SmartHomeOwners

HALIFAX: Nova Scotia's auditor general says the provincial government's ``pervasive policy of secrecy'' is preventing him from doing his work.

Jacques Lapointe issued a damning report today that says the government is ``consistently hiding information'' from him.

In particular, he pointed to two government agencies responsible for handing out millions of dollars to businesses every year.

Lapointe says Nova Scotia Business Inc. and the government's Industrial Expansion Fund are withholding more than 200 documents related to business loans and other financial assistance.

As a result, the auditor says he has denied an opinion on these operations, ``the most severe audit sanction'' available to him.

The audit also says the Health Department is failing in its responsibility to monitor and evaluate the quality of mental health services across the province.

His report concludes that the lack of oversight increases the risk of creating a disjointed mental health-care system that fails the people who need it most.