[ad_1]
\n<\/p>\n
HALIFAX \u2014 A new report by Nova Scotia\u2019s auditor general says the province is not following procurement rules for new nursing home beds and isn\u2019t properly monitoring new facilities under construction.<\/p>\n
Kim Adair says the government did not use a competitive bidding process for 4,836 new nursing home beds and awarded contracts to existing nursing home owners without a competitive bid process.<\/p>\n
Adair says that raises questions about transparency and value for money spent.<\/p>\n
In 2021, the government set a target of 5,700 new and replacement nursing home beds in 54 new facilities by 2032 at a total operational cost of $8.6 billion over 25 years.<\/p>\n
The audit also says that while the government has a robust approval process for new construction oversight, it is not following all of its rules.<\/p>\n
Adair says her audit looked at five new nursing home projects and found that 44 per cent of the required approval documents were missing.<\/p>\n
\u00a92025 The Canadian Press<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n