Every year the Public Accounts of British Columbia are released and every year the Canadian Taxpayers Federation slogs through them to find ludicrous examples of political patronage, special interest group funding, and just plain wacky wastes of taxpayer money.

Grants are given out with no strings attached. Contributions are given for services or goods provided, perhaps justifiable, perhaps not. (For example, a minister may order an unnecessary or over-priced study to pad the pockets of political allies). The public accounts do not list whether money received was a grant or a contribution, only which ministry the money came from.

The slush funds with the weakest justification for their existence usually come from the ministries of Employment and Investment and Small Business - though every ministry has its share of free taxpayer cash to spread around. The following, selected from all ministries, is a tiny sample of where some of your taxpayer money went in the last budget year. This year's eye-catcher of a grant/contribution must be the $41,000 given to the Holy Body Tattoo Society.

UNIONS

BC Federation of Labour 66,000
BC Teachers Federation 170,172
IBEW 213/ECA of BC 36,849

JUST-FOR-FUN CATEGORY

Holy Body Tattoo Society 41,000

SOCIETIES, CLUBS, CHAMBERS, ASSOCIATIONS, SUMMITS, LOBBY GROUPS, INSTITUTES, AND COUNCILS

Association of Book Publishers of BC 61,000
Treaty 8 Tribal Association 456,500
Watari Research Association 886,086
West Kootenay Women's Association 48,553
Automotive Retailers Association 28,859
BC Cranberry Growers Association 30,000
BC Chamber of Commerce 750,000
Dawson Creek Chamber of Commerce 102,636
New Westminster Chamber of Commerce 51,862
B C Association of Aboriginal
Friendship Centres 177,000
Registered Nurses Association of BC 273,260
Richmond Multicultural Concerns Society 42,500
Western Front Society 25,500
Institute of Indigenous Government 1,472,674
Vancouver Lesbian Connection Society 41,778
Youthquest Lesbian & Gay Youth Society 42,100
Deb's Empowerment Brigade Society 120,183
Planned Parenthood Association of BC 904,061
Pro-Choice Action Network 25,000
Lifestyle Equity Society 1,120,363
Horse Council of B C 64,161
Sierra Club of BC 45,200
BC Environmental Network 46,500
Save Our Living Environment Society 47,724
Central Westcoast Forest Society 25,864
The Advocacy Centre 57,018
Gitxsan Treaty Society 247,988
Circle of Eagle Lodges Society 46,840
Newton Advocacy Group Society 38,760
Helping Spirit Lodge Society 509,634
Italian Folk Society 63,408
The Laurier Institute 35,000
National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation 50,000
Nisga'a Tribal Council 335,707
Haidi Gwai Society For Community Peace 267,929
Social Planning and Research Council 25,060
Vancouver Status Of Women 53,582
Victoria Status of Women Action Society 41,778
West Coast Environmental Law
Research Foundation 25,000
First Nations Summit 566,610
National Forest Strategy Coalition 42,500
Office of the Wet'Suwet"En Hereditary Chiefs 43,865
Vancouver Area Human Rights Coalition 40,000
Community Justice Initiatives Association 90,950
Surrey Women's Centre Society 387,420
Langley Environmental Partners Society 27,000
National Climate Change Process 35,436
Wrags Western Regional Advocacy Group 26,673

TENNIS, SAILING, AND OTHER FUN ACTIVITIES

BC Sailing Association 94,224
BC Table Tennis Association 33,207
BC Archery Association 49,167
BC Badminton Association 157,971
BC Freestyle Ski Association 25,227
BC Rugby Union 109,403
BC Wrestling Association 185,425
Tennis BC 178,605
Basketball BC 129,464

A NIGHT ON THE TOWN: THE ARTS CATEGORY

Arts Club of Vancouver Theatre Society 257,000
Assembly of B C Arts Councils 87,500
Association of Book Publishers of B C 42,500
Axis Theatre Society 43,400
B C Photography & Media Arts Society 58,000
Belfry Theatre Society 85,000
Carousel Theatre Society 49,000
Cineworks Independent Filmmakers Society 33,000
Coastal Jazz & Blues Society 26,750
Community Arts Council of Vancouver 37,140
Contemporary Art Gallery Society of BC 33,500
Dance Arts Vancouver Society 58,000
F D B C Film Development Society of B C 2,260,000
Greater Vancouver International Film
Festival Society 80,000
Intrepid Theatre Company Society 27,000
Island Arts Centre Society 191,104
Moving Images Distribution Society 36,800
Pacific Music Industry Association 172,500
Playwrights Theatre Centre 304,121
Satellite Video Exchange Society 33,200
Vancouver Arts Stabilization Program 100,000
Stanley Theatre Society 1,733,915
Vancouver East Cultural Centre 48,200

BUSINESS / GOVT. ENTERPRISES

Orca Bay Arena Ltd. 473,124
Ifc International Financial Centre Society Of Vancouver 150,000
Skeena Cellulose Inc. 2,750,505
Centra Gas BC Inc. 94,326*

(*Only Employment and Investment grant/contributionlisted above. Energy and Mines not included in above amount.)

B C Pavilion Corp. 2,194,000

THE "WHAT-ARE-THESE " CATEGORY

All Together Now Program Grants 154,000
(Yes we're serious. It was an actual recipient.)
Suggestion Awards Grants 35,734
Yes Canada-BC 33,141
Community Accountability Program Grants 162,000

In addition to money spent on health, education, and former premier Glen Clark's legal bills in fiscal year 1998-99, the provincial government gave out $16.659 million worth of grants and contributions at taxpayer expense. That compares to $16.534 million the previous year. A $50,000 a year single income family of four paid $3,793 in provincial income tax (never mind the other taxes) last year. That means almost 4,000 taxpayers paid provincial income tax so governments could dole out the above list and more, including 11 families who underwrote the $41,000 grant/contribution to the Holy Body Tattoo Society.

Of course, it is possible that all of the above recipients deserved every dime of the contribution/grant that they were given and that all of them provided needed goods or services. (But do people who can afford sailboats really need $94,224 of taxpayer money ) Given the track record of governments on major spending initiatives (i.e., fast ferry boondoggles, photo radar manuals,) taxpayers and the civil servants that hand out tax dollars should first be skeptical as a matter of policy.