HALIFAX 鈥� Nova Scotia鈥檚 auditor general says the provincial government is not properly keeping track of the billions of dollars it is sending to universities.
In a new report today, Kim Adair says Nova Scotia鈥檚 10 universities have received $2.5 billion in government funding over the last five years, including $1.9 billion in unrestricted operating grants.
Adair says the annual allocation of the unrestricted operating grants is 鈥渁rbitrary鈥� and based on a formula that is more than 25 years old, which she recommends changing.
She says the funding structure for the grants allows universities to spend the money on areas it wasn't meant for, such as student aid, routine maintenance, staff salaries and executive compensation.
The report also says the province has not assessed whether $163.8 million in health education grants are achieving health-care priorities established by the government.
As well, Adair says it鈥檚 unclear how many nurses have been added to the workforce despite $65 million spent to expand the number of nursing seats at universities.
However, the auditor general says new bilateral funding agreements introduced last year, which are due to expire at the end of March, included performance targets and measures to hold universities accountable for those funds.
鈥淭he new bilateral agreements, if followed, should improve accountability,鈥� Adair said. 鈥淲e encourage the use of performance targets in future bilateral agreements.鈥�
Under legislation currently before the House of Assembly, the provincial government is looking to link university funding to the province鈥檚 economic and social priorities.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 4, 2025.
The Canadian Press
