SASKATOON, SK: The Canadian Taxpayers Federation nominated SK Arts and the city of Saskatoon for its Teddy Waste Awards after wasting taxpayers’ money on art projects and buying an AI garbage can that worked less than half the time.

“Saskatchewan taxpayers are being forced to spend millions every year bankrolling paid vacations for artists and drag-clown workshops,” said Gage Haubrich, CTF Prairie Director. “Wasteful spending on art projects like that almost makes purchasing an AI garbage can that doesn’t work seem reasonable.”

SK Arts:

SK Arts receives close to $7 million a year from Saskatchewan taxpayers. Grants funded from this money include: 

• $4,747 for post-production on a short film titled, F*ck.
• Separate $6,000 and $5,000 grants to artists to take paid leave from work to write songs.
• $5,007 to a band for a “creative” retreat at Anglin Lake and $1,000 for someone to attend a drag-clown workshop in Ontario.
• $757 to help an artist write another grant application to take more tax dollars.

City of Saskatoon:

The city of Saskatoon spent $26,262 on an AI trash bin set-up called “Oscar Sort” – a large flatscreen monitor that tells people which bin to put their garbage in.

Oscar Sort recorded a 37.6 per cent accuracy rate in July 2025 – down from 49 per cent the month before.

“Saskatoon should treat its wasteful spending ideas like its own AI garbage can wants to and toss them in the bin,” Haubrich said. “The Saskatchewan government should send the next SK Arts grant application to the same place.”

The Teddy Waste Award is the golden pig-shaped trophy the CTF annually awards to governments’ worst waste offenders. The award is named after Ted Weatherill, a former federal appointee who was fired in 1999 for submitting a stack of dubious expense claims, including a $700 lunch for two in France.

You can find the backgrounder on this year’s Teddy Waste Award nominees and winners HERE.