Health Minister Lela Evans expressed strong concern on Tuesday regarding the billing practices of a company that supplied travel nurses to the province. In a press conference at Confederation Building in St. John’s, Evans described the situation as “egregious” and highlighted the disturbing and upsetting nature of the new details that emerged following a CBC Investigates report on electric vehicle rentals billed to taxpayers by a nursing agency.
CBC Investigates obtained numerous invoices and records from Canadian Health Labs (CHL) through access to information requests. These documents suggested that CHL billed taxpayers for electric vehicle rentals for a travel nurse while also charging for taxi services, separate car rentals, and flight expenses out of the province for the same nurse. Additionally, electric vehicle rental charges were incurred by at least five other nurses even after their departure from Newfoundland, raising questions about the validity of these billings within the agency’s contract with the health authority.
The auditor general previously raised concerns about potential billing fraud related to electric vehicle rentals in a report last summer, prompting health officials to initiate a forensic audit of all payments made to Canadian Health Labs, totaling $73.6 million over the period from 2022 to 2024. This audit is currently ongoing to ensure a thorough examination of the billing practices.
Evans emphasized the need for a meticulous audit process and assured the public that the findings would be shared once any legal matters are resolved. She anticipated that the audit would reveal mismanagement issues from the previous decade under the Liberal government. In response, the Opposition Liberals defended their actions, stating that they promptly addressed concerns raised by the auditor general.
The release of the audit report to the public will depend on the outcomes of the investigation and subsequent steps taken. Evans affirmed the government’s commitment to transparency and accountability in revealing any misappropriation of funds to the public.