Real Estate Regulator Failing

Posted by & filed under Accounting Careers, Auditing.

Description: The auditor general of Ontario has found that the provincial real estate regulator – RECO – is falling down on its job of protecting buyers and sellers. In her value-for-money audit of RECO, auditor general Bonnie Lysyk found various problems with the organization, including a lack of follow-up on consumer complaints and faulty processes… Read more »

Questionable Conduct at Laurentian

Posted by & filed under Auditing, Student life.

Description: In a special report on the Laurentian University financial crisis, Ontario Auditor General Bonnie Lysyk showed that senior management at the school erred by declining government assistance and heading straight to bankruptcy. Lysyk found that the Laurentian senior management and board of governors relied on external advisors in opting for the bankruptcy route, rather… Read more »

A Good Month for Jobs

Posted by & filed under Auditing, Canadian Economy, Student life.

Description: October was a good month for the Canadian economy with 108,000 new jobs added, exceeding projections by a factor of ten. Because more Canadians were actually looking for work last month, the unemployment rate remained steady at 5.2%. Despite the good news on the employment front, a higher number of Canadians report having trouble… Read more »

Phoenix Problems Persist

Posted by & filed under Auditing, Canadian Government.

Description: Well, the good news is that only 28% of federal government employees had an error in their pay during the fiscal year ended 31 March 2022. According to the federal auditor general, that is down from 47% in the prior year, indicating that, although results have improved, the maligned Phoenix pay system is far… Read more »

Healthy Food and Nutrition Audit?

Posted by & filed under Auditing.

Description: Since the federal auditor general first earned the so-called value-for-money audit mandate back in the 1970s, auditors general in Canada have greatly expanded the scope of their work, moving far afield from the traditional accountancy matters of public finance and internal control. This expansion has sometimes earned the criticism of observers, such as noted… Read more »

Can’t Bring Your Own Cup

Posted by & filed under Auditing, Sustainable Development.

Description: McDonalds Canada is facing criticism for its reluctance to accept reusable coffee mugs at its restaurants; all of its restaurants, that is, except for those in Vancouver. Like many chains, McDonalds started to refuse reusable coffee mugs early in the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. But competitors such as Tim Hortons and Starbucks have reversed this policy… Read more »

Actually, Things are Pretty Good!

Posted by & filed under Auditing, Canadian Economy.

Description: CBC columnist Don Pitts offered an encouraging view this week for this time of rising interest rates, inflation pressures, war in Ukraine, and SARS-CoV-2 news. Pitts points out the importance of adopting historical perspective on the economy issue, quoting University of Toronto professor emeritus Jon Cohen who says “We’re the richest anybody’s been in… Read more »

NBAG to Examine Covid Response

Posted by & filed under Auditing.

Description: The auditor general (AG) of New Brunswick, Paul Martin, has been asked via a unanimous vote of the Legislative Assembly to examine the government’s response to the SARS-CoV-2 epidemic. NB’s Premier, Blaine Higgs, feels the time is right for the review now, given that the public health restrictions have been lifted. David Coon, the… Read more »

Gas Going Up

Posted by & filed under Auditing, Canadian Economy, Student life.

Description: It keeps on going. Going up that is: the price of gasoline. You are probably among the many Canadians giving a second look at the price on the pump when you’ve been filling your vehicle with fuel. Though gas prices dropped to almost ridiculous lows in the early shutdown phase of the pandemic, prices… Read more »

New Auditor; Same Old Issue

Posted by & filed under Auditing.

Description: As the CBC story says, last Wednesday the former Provincial Comptroller, Paul Martin, was packing up his old office at Chancery Place in Fredericton, and getting ready to move down the street where he will now serve as the Province of New Brunswick’s Auditor General. The move is not without some controversy, as accountants,… Read more »