Phillip Peters Appointed Alberta's New Auditor General

0:00It's March 25th. You're listening to Canada News today, AI-powered local news. I'm Cory with the story. An Alberta legislature committee has selected Philip Peters to become the province's next auditor general. Peters currently serves as the agency's general council and ethics officer, with past experience as a tax lawyer in the Justice Ministry. The committee voted to recommend his appointment on Wednesday, and if approved by Cabinet, he will start on April 29th. Earlier this week, the committee's report went to the legislature for a vote. Peters steps in right after Doug Wiley's term ends, taking over a major investigation into multi-million dollar health contracts that Wiley couldn't. Finish. Opposition new Democrats have criticized the government for not extending Wiley's contract last year, claiming it was the shield interest in the health probe. They also questioned the selection process for Peters, saying it deviated from normal procedures despite its qualifications. The health contracts review began over a year ago from a lawsuit alleging political pressure

1:01on private surgical and supply deals. The government denies those claims, which remain unproven, and the matters under RCMP investigation plus a judicial review. Wiley's office got an extra one million dollars last summer, for outside help, due to the volume of documents and interviews. Meanwhile, both sides expect Peters to push forward on the probe without delay, keeping the focus on accountability for public spending.