B.C. auditor general postpones 10 reports

British Columbia's auditor general says the COVID-19 pandemic is behind the postponement of 10 performance audits underway by his office.

Michael Pickup says in a report today that evolving circumstances mostly connected to the pandemic's impact on government operations have resulted in changes to the status of the audits.

He says those include the impact the pandemic is having on the workforce assigned to projects or programs being reviewed, as well as on ministry staff.

Pickup says a review of B.C. Hydro's Site C dam project was postponed to allow the government to conduct its own review in order to ensure the audit considers the most up-to-date information.

Last month, the government announced a revised cost estimate of $16 billion to complete the Site C hydroelectric dam and a one-year completion delay to 2025.

Pickup says an audit of government substance use services is being delayed after the Ministry of Health and Vancouver Coastal Health requested it to focus on the pandemic.