Alberta’s auditor general is investigating whether the sourcing of a contract to run Kananaskis Golf Course in 2013 post-flood provided value for money for Albertans and if it followed government contracting practices.
Kimberly Nishikaze, communications director for the office of the auditor general, confirmed the audit is currently underway and was requested by Brian Mason, NDP MLA for Edmonton-Highwood in April 2015, prior to the election. Since the election, Mason has been appointed minister of infrastructure and transportation.
“As part of our audit we will also examine the Government of Alberta’s flood compensation and reconstruction arrangements with Kan-Alta Golf Management Ltd.,” Nishikaze wrote in an email to the Outlook. “The audit is currently underway, so I cannot provide any more details. We expect to report on any findings and recommendations in 2016.”
The value for money audit on the contract with Kan-Alta Golf Management Ltd involves systems auditing and looks at the systems and processes that are in place within departments to ensure that they are operating effectively and efficiently.
Earlier in 2015, then-premier Jim Prentice said spending would stop on the golf course for repairs after the 2013 flood significantly damaged the 36-hole course. The $18 million funding to restore the facility was criticized by the opposition. Albertans who were affected by the floods and are still in need of Disaster Recovery Plan funds also questioned provincial funding priorities.
The golf course was designed by acclaimed architect Robert Trent Jones before it opened in 1983 and before the flood shut down the operation two years ago, it employed 150 people and drew 60,000 golfers annually.
