REALITY CHECK: Tim Houston doesn’t want Nova Scotians to know how he’s spending taxpayer dollars

HALIFAX – The Auditor General just revealed that the Houston government awarded Shannex a $2.7 billion contract to run Hogan Court without even considering other service providers, but only told the public about $20 million. That’s less than one per cent of the $2.7 billion deal.

This isn’t the first time Tim Houston has hand-picked a private company to give taxpayer dollars to while keeping Nova Scotians in the dark. According to the most recent Auditor General Report, his government:

• Handed $50 million to Think Research after two meetings with a lobbyist who worked as Pierre Poilievre’s campaign manager;
• Gave a different private consulting firm nearly $37 million through numerous contracts over the span of five years; and
• Broke the rules to turn a $300,000 contract into a $63 million contract for yet another private company.

All without ever considering other companies qualified to do the work.

This isn’t even the first time we’ve seen reckless spending with no oversight at the boondoggle that is Hogan Court. Tim Houston’s government hand-picked:

• A private firm to help purchase an unfinished hotel at an overinflated price of $35.4 million;
• A construction company to turn that unfinished hotel into a healthcare facility for $400,000, which quickly turned into $10.6 million because a hotel is not a hospital; and
• Shannex to take over ownership and clean up the mess after a damning Auditor General report showed that this government’s reckless spending wasn’t going to fix health care for Nova Scotians.

The premier said: “Whatever it costs, it will cost.”

“Now Nova Scotians are paying the price of this government’s actions with funding cuts to healthcare jobs, the Office of Healthcare Professional Recruitment, and mental health services,” said Paul Wozney, NSNDP Ethics and Accountability Critic. “This government is totally reckless with public money and then makes cruel cuts that threaten Nova Scotians’ livelihoods. The thoughtless cuts that no minister could explain make up less than one per cent of the deficit. People know they’re getting a raw deal and they’re quickly losing trust in the Houston government.”

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