HALIFAX: The Auditor General for HRM said the municipality is unprepared for significant disruptions to its operations.
Auditor General, Andrew Atherton, said that in his his report released Wednesday July 17.
The audit found business continuity planning has not been prioritized and oversight is lacking.
Despite being identified in 2017 as a component of HRM’s emergency management program, business continuity plans are mostly non-existent, or insufficient to help adequately respond to events that could disrupt municipal services.
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For example, municipal services are not prioritized, many existing plans are outdated, and no plans have been exercised.
“Not adequately planning means HRM is left to rely on reactive approaches,” said Atherton. “Having properly maintained plans would help anticipate the impact of key decisions while managing disruptions.”
The auditor general’s report includes 10 recommendations which HRM management agreed to implement.
The report is available on the auditor general’s website at https://hrmauditorgeneral.ca/published-reports.
