(BC) Auditor general outlines performance, goals and priorities

Press Release

VICTORIA –Carol Bellringer, auditor general, has released the Office of the Auditor General of British Columbia’s 2018/19 annual report and financial statements.

The report provides an overview of the office’s performance last year, as well as its current goals and objectives.

“Every year, we conduct the largest financial audit in the province, which takes approximately 40,000 hours of work,” said Bellringer. “Last year, we produced 40 financial audit reports, 11 performance audit reports and eight information reports and plans.”

Performance audit topics from 2018/19 included:

• promoting healthy eating and physical activity in K-12;
• commercial vehicle safety;
• BC Hydro’s asset management, its detection and response to cybersecurity threats on its industrial control systems, and its use of rate-regulated accounting;
• access to emergency health services; and
• the BC Oil and Gas Commission’s management of non-operating oil and gas sites.

Through conversations with the general public, government employees and members of the legislative assembly from all sides of the house, the office selects performance audit topics that will carry the greatest relevance and value to the people of British Columbia. In 2018-19, the office received almost 500 public inquires, including nearly 100 audit requests.

“Over the past year, we’ve worked hard to ensure that we have a full complement of staff, and we came very close to achieving this,” said Bellringer. “We expect the hiring climate for skilled employees to remain tight in our already tight local market.”

In terms of the office’s finances, it made a concerted effort to spend its entire budget so as to complete the most audits possible. As a result, the office was just 2.5% under budget at year end.

Throughout 2018-19, the office enjoyed supporting three more accounting students through their common final exam, teaching auditors in topics ranging from data analytics and audit standards to culture and inclusivity, volunteering at Our Place and raising money for local charities through its annual holiday auction.

The annual report and financial statements are available on the Office of the Auditor General’s website: www.bcauditor.com

About the Office of the Auditor General of B.C.

The auditor general is a non-partisan, independent Officer of the Legislature, who reports directly to the legislative assembly. The Auditor General Act empowers the auditor general and staff to conduct audits, report findings and make recommendations.

The office mainly produces audit opinions on government’s financial statements and performance audit reports that speak to the efficiency and effectiveness of government’s programs. The office’s financial statement audit coverage plan and performance audit coverage plan detail the projects that it intends to start over the next three years. The plans, and all of the office’s reports, are available on www.bcauditor.com

Contact us:

To speak to the auditor general,
call Emily Griffiths
Office of the Auditor General of British Columbia 250-419-6132

For general questions,

call Kira Kirk
Communications
Office of the Auditor General of British Columbia 250-419-6204

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