New Brunswick to tighten management of water wastewater commissions

The New Brunswick government Thursday tabled legislation that might modification the governance and monetary accountability rules for water and wastewater commissions.

Bruce Fitch, the atmosphere and native Government Minister introduced Bill fifty six, An Act to Amend the Clean atmosphere Act, within the Legislative Assembly in Fredericton. Fitch is additionally Minister chargeable for the Energy potency and Conservation Agency of recent Brunswick underneath Progressive Conservative Premier David Alward.

If Bill fifty six is passed, the govt. would set term limits for water and wastewater commission members and need those commissions to submit annual budgets, monetary statements and reports to communities and to the minister. it’d additionally need that the commissions conduct annual general conferences that are open to the general public and would authorize the Commissioner of Municipal Affairs to direct a monetary audit of a commission.

The proposed changes result from recommendations created by Auditor General Kim MacPherson in 2011.

Last year, MacPherson’s workplace reviewed the province’s wastewater commissions attributable to issues raised by the general public in 2008 over monetary practices.

The report noted that in most areas of recent Brunswick, water distribution and wastewater treatment facilities are operated by individual municipalities or non-public entities, however there also are 9 water and wastewater commissions.

The review focussed mainly on the bigger Moncton Sewerage Commission, the bigger Shediac Sewerage Commission and also the Fredericton space Pollution management Commission. Among different things, it found that the chair and senior members of the bigger Moncton Sewerage Commission (which serves Moncton, Riverview and Dieppe) took 5 international journeys with a internet price of $86,890 and private payments of $9,600 annually were created to the Chair and coded as “Reimbursement of workplace Expenses” however no invoices were on file.

The bigger Moncton Sewerage Commission had not tendered or solicited quotes for insurance services for a minimum of ten years and was paying premiums of $189,000 per year.