FED: 12th Annual "Teddies" Government Waste Awards
MP junk mail, outrageous Nova Scotia MLA expenses, the City of Toronto's homeless audit and gold-plated MP pension plans are this year's winners
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OTTAWA: The Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) held its 12th annual “Teddy Waste Awards” ceremony to recognize the best of the worst government waste. CTF Prairie director, Colin Craig, acted as the master of ceremonies today at the black tie news conference on Parliament Hill. “Porky the Waste Hater” (pig mascot) and guest hostess Natasha assisted with the ceremony.
The “Teddies” award ceremony is named after Ted Weatherill, a former federal bureaucrat who was fired for outrageous expenses in 1999. Each year the CTF holds the ceremony to recognize a government, public office holder, civil servant, department or agency that most exemplifies government waste.
“We hold the ceremony each year to educate the public about government waste and highlight fat that needs to be trimmed,” said Craig. “The event also helps hold bureaucrats and politicians accountable for their decisions.”
The 2010 Teddy winners are:
Federal Award Winner: MP Junk Mail
“And the federal Teddy goes to...Members of Parliament for their junk mailer program. The federal mail-out program allows MPs to send flyers to no more than 10 per cent of the households any riding in the country. The flyers are in addition to riding-wide MP flyers and have increased in cost from $5.9 million in 2005-06 to $10 million in 2008-09. Oddly enough, as our deficit skyrocketed, MPs hiked up their usage of these flyers to tell us about everything but the deficit.” said Craig.
Provincial Award Winner: Outrageous Nova Scotia MLA Expenses
“And the provincial Teddy award goes to...Nova Scotia’s MLAs for their outrageous MLA expense claims. A scathing audit on MLA expenses between 2006-2009 revealed the maritime MLAs had expensed just about everything under the sun. The all-star from the scandal was Len "The Master of Multitasking" Goucher for expensing 11 computers, 12 printers, 5 digital cameras, 4 video cameras and the Xbox game Dance Dance Revolution over a three-year period.” commented Craig.
Municipal Award Winner: City of Toronto’s Homeless Audit
“And the municipal Teddy goes to...the City of Toronto for paying people to pretend to be homeless. The city conducts a ‘homeless audit’ each year and to assist in the audit they decided to pay people $100 to dress up and act homeless in the streets of Toronto. Designed to help the city get count its homeless people, it was actually a slap in the face to real homeless people as they were banned from applying for the work,” said Craig.
Lifetime Achievement Teddy: Gold-plated MP Pensions
After the suspense built for everyone’s favourite category, Craig announced the final award, “And the Lifetime Achievement Teddy goes to…the gold-plated MP pension plan. For years Canadians have heard about quite possibly the richest pension plan in the country – the one Members of Parliament decided to award themselves. Unlike most pension plans, MPs are eligible for a minimum pension of $46,000 after just ten years of service and it skyrockets from there. Every candidate seems to hate it until it’s offered to them,” said Craig. “When will it end?”
Other nominees included:
- Federal – $1.5 million for unused hotel rooms at the Francophone Summit in Quebec
- Federal –Public Works staff accidentally sold off Queen’s silver for $4,000 then spent nearly $100,000 to get it back
- Federal – $1.4 million spent by mint to discover $20 million of ‘missing gold’ not really missing
- Federal – Peguis Reserve Band Council paid taxable equivalent salary of $295,000 to $439,000
- Newfoundland Government – One MLA expensed $30,000 in annual cell phone bills
- British Columbia Government – Paid 241 civil servants to “volunteer” at the Olympics
- Ontario Government – $1 billion eHealth boondoggle
- City of Calgary – Councillors spend $6,700 on dry cleaning bills
- City of Winnipeg – Councillor expensed a $739 satellite radio and subscription
- City of Edmonton – $1.4 million “promo web site” only attracts 53,000 visitors from outside Edmonton - $26 per web visitor
To view the full description of all thirteen nominees and the lifetime achievement award winner, click here.
Photos from The Teddies |
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Prairie director Colin Craig was Master of Ceremonies
| Lots of media in attendance!
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Natasha - Our Model
| Porky the Waste Hater
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More media
| Colin, Porky and Natasha
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Comments
lots of media?
Good work and keep shining a light on the waste
might want to be choose a crowd shot next time though, 2 people doesn't look like "lots of media in attendance".
There must have been more considering how many hits on google news for your event.
Government Waste
Regretably A Population gets the Government it deserves. Canadians apathy over politics in general and in voting in Elections in particular gives politicians the opportunity to commit the wasteful practices you have highlighted. The obsolete "First past the Post" voting system is another factor, and is the reason I have sworn never to vote again until it is reformed. Since 1945 I have voted in every Election in which I was qualified to vote, up to the May 12, 2009 B.C. Provincial General Election. On that occasion, in a coinciding Referendum, B.C. Voters soundly rejected Electoral Reform. That is when I quit voting! Peter Kearvell, Pender Island, B.C.
Saving Taxpayer's Dollars.
There are a number of ways the Government could save taxpayer's money. Some of these would be very unpopular to some sections of Canadian society. Note that these suggestions are to save money and not to raise the collective ires of various groups.
! Federal Government.
Get rid of the Indian Act. Doing this would save billions of dollars. This act is outdated and is of no further use to the people who should be protected agaist the excesses of there 'elected' representatives.
Get rid of the tax exemption for natives who live on reserves. I'm sure that a lot of them live off reserves and still claim tax relief.
Pay the taxes on any intellectual property and goods that were invented and in use after the signing of the various treaties and not give tax exemptions on those items that are delivered to the reserve.
Give Indian Status ONLY to people who can prove that their parents were Both 100% Indian and who were legally married. This would much simpler than the present method of establishing heritage.
Scrap the Gun registry now! It was a waste of money when it was introduced, and it still is. The time has come to get rid of it. It was introduced to reduce violent crime committed with firearms and it hasn't worked. If the government had done any research at all they would have found that banning guns would increase crime. The only people who are happy with the registry are the beaureaucrats who run it, with their bonuses! The Police, who still get shot at with firearms (I wonder how many of these are registered?) and members of the public who will feel safer if they are not involved in the crossfire between various gangs.
Make prisons so that the criminals feel that they are not at 'Club Fed'! They commited crimes and they should be so treated. Instead of sports and weight rooms. let them do work which benefits society,rather than give them the physical edge on others.
Stop the grants to the Special Interest and Arts groups and English/French as second language courses. If a new immigrant is not able to speak either of the official languages, then do not let them into Canada. If an immigrant is found guilty of committing a crime which causes personal or property damage then deport them asap.
Scrap the Senate! This is just a reason to 'reward' good and faithful servants for services rendered to the various P.M.s who ,promoted them there.
I realise that these are but a few ways in which the Taxpayer's money would be saved, together with making the pensions of our represenatives less 'Gold Plated'. I'm sure that with more time and more thought I could come up with some more ideas to save Taxpayers some of their hard earned cash.
jagman38@yahoo.com
Tax relief
Comments like jagman88's only frustrate the legitimate concerns about tax payers dollars. To make outrageous claims like "I'm sure alot of them live off reserve and still claim tax relief" only shows how little some tax payers know about how such tax exemptions really work. There nonsense from a few angry misinformed taxpayers takes away from the legitimate concerns of taxpayers.
Civil Servant attendence
Save even more multi-millions by simply have department managers take staff attendence. So called "Stress leave", family illness days booked weeks in advance, f_ _k you days and a dozen other weak bullshit excuses from employees of all levels of governments cosy us probably millions per week.
How about the simple practice if "No working, no paying", including management levels.
Manager bonuses could be partly based on reducing waste rather than following the common practice of dumping the office supply room contents in the garbage to make room for the new stuff.
Why focus on the details...
...when you should look at the whole. The whole damn $55 billion deficit spending bill is the ultimate Teddy.
Suggestion
How about a positive category? Let MPs compete for the prestigious award of Anti-Ted (or whatever). For the MP that reduces a budget while maintaining services or something like that.
We have one!
We give out a Tax Fighter Award to deserving groups, individuals, politicians, etc, for outstanding committment to taxpayer emancipation: http://www.taxpayer.com/federal/ctf-names-three-taxfighter-honour-roll
Will give out more this fall. E-mail us your nominations.
Sound
Is it just me, or is there only sound on the left channel? I know my headphones work, just listened to the pod a minute ago.
Yes
Unfortunately, you are right....or is that left?
The Vanishing COUNTRY, is it too Late to SAVE CANADA... ?????
That is the TITLE of the book I am currently reading, written by MEL HURTIG, and I STRONGLY RECOMMEND EVERY CANADIAN HOUSEHOLD ( WHO ARE CANADIANS ) PURCHASE THIS BOOK AND ACTUALLY READ IT!! YOU KNOW,,,, READ... YOU CAN DO IT, AND BY ALL MEANS GO AND GET EDUCATED ON OUR HYDRO AND HEALTH CARE ETC... THERE IS A REASON WHY THIS GOVERNMENT IS DOING THIS ALL TO US CANADIANS, AND ITS SICKENING!!
Trust me Canadians, if you love your country as much as you say and pretend to do, then do this country , yourself and out future children and their children all a favour and get pro - active....
I DONT want to become AMERICANIZED!! Have you seen/heard how their healthcare is, or isnt....!!!!! DO you fellow canadians want that for your parents, siblings, elderly????? Think wisely, just remember, your aging too, so if your not ready for a nursing home in the next 10 years or so, you sure will be eventually...
Also a darned good book to read is also written by Mel HURTIG titled
THE BETRAYAL OF CANADA also
PAY THE RENT, OR FEED THE KIDS...
( sound familiar !! )
The takeover by the americans of MacMillan Bloedel ltd, WAS A TRAJIC CASE
Those americans certainly have alot of nerve
First they pressured the white house and the u.s. congress to compel canada into limiting its exports of softwood lumber to the United States even though Canadian Softwood Lumber exports were traded fairly and without subsidy.
THE EFFECT HAS BEEN REDUCED TO PROFITS , EMPLOYMENT ANBD NEEDED NEW INVESTMENT IN CANADAS SOFTWOOD LUMBER COMPANIES.
NEXT THE AMERICANS TURN AROUND AND START BUYING UP CANADA'S MAJOR SOFTWOOD LUMBER PRODUCERS, WHICH ARE AVAILABLE AT A CHEAP PRICE ( DID YOU GET THAT???? THRONE SPEECH FROM THIS WEEK NOW SAYS FOREIGNERS DONT HAVE TO PAY ANY TAXES.. HMFH DID YOU GET THAT?? ) -- IN PART TO THE CONSTRAINTS OF TE SOFTWOOD LUMBER AGREEMENT.. ( NICE SO NICE, AND THAT HELPS CANADIANS WHO NEED WORK ... HOW??? )
WEYERHAEUSER COULD become ONE OF THE LARGEST HOLDERS OF FOREST LANDS IN BRITISH COLUMBIA ---- CANADA!!!!!!!!!!!!! WAKE UP CANADA, AND THIS IS NOT TO BE HEEDED SO LIGHTLY. IS THAT WHAT CANADIANS WANT??? TO BE SOLD OUT LIKE WE HAVE BEEN? HOW ABOUT THE HYDRO BUSINESS... ENJOY THE HIGH COSTS YOUR SPENDING ON HYDRO NEEDLESSLY...I AINT .... HERES ANOTHER ONE FROM MR. MEL HURTIGS BOOK ....
I CANT DO BETTER THEN CRANE IN DESCRIBING THE APPALLING $ 13 BILLION TAKEOVER OF WESTCOAST ENERGY -- A TAKEOVER NO OTHER DEVELOPED COUNTRY IN THE WORLD WOUL DHAVE ALLOWED,.... WAY TO GO CANADIANS... NOTHING LIKE SELLING OUT YOUR OWN CHILDRENS FUTURES... WAY TO GO... YOU SHOULD ALL BE EVER SO PROUD...... KERTHUD.. WAKE UP .. SMELL THE COFFEE, ,GET OFF THE MIND ALTERING DRUGS ..... REIGN IN THIS GOVERNMENT OR HAS IT ALREADY SOLD OUR COUNTRY TO THE AMERICANS, HOW DO YOU LIKE THE IDEA OF YOUR CHILDREN/GRANDCHILDREN MANDATORILY DRAFTED INTO ALL WARS... HOW DO YOU LIKE THAT ONE ?? HOW DO YOU LIKE THE MANDATORY / VOLUNTEERRING BEING FORCED ON YOUR CHILDREN? YEA, i THOUGHT YOU WOULD ENJOY THAT ONE TOO... LIKE SAYING WAR EQUALS PEACE.. YEA... TIME TO WAKE UP CANADA... YOUR COUNTRY NEEDS ALL OF US ....
New category suggestion
Heard about your site on CJAD and love it. Here is a timely suggestion for a new category. As the fiscal year ends for government on March 31, there is always a mad rush by all levels to make sure that they spend every single dollar of their budget before the 31st, for fear that if they don't, next year's budget will be reduced. Suppliers love this time of year, and even if they are back-ordered on product, they make arramgements with the purchaser to deliver boxes, even if full of bricks or paper, as long as they get there on time. They can then deliver the actual product at their leisure. Since this product was not needed, it usually sits in storage for months or years.
I think the new category should be for those who spend the highest percentage of their budget in February and March, and if possible, how many dollars are sitting on the shelf at the end of April or May.
No wonder they can't balance a budget !
Public Works Waste
As a young man, I once was employed by the Department of Public Works Manitoba. During that short period, there came the fast spend don't get caught with a lot of inventory on hand time (February and March) I could not believe it when I happened upon the DPW crew and front end loader crushing hundreds of cases of unopened flourescent light tubes and other such fragile inventory, for the purpose of showing short supply, so as to get the budget increased the following year. So you see, it is not only getting rid of surplus cash, but inventory as well.
Jean H. Broeckx - Castlegar, BC
Good idea
I'm not sure we would award a Teddy for this, but it is a good idea for an Access to Information request. Thanks for the tip!
Gun registry won a Teddy in 2003
The federal long gun registry won a Teddy award in 2003 and it's still here! Sign the CTF petition to stop it.
taxpayers money
What about the costs to keep the Human Rights Commission, bilingualsim, and multicultualism programs functioning. They should should be completey dismantled. That would save taxpayers a bundle.
Human Rights Commission, bilingualsim, and multicultualism
I would agree, with shutting down bilingualsim, and multicultualism, but human rights, I'd like to see given more teeth and a mandate to lay war-crimes charges against the likes of Gordon Campbell and those in the backroom of his party responsible for creating the sociopathic agenda. And then reestablish Human Rights here in Canada.
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