Primary Country (Mandatory)

United States

Other Country (Optional)

Set News Language for United States

Primary Language (Mandatory)
English
Other Language[s] (Optional)
No other language available

Set News Language for World

Primary Language (Mandatory)
English
Other Language(s) (Optional)

Set News Source for United States

Primary Source (Mandatory)
CNN
Other Source[s] (Optional)

Set News Source for World

Primary Source (Mandatory)
AajTak
Other Source(s) (Optional)
  • Countries
    • India
    • United States
    • Qatar
    • Germany
    • China
    • Canada
    • World
  • Categories
    • National
    • International
    • Business
    • Entertainment
    • Sports
    • Special
    • All Categories
  • Available Languages for United States
    • English
  • All Languages
    • English
    • Hindi
    • Arabic
    • German
    • Chinese
    • French
  • Sources
    • India
      • AajTak
      • NDTV India
      • The Hindu
      • India Today
      • Zee News
      • NDTV
      • BBC
      • The Wire
      • News18
      • News 24
      • The Quint
      • ABP News
      • Zee News
      • News 24
    • United States
      • CNN
      • Fox News
      • Al Jazeera
      • CBSN
      • NY Post
      • Voice of America
      • The New York Times
      • HuffPost
      • ABC News
      • Newsy
    • Qatar
      • Al Jazeera
      • Al Arab
      • The Peninsula
      • Gulf Times
      • Al Sharq
      • Qatar Tribune
      • Al Raya
      • Lusail
    • Germany
      • DW
      • ZDF
      • ProSieben
      • RTL
      • n-tv
      • Die Welt
      • Süddeutsche Zeitung
      • Frankfurter Rundschau
    • China
      • China Daily
      • BBC
      • The New York Times
      • Voice of America
      • Beijing Daily
      • The Epoch Times
      • Ta Kung Pao
      • Xinmin Evening News
    • Canada
      • CBC
      • Radio-Canada
      • CTV
      • TVA Nouvelles
      • Le Journal de Montréal
      • Global News
      • BNN Bloomberg
      • Métro
MoreBack to News Headlines
Halifax CAO says poor fiscal transparency grade not 'completely accurate'

Halifax CAO says poor fiscal transparency grade not 'completely accurate'

CBC
Wednesday, April 23, 2025 1:07 PM GMT

Halifax has received a barely passing grade on fiscal transparency from a Canadian think-tank, but the city's top bureaucrat says she doesn't put much value in the ranking.

The C.D. Howe Institute gave Halifax a D- in its annual fiscal accountability report card of major Canadian municipalities for 2024.

Nicholas Dahir, a research officer with the institute, said Halifax lost points for passing the 2024 budget after the fiscal year started April 1, and using different accounting standards for its budget and financial statements.

"They don't present the numbers on the same basis. You're counting apples at the start of the year and oranges at the end of the year," Dahir said Tuesday.

Dahir said Halifax follows public sector accounting standards (PSAS) for its financial statements, which show the "entire scope" of the city's activities and how assets like roads and bridges are paid off over years.

This provides an accurate picture that captures the city's capacity to deliver its services, Dahir said, but Halifax's budget documents don't use this method. Instead, items are presented on a cash basis, he said.

For example, he said if Halifax were building a bridge, the cost would be listed as $10 billion in budget documents, but no such number would be in the financial statement for that year because the cost would be spread out over the lifetime of the project.

"You shouldn't need to be an expert in accounting to be able to understand the budget," Dahir said.

"Maybe for councillors who have access to the experts, that's mighty handy. But for everybody else, it's a daunting challenge that need not be there. And it simply confuses things."

Cathie O'Toole, Halifax's chief administrative officer, said she was disappointed to see a low grade but disagrees with the institute's methods.

"When I read through it, I can see there's a little bit of confusion between what's budgeting and what's accounting, basically, in terms of how they're doing some things," O'Toole said last Thursday.

"I would not say that it's a completely accurate assessment."

O'Toole said she doesn't give the report card the same credence as peer-reviewed research or the Government Finance Officers Association.

That association represents thousands of finance officers across the United States and Canada, and recognizes municipalities in both countries for best practices in budgeting. It named Halifax a budget award winner in 2023 and 2024.

Read full story on CBC
Share this story on:-
Run 3 Space | Play Space Running GamePlay Run 3, the ultimate space tunnel running game with 300+ challenging levels!Adv.
Traffic Jam 3D | Online Racing GameTraffic Jam 3D is a game where you’ll be driving through heavy traffic.Adv.
Duck Hunt | Play Old Classic GamePlay the classic 1984 light gun shooter game Duck Hunt on your browser.Adv.
More Related News
McLane defends Health P.E.I. guidelines after doctors threaten to take legal action

The province's health minister says he's confident government, Health P.E.I. and the society that represents family doctors on the Island can reach a compromise in a dispute over physician workloads. 

Physicians brace for summer travel season as Alberta tops 800 measles cases

As summer approaches, Alberta's measles case counts are expected to keep climbing and some experts worry transmission will become even more widespread.

Manitoba calls for travellers to free up hotel rooms as evacuee tally tops 21,000

Wildfires in Manitoba have now pushed about 21,000 people out of their homes, prompting provincial officials to ask travellers to stay away to free up hotel space.

Woman charged with 2nd-degree murder in Igloolik, Nunavut

A woman in Igloolik, Nunavut has been charged with second degree murder in connection with the death of a man in the community. 

Saudi Arabia's Mohammed bin Salman invited to G7 summit in Alberta: sources

Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has been invited to attend the upcoming Group of Seven (G7) summit in the foothills of the Canadian Rockies, two government sources told CBC News.

Carney says Canada will meet 2% NATO spending target by March

Saying that the era of the United States' dominance on the world stage is over, Prime Minister Mark Carney committed his government on Monday to meeting the NATO benchmark target of two per cent of the country's gross domestic product by the end of the current fiscal year in March.

Sandy Lake members 'pulling together' as wildfire evacuation continues: chief

Another northwestern Ontario First Nation is being evacuated, as a major wildfire burns nearby.

As Stephenville awaits airport's fate, residents rue unfulfilled promises

Bob Byrnes has been in business in Stephenville for decades, and once served on the board of the non-profit corporation that used to run the airport.

Inside the legal battle brewing over who can access this rock in northern Ontario

It looks like your average rock on the picturesque shoreline of Lake Nipissing, but beneath the surface lies a contentious property dispute that now involves the local township, surveyors, and a nonprofit organization. 

Nova Scotia farms were in the red last year — again

Nova Scotia's farming industry hasn't turned a profit in nearly a decade, and last year lost more than $41 million — a reflection of the economic challenges that are concerning industry leaders in the province.

Province reluctant to admit rickety N.B. bridge was slated for demolition, documents show

When the William Mitton Covered Bridge in Riverview was torn down last winter, many were heartbroken.

STM maintenance workers begin strike, disrupting commutes across Montreal

Transit users are adjusting their commutes Monday as maintenance workers with Montreal's transit authority launch a week-long strike. 

Northern wildfires force Sask. courts to shift operations to Saskatoon

The first indication that it's not business as usual at La Ronge docket court is that it's taking place at the provincial courthouse in Saskatoon.

Parking Slot | Free Parking GamePlay Parking Slot, the best online 3D car driving and parking game.Adv.
Slope Ball Run - Play OnlineSlope Game takes you on an exciting journey of a ball on special paths.Adv.
East Coast Trail Association raises over $100K with annual community hike

The 336-kilometre trail, which stretches along the coast of much of the Avalon Peninsula, has 25 different paths that people can take.

Commercial fishing group to call on courts to define moderate livelihood

An organization that represents commercial fishermen says it's steaming ahead with a lawsuit aiming to define the terms of a moderate livelihood fishery now that a Nova Scotia-based First Nation has dropped its own lawsuit against the federal government.

Riverview Park gets conservation status preserving it for future generations

Daniel DeLong was a Grade 12 student at Riverview High School in 2011 when his environmental science teacher encouraged him to get involved in his community.

'I didn't think I was gonna make it,' says Brandon construction worker who survived northern Ontario wildfire

A construction worker who huddled with his crew inside a smoky shipping container as a northern Ontario wildfire encircled them said he's happy to be alive and back home with his family in Brandon, about 215 kilometres west of Winnipeg. 

Northern Sask. mayor calls province's wildfire evacuation response 'disgusting'

One week after residents of Air Ronge left the northern Saskatchewan community, fleeing wildfires and adhering to mandatory evacuation orders, the mayor says many of them still don't have a place to sleep.

Panthers defeat Oilers 6-1, take lead in Stanley Cup Final

The Florida Panthers have taken the series lead in the Stanley Cup final after a lopsided 6-1 victory over the Edmonton Oilers Monday.

B.C. premier defends new LNG pipeline with terminus near Prince Rupert

B.C. Premier David Eby is defending the provincial government's approval to continue construction on a new pipeline project that will supply natural gas to a proposed floating liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal north of Prince Rupert, saying his government would not turn away investment in the province.

Structures lost in Kiskatinaw River blaze, officials say, as wildfire threat increases in northeast B.C.

A rapidly growing wildfire that forced the evacuation of the community of Kelly Lake in northeast B.C. has now destroyed several structures, the B.C. Wildfire Service says. 

Hundreds of striking WSIB workers rally in downtown Toronto after talks break down

Hundreds of striking workers at Ontario's Workplace Safety and Insurance Board rallied in downtown Toronto on Monday, calling on their employer to find a "fair compromise" on outstanding issues.

Whitehorse non-profit pushing ahead with $43M seniors' housing complex in Whistle Bend

The Yukon government has given a funding boost to a Whitehorse non-profit that's planning to build a new seniors' housing complex in the Whistle Bend neighbourhood.

Murder trial hears victim 'so happy' moving into first home in 12 years a week before death

Six days before she was viciously killed, Judy Maerz bought second-hand furniture from the Women in Need Society in preparation for the end of a 12-year stretch of sofa-surfing.

'He was dying': Neighbour recounts Toronto shooting victim's pain as 911 hold stretched on

Kevin was watching TV in his pyjamas inside his Weston neighbourhood home Saturday night, when he heard the crack of gunshots ring out nearby.

© 2008 - 2025 Webjosh  |  News Archive  |  Privacy Policy  |  Contact Us