HALIFAX — Halifax’s auditor general says RCMP are investigating expenses filed by Mayor Andy Filmore’s office after an audit showed four transactions worth a total of $111,000 did not comply with municipal policies.

Andrew Atherton told council’s finance committee Monday that he started the audit after concerns were raised by senior municipal managers earlier this year.

The largest expense was filed last year after the mayor’s offence hired a human resources consultant to help with hiring staff, which was supposed to cost $50,000, but the final bill was $90,000.

Atherton said the contract for the work was negotiated directly with the consultant without competitive bids through the municipality’s regular procurement process.

The auditor general said the same thing happened last year when the mayor’s office spent $14,000 to hire a speech writer without inviting other bids.

The other two contracts — together worth more than $7,000 — were for external legal services that weren’t approved by the regional government’s solicitor, as required by the municipality’s procurement rules.

Fillmore told the committee he had personally repaid the legal expenses and he assured council that his staff has received training on how to properly handle future procurement.

RCMP did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 23, 2026.

The Canadian Press