• Federal – Heritage Canada for the $8.2 million Canada 150 Parliament Hill rink
• Provincial – Ontario’s $39 billion Fair Hydro Plan  
• Municipal – The City of Montreal for $34 million Formula E subsidy
• Lifetime Achievement – The City of Calgary’s gaffe-prone public art program

OTTAWA, ON: The Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) today held its 20th annual Teddy Waste Awards ceremony, celebrating the best of the worst in government waste from the past year. CTF Federal Director Aaron Wudrick served as host, joined by the CTF’s pig mascot Porky the Waster Hater and talented event hostess Jessica. The awards event took place on Parliament Hill in the Charles Lynch Press Theatre.

The Teddy, the pig-shaped award given annually by the CTF to government’s worst waste offenders, is named for Ted Weatherill, a former federal appointee who was fired in 1999 for submitting a panoply of dubious expense claims, including a $700 lunch for two.

“Every year, the competition is stiff, but we narrow it down to a handful of the most ridiculous stories,” said Wudrick. “Sadly, we are never short on nominees, as governments seem to be very good at finding new ways to waste money.”

Read more at Taxpayer

It appears that when Canadian politicians smell cash in the public trough, they go glassy-eyed and drop all restraint. Federal, provincial, and municipal governments have an ongoing history of outrageous spending, including paying big bucks for non-exploding sausages, softer couch cushions, giant duck mascots, and fake lakes. Death, taxes, and misspending are apparently life’s only certainties.

Read more at MSN

Redesign costing taxpayers $89K, less than half what Liberal government spent to alter logo in 2006

The Ford government isn’t just putting a new slogan on Ontario licence plates, it’s redesigning the province’s logo too, CBC News has learned. 

Two government sources say the province’s trillium logo — reflecting Ontario’s official flower — has been given a makeover.

The updated logo will be deployed across all government branding, which means it will appear on provincial websites, signs, advertising and letterhead.

The cost of the redesign is $89,000, a senior government official told CBC News. The fee is “less than half of what the Liberals spent on the previous logo,” said the official. 

In 2006, the Liberal government of then-premier Dalton McGuinty redesigned the trillium logo at a cost of $219,000.

At the time, the PCs slammed the move as a waste of taxpayer dollars.  

Read more at CBC News

PCs promised to eliminate partisan ads, but say Manitobans should know they’re keeping promise on PST cut.

The Manitoba Liberals are accusing Brian Pallister’s government of going against its word by using tax dollars to promote a PST cut. 

During the 2016 Manitoba election campaign, the Progressive Conservatives promised to eliminate all public spending on partisan advertising.

The party also said it would empower the auditor general to review all advertising and dismiss any promotional materials found to be in violation of the rules.

Liberal Leader Dougald Lamont said the government is breaking its promise by advertising an upcoming reduction of the provincial sales tax to seven per cent.

“There’s no public service element to this,” Lamont said. “It’s not telling people to go get vaccinated. It’s not telling people about a new program they can take advantage of. It’s really just spending public money to promote the party in power.”

Read more at CBC

A $300,000 ad campaign from the Canada Pension Plan has landed some prime-time slots on Canadian television, but has critics decrying it as a waste of taxpayer money.

The two-month campaign is designed to promote the work of the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, using slogans like “investing today for your tomorrow” as a cover of Great Big Sea’s “Ordinary Day” plays in the background. The spots have appeared during breaks in the NFL playoffs and during the IIHF World Junior Hockey Tournament.

Canadians are required by law to contribute to the CPP, which has critics questioning the need to advertise something they are forced to participate in.

Read more at CTVNews