Nova Scotia to release audit of Cumberland economic development authority

HALIFAX – The Nova Scotia government says it plans to release Thursday the results of an independent audit that looked into the Cumberland Regional Development Authority.

The government called for the audit in August 2012 after the province’s ombudsman detected what he called questionable accounting practices and a lack of oversight.

Dwight Bishop launched an investigation after two of the agency’s former employees contacted him in October 2011 and alleged wrongdoing.

Bishop, who stepped down in 2013, found a lack of guidelines for discretionary spending and that some invoices could not be verified.

The audit was conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers.