Why can't the City hire their own audit firm? The local government auditor is not the only shop in town for this work. And there is a point that they were never the best candidate reviewing a specific project for a specific municipality. Their mandate was to produce reports and advice with broad appeal for all local governments of varying size and complexity. Capital management is going to look a lot different to Qualicum Beach planning for a new fire engine than Victoria embarking on tens of million dollar infrastructure replacement.
If there is value for money (which I believe there is) in reviewing the project this should be priority #1 for the City before embarking further on the Crystal Pool project.