Agriculture program spending questioned

Auditor General's report. — Telegram file photo

Published on October 17, 2012; Published on October 17, 2012
James McLeod

Public Accounts Committee meeting continues in St. John's

Topics :: Public Accounts Committee , St. John's , Codroy Valley

Politicians are in the House of Assembly this morning, looking into sketchy spending decisions identified by the Auditor General in the province's agriculture Growing Forward program.

Three related companies – all owned by the same group of people – got three grants through the program totalling around $1.3 million.

Then-Auditor General Wayne Loveys raised red flags in his January report, partly because one of the three companies that got $500,000 wasn't even a farming operation – instead, it was a land-clearing company.

Based on Loveys' interpretation of the program guidelines, the company wouldn't have been eligible for the money, and by putting $1.3 million into three related entities, it effectively crowded out funding for other proposals.

The three farming entities are all located on the west coast in the Codroy Valley area.

The Public Accounts meeting continues this morning.

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Comments

Saskfarmer

- October 18, 2012 at 02:30:19

Can't farm land that isn't cleared

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Scott Free

- October 17, 2012 at 12:35:47

good Tory supporters though; only criteria required.

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- Too Funny
  
  - October 17, 2012 at 13:57:55
  
  Sounds like someone is missing the good old Liberal entitlement days.
- Eli
  
  - October 17, 2012 at 19:50:43
  
  Hey TOO FUNNY, you forgot the constitutency scandal happend under Danny Williams watch. I think he was a TORY. One reason this happened is not enough MHA's went to jail over that.
- ILE
  
  - October 18, 2012 at 09:44:07
  
  Hey LIE, nothing like rewriting history. The constituency allowance scandal occurred under Liberal governments. When the AG first pointed out problems with the allowance (in 2000), the Liberal government responded by booting the AG from auditing the IEC. It was Williams, (as you said 'I think he was a TORY'), that brought back the AG to the IEC and exposed the scandal. Thanks for illustrating how political bias can twist the facts.
Interesting

- October 17, 2012 at 12:31:53

This news report gives the impression that one of the three related companies was a land clearing company. The actual AG report does not say that.

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That's OUR tax money

- October 17, 2012 at 11:37:51

Unrelated to agriculture? Kinda. It seems like government are in full support of the political pork business.

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