News Release

FREDERICTON (GNB) – Auditor General Paul Martin tabled a report today in the legislative assembly that includes an audit of the Mental Health Trust Fund.

The audit found that, while the Department of Finance and Treasury Board has effectively fulfilled its obligations pertaining to the trust, the Department of Health has not.

“We found the Department of Health did not have the mechanisms in place to allow for timely use of the trust, as intended,” said Martin.

The trust fund was established in 1977 from a bequest made to the Province of New Brunswick and designated for specific treatment of deserving New Brunswickers.

The Department of Health is to draw funds for treatment, with the responsibility to determine which cases are most deserving based on an individual’s mental health condition and financial resources. The Department of Finance and Treasury Board is responsible for administration of the trust. As of March 31, 2023, the trust’s value was $1,635,256.

The audit found that Department of Health officials had little knowledge of the trust and its history. Martin concluded that the department has not made sufficient effort to give effect to the terms of the Mental Health Trust Fund and fulfil the donor’s wishes.

The auditor general made one recommendation to the Department of Health. The report is available online.