2024 Report Volume 1

June 5, 2024

Our 2024 Report – Volume 1 delivers legislators and the public critical information on whether the Government issued reliable financial statements, used effective processes to administer programs and services, and complied with governing authorities. It includes the results of audit examinations of different agencies completed by May 1, 2024, with details on annual integrated (financial) and performance audits, as well as our follow-up audit work on previously issued recommendations by our Office and agreed to by the Standing Committees on Public Accounts or on Crown and Central Agencies.

Annual Financial Audits' Highlights

Since our 2023 Report – Volume 2, our Office, along with appointed auditors (if in place), completed annual integrated audits of 58 different agencies with fiscal year-ends between July and December 2023. These include integrated audits of 27 school divisions and 17 pension and employee benefit plans.

This section includes concerns at certain school divisions (Chapter 1). There were new areas of concern around safeguarding public resources identified at some school divisions.

Three school divisions—Holy Family, Northwest, and Northern Lights—did not adequately segregate staff duties in their IT financial systems, which increases the risk that one individual can perform key financial processes, such as setting up suppliers and making and approving payments, without involving another employee. By not segregating incompatible duties, school divisions are at an increased risk of errors and increased risk of fraud, including making inappropriate e-transfers through phishing scams that may result in significant public losses.

Also, Saskatchewan Rivers School Division did not follow its purchasing policy and obtain three quotes for a purchase over $5,000. This increases the risk Saskatchewan Rivers did not obtain best value for the purchase.

In addition, three school divisions overstated capital grant revenue in their 2023 financial statements by not following Canadian generally accepted accounting principles when recording this revenue.

Further, IT-related issues from previous years at school divisions continued. Sun West did not test its revised disaster recovery plan, putting it at risk of not delivering programs and services if disruption occurred. Also, 16 school divisions continued to use an inadequate process to monitor their key financial system and its related IT service provider.

Performance Audits

Performance audits take a more in-depth look at processes related to the management of public resources or compliance with legislative authorities. Performance audits span various topics and government sectors. In selecting which areas to audit, we attempt to identify topics with the greatest financial, social, health, or environmental impact on Saskatchewan. This Report includes the results of six non-financial, performance audits. Three highlighted performance audits 'At a Glance' are as follows:

Audit At a Glance Environment—Regulating Industrial Emitters

Audit At a Glance Living Sky School Division—Intervention Services to High School Students with Significant Mental Health Concerns

Audit At a Glance Regina Public School Division—Delivering Prekindergarten Programming

        

Follow-Up Audits

As shown in Figure 1, 79% of the audit recommendations in this Report were fully implemented after the initial follow-up (i.e., 2–3 years after original audit) at the various agencies. For agencies with subsequent follow-ups (i.e., >3 years after original audit) in this Report, 57% of audit recommendations have been fully implemented. This is well above our previous Report (2023 Report – Volume 2) where the rate overall was 44%. We are happy to see agencies acting on our recommendations in at timelier manner, as this means public sector management is improving.

Some agencies like Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority (Chapter 19) succeeded in making the majority of necessary process improvements related to regulating recreational cannabis in a relatively short period, while other agencies take more than five years. SaskGaming also made substantial progress in addressing our recommendations around preventing cyberattacks.

However, further work is needed at some agencies.

The Water Security Agency (Chapter 24) continues to have five recommendations outstanding from our 2018 audit of its processes to regulate drainage of water on agricultural lands. The Agency still needs to finalize its water quality and wetland retention requirements, use its wetland inventory to identify and take action to bring unapproved high-risk drainage works into compliance, and report to the public on its regulation of drainage on agricultural lands. Leaving unapproved drainage work in high-risk areas increases the risk of flooding neighbouring farmland and the receiving water body, increasing the risk of water quality issues in the water body and loss of wetlands.

Media Materials 2024 Report – Volume 1

(For selective viewing please click on an individual chapter from the list below)

Provincial Auditor of Saskatchewan's Overview

Tara Clemett's Complete Overview 2024 Report – Volume 1

Table of Contents

2024 Report – Volume 1 Table of Contents

Annual Integrated Audits

1   School Divisions

Performance Audits

2   Energy and Resources—Licensing and Inspecting Active Oil and Gas Wells and Facilities

3   Environment—Regulating Industrial Emitters

4   Living Sky School Division No. 202—Providing Intervention Services to High School Students with Significant Mental Health Concerns

5   Regina Public School Division No. 4—Delivering Prekindergarten Programming

6   Saskatchewan Health Authority—Preventing the Spread of Tuberculosis

7   SaskBuilds and Procurement—Responding to Cyberattacks

Follow-Up Audits

8   3sHealth—Managing Disability Claims

9   Corrections, Policing and Public Safety—Monitoring the Community Safety and Well-Being Initiative

10  Education—Instruction Time

11  Government Relations—Providing Safe Drinking Water in Northern Settlements

12  Health—Detecting Inappropriate Physician Payments

13  Health—Monitoring Opioid Prescribing and Dispensing

14  Horizon School Division No. 205—Maintaining Facilities

15  Justice and Attorney General—Supporting Provincial Court of Saskatchewan to Manage Court Workloads

16  Saskatchewan Gaming Corporation—Preventing Cyberattacks

17  Saskatchewan Health Authority—Delivering Accessible and Responsive Ground Ambulance Services in Southwest Saskatchewan

18  Saskatchewan Health Authority—Preventing and Controlling Hospital-Acquired Infections in the Regina General and Pasqua Hospitals

19  Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority—Regulating Recreational Cannabis

20  Saskatoon School Division No. 13—Supporting Students with Intensive Needs

21  Social Services—Monitoring Foster Families

22  Social Services—Supervising Community-Based Organizations Delivering Programs to Intellectually Disabled People

23  St. Paul’s Roman Catholic Separate School Division No. 20—Adapting Technology for Learning in Elementary Schools

24  Water Security Agency—Regulating Drainage

Appendices

1-1   Agencies Subject to Examination under The Provincial Auditor Act and Status of Audits

2-1   Report on the Financial Statements of Agencies Audited by Appointed Auditors

3-1   Samples of Opinions Formed in Annual Audits of Ministries, Crown Agencies, and Crown-Controlled Corporations

All Prior Reports

All prior reports are available here for your reference.

Acknowledgments

Our Office continuously values the cooperation from the staff and management of government agencies, along with their appointed auditors, in the completion of the work included in this Report. We are grateful to the many experts who shared their knowledge and advice during the course of our work.

We also appreciate the ongoing support of the all-party Standing Committees on Public Accounts and on Crown and Central Agencies, and acknowledge their commitment in helping to hold the Government to account. Our Office remains focused on serving the Legislative Assembly and the people of Saskatchewan and committed to making a difference for a sustainable Saskatchewan and its people.

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