Blaney considers changes to sewerage commissions

New Brunswick's Environment Minister says she's willing to look at changes to the way wastewater commissions are run, but she's not ready to fire anyone.

Margaret-Ann Blaney was responding to a scathing report released earlier this week on the management of the Greater Moncton Sewerage Commission.

The auditor general's report raised several concerns about the commission's finances,including excessive travel and financial mismanagement, as well as a lack of oversight and accountability.

It highlights weak provincial legislation and calls on the government to strengthen the governance and accountability of wastewater commissions.

'I know the opposition is doing that, they're calling for resignations, you know wholesale firings. That's not how I operate, how our government operates.' Environment Minister Margaret-Ann Blaney

"It all falls on me," said Blaney.

The Opposition Liberals are calling for a public inquiry and for the commission chair to be immediately removed from his position.

"I'm certainly not on a witch hunt," said Blaney.

"I know the opposition is doing that, they're calling for resignations, you know, wholesale firings. That's not how I operate, how our government operates," she said.

"I do want to sit down with the commission. In fact I've made a call to say I'd like to sit down and have some good discussions, some good dialogue and I'm sure they're going to welcome that."

Blaney said one of the problems with such commissions is that it's difficult to find people who are willing to serve, so some people end up being on boards for decades.

It may be time to look at a change in the way the boards are set up, she said.

Board chair stands by work

The Greater Moncton Sewerage Commission's chair Ron LeBlanc, who was appointed in 1983, said he plans to stay on as chairat least for now. He hinted that he might step down on his own in the near future, saying there are other things he wants to do.

Auditor General Kim MacPherson recommended in her report that term limits be created for board positions on these commissions.

She also recommended that board members who have been on these commissions for extended periods of time to be replaced. The report pointed out the vice-chair of the Moncton-area commission has also been in that position for more than 20 years.

The Department of Environment said in the report that it agrees with that recommendation.

For his part, LeBlancstands by his work and has suggested he's being attacked because his board refused to allow the former Shawn Graham government to make patronage appointments to the commission.

"We're there to serve our citizens, we're there to do the best we can and that's what we're going to do," LeBlanc said.

"We'll take whatever's in the report that we can implement and we'll implement it."

Meanwhile, the three municipalities whose taxpayers foot the bill for the wastewater commissionMoncton, Dieppe and Riverview are also taking a wait and see approach.

"I haven't got into this report in detail so I can't comment on specifics, but you know the auditor general has to look at spending and I think it's appropriate that the auditor general does ... submit her reports and we'll be interested in hearing from the sewage commission as to what they have to say and what their side of the story is as well," said Riverview Mayor Clarence Sweetland.

"I have no doubt we'll be discussing this with the commission and so we will treat it seriously and we'll try to find and fix whatever needs to be fixed," agreed Moncton Mayor George LeBlanc.