VANCOUVER, B.C.: Taxpayers are calling on the B.C. government to cut spending as documents show it spent $55,000 on three “wood-leather soccer balls,” according to records exclusively obtained by the CTF through freedom of information requests.

“Every dollar spent on bizarre vanity projects like wood-leather soccer balls costs money that isn’t going towards schools, hospitals or back in your pocket through tax cuts,” said Carson Binda, British Columbia director for the CTF. “Premier David Eby needs to put down the taxpayer credit card and focus on the priorities that matter for taxpayers.”

The Ministry of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport spent $55,000 for the “production of three wood-leather soccer balls,” according to records. The Ministry of Forests also spent at least $133,687 on the wood leather project overall, according to the records. 

Eby and Agriculture Minister Lana Popham posed with one of the prototype soccer balls at the Osaka Expo in June, while every other premier was attending a first-minister meeting in Saskatoon. 

“Wood leather is a B.C. innovation,” Eby said in a post on X. “While this won’t be used in any FIFA matches soon, it represents B.C.’s creativity and leadership.” 

The company that provides the wood-fiber is facing closure, with the owner citing red tape and provincial bureaucracy that is strangling B.C.’s forestry sector, according to media reports. 

The wood-leather soccer balls are the latest in a series of wasteful spending stories from Eby’s government. 

• Eby spent $118,000 on a party for bureaucrats including $57 sandwiches and $21 cocktails 
• Popham expensed taxpayers for a $3,600 dinner, including 19 glasses of sparkling wine in addition to nine bottles of wine 
• Finance Minister Brenda Bailey expensed taxpayers a $6,600 SUV limousine service during a four-day trip 

Meanwhile, the provincial debt is soaring. The Eby government is borrowing about $60 million per day and interest on the provincial debt is costing every British Columbian more than $930 this year.  

“Taxpayers can’t afford to pay $55,000 for soccer balls when politicians are borrowing billions,” Binda said. “Taxpayers and our forestry sector are struggling and we need the government to make life more affordable, not waste money on expensive props for photo ops in Japan.” 

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