On November 21, 2025, the head of the public body for Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services (NLHS) decided not to provide the information I requested: the forensic audit on payments made to a travel nursing agency (Agency A in Auditor General’s report).
Auditor General Denise Hanrahan, in a report titled Health Sector Contracts – Performance Audit, called for “an immediate comprehensive audit of all amounts paid to Agency A from April 2022 to present, to recover public funds paid in error.”
She said the company “was frequently reimbursed for non-reimbursable expenses” and that there were “strong indications of potential billing fraud by Agency A for electric vehicle rentals.”
Hanrahan said the company submitted invoices and was paid $546,657 worth of EV rentals, but 60 per cent of that amount went to rentals for nurses who did not appear to have the vehicle or for which usage by a nurse could not be verified.
To refuse release of the audit, NLHS cited section 29(1)(a) of the ATIPP Act (2015): “The head of a public body may refuse to disclose to an applicant information that would reveal (a) advice, proposals, recommendations, analyses or policy options developed by or for a public body or minister.”
The situation regarding the forensic audit was already in the public realm, and the public has a right to know how tax dollars are spent, especially when there is potential fraud. I have filed a complaint with the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner Newfoundland and Labrador.
View the ATIPP file below:
Matt Barter is a graduate of the Humanities and Social Sciences Faculty at Memorial University of Newfoundland, holding a degree in Political Science with a minor in Sociology. He enjoys reading thought-provoking articles, taking walks in nature, and volunteering in the community.
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