Hasty COVID-19 aid for N.B. workers lacked controls, says auditor-general – CBC

Report from Janice Leahy highlights province’s lack of success improving rural internet access

Oct 07, 2021

The New Brunswick government’s emergency aid to laid-off workers rolled out in the early weeks of the pandemic with poor controls, weak contracts and inadequate monitoring, according to a new report by the auditor-general.

The New Brunswick Workers’ emergency income benefit was hastily put together in March 2020 to provide $900 in one-time payments to people laid off when their employers were ordered to shut down.

“We recognize the department was operating under an accelerated timeline and external pressure to develop the NBWEIB program,” says the report tabled at the legislature Thursday morning.

“We believe this led to gaps in the planning process and implementation.”

Read more: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/emergency-aid-lay-offs-auditor-general-1.6202942