrounding the bridge audit, as well as the undisclosed information that prompted council to request that the audit be conducted, has taken place behind closed doors.

Council asked for the audit to be launched May 19 after suspicions arose of possible criminal activity related to the project.

At that time, an immediate forensic audit was ordered and a request made for the launch of an independent police investigation of “potential fiduciary impropriety by identifiable individuals within the corporation.”

The Region is now waiting for consulting firm Deloitte to gather the outstanding information and present a completed document.

There’s no timeline at this point for its completion, Feren said.

“I stay in touch with them and they give me updates on where we stand, but at this point, we’re still waiting.”

During last week’s council meeting, task force chair Selina Volpatti said a meeting will be called for the group as soon as possible once the document is completed.

“I hope we can do that before the end of the year,” responded Pelham Mayor Dave Augustyn, who raised concerns about escalating costs associated with the audit.

The budget for the extensive audit was initially $300,000 and paid for through the bridge’s contingency fund.

That amount has since been increased to $450,000, with the additional $150,000 allocated from the Region’s organizational performance division’s 2016 operating budget.

Feren was initially the only person who was privy to the audit document.

Asked whether the contents of the report submitted last month have since been distributed to any of the councillors, including those at the pre-committee meeting, she said she is “the only person with copies of it.”

Feren is leaving her role at the Region Jan. 6 to become District School Board of Niagara’s lawyer, replacing retiring Brenda Stokes-Verworn.

Her replacement has not yet been announced.

She does not believe her departure, and any required staff transition, will have any impact on the forensic audit file.

Upon the document’s completion, it will be shared with Niagara Regional Police, Ontario Provincial Police and the RCMP as per council’s direction.

Deloitte completed a valuefor-money audit on the first half of the bridge project in February, presenting a report to council that included concerns of missing documentation, poor procurement processes and a lack of transparency.

That audit included all activities up to the contractor selection tender closing, but Deloitte representatives made it clear during presentations earlier this year that fraudulent activity was not being looked for as it was not included in the audit’s scope.

Construction of the bridge continues and is not expected to be completed until the spring.