Halifax’s auditor general has asked police to look at financial expenses in the mayor’s office after a new report found four transactions did not follow the city’s policy.
Municipal Auditor General Andrew Atherton told the city’s audit and finance committee he referred his concerns first to the Halifax Regional Police because he felt the expenses were “a little past my comfort zone.”
Halifax police “felt a little too close to the situation so they passed it along to the RCMP and as I understand it, the RCMP are doing their investigation,” Atherton said Monday.
The transactions included approximately $14,000 for an external speechwriter and around $90,000 for a reorganization of the mayor’s office. Neither were sent for a competitive tender, which the auditor general said was not following municipal policy.
Mayor Andy Fillmore’s office also charged two external legal expenses to the city totalling nearly $7,700. The report says the mayor’s chief of staff incorrectly logged the second legal expense after being told the proper policy.
The mayor has since paid the legal expenses back to the municipality from his personal funds.
Nova Scotia RCMP told CBC News in an email on Monday that on May 22, Halifax Regional Police referred the investigation to them “due to a potential conflict of interest.”
The RCMP confirmed their Commercial Crime Section began an investigation into reports of financial irregularities at an address on Argyle Street.
AG asks police to look at Halifax mayor office’s expenses
“The incidents under investigation occurred between June 2025 and February 2026. The investigation remains ongoing; there’s no further information to share at this time,” the RCMP said.
Fillmore said Monday that his office fully cooperated with the audit and he accepts the conclusion of the auditor general’s report.
“The two legal fee contracts were for legal services procured as a result of two separate code of conduct complaints launched against me,” Fillmore said, adding the findings of those complaints can be found on the municipal website.
Halifax mayor did not break code of conduct with CAO comments, investigator found
“These were not personal legal expenses. In our justice system, everyone is entitled to a defence.”
Fillmore also noted the two consulting related expenses, which totalled around $104,000, were both based on valid invoices.
“There is the possibility that there is some shaken trust. It’s not entirely clear that people are concerned with trust in the mayor’s office. We’ll see where it all ends,” Fillmore said.
Atherton said he is hopeful that subsequent training along with lessons learned from this audit will help prevent the procurement issues from happening again.
“I have chosen not to make any formal recommendation here. It would basically have been ‘comply with policy.’ Instead I’m going to wait for our broader procurement audit to address any system-wide improvements that may be needed.”
More stories from Halifax Regional Municipality
This is the first budget year the mayor’s office has become a standalone business unit like the municipal auditor general’s office.
Under the new structure, the mayor acts as supervisor and the authority on any disciplinary action for their staff, rather than the chief administrative officer (CAO).
Last summer, Fillmore repeatedly said he had issues with Halifax’s governance system, including how his office reported to the CAO’s department in the Halifax organizational chart.
Cathie O’Toole, CAO at the time, suggested the mayor’s office should become an independent office and “remove any possible friction or perception of friction between the CAO’s office and mayor’s office.”
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