'Champagne room and bling': B.C. bureaucrat sarcastically honoured for 'baller lifestyle'
Winners of awards that highlight the worst government spending of the year have been unveiled, and a British Columbia bureaucrat was among those called out.
The Canadian Taxpayers Federation gave a nod to the Thompson-Nicola Regional District in its 24th annual tongue-in-cheek Teddy Awards ceremony.
"A champagne room and bling are usually the realm of rockstars, but a bureaucrat at the (TNRD) treated himself to a baller lifestyle with the taxpayer credit card," the CTF said in a news release Wednesday.
The group awarded its municipal prize to the TNRD's former chief administrative officer Sukh Gill, who it says spent more than $500,000 over five years.
That money, the CTF said, went to high-priced meals, jewelry for staff and "nearly $9,000 to rent a champagne room in Whistler during a municipal conference."
The City of Vancouver was a nominee in this category for a $645,000 outdoor toilet.
The pre-fabricated public washroom in Coopers' Park was covered by a provincial grant, and drew much criticism from the Opposition Liberals last March.
Canada's supersized climate delegation to COP26 took home the lifetime achievement award. The federal government paid to send 376 people to the United Nations event in Glasgow – the largest delegation including that of the host country, the United Kingdom.
"Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland stayed in the wrong city and paid $3,000 for a luxury chauffeur service between Edinburg and Glasgow," the group wrote.
The federal winner was the National Capital Commission, which spent about $11 million renovating the prime minister's "country retreat," including $2.5 million for a "backup cottage," the CTF said.
Provincially, Quebec took the unwanted prize for a $380-million investment in an aviation investment the CTF says is "now worthless," according to an annual report.
"The Quebec government has a long history of wasting hundreds of millions on airplane subsidies and managed to waste hundreds of millions more after the airplane in question changed its name," CTF federal director Franco Terrazzano said.
The Teddy Awards are named after Ted Weatherill, a former federal employee fired in the late 1990s for expense claims including a $700 lunch for two.
The Canadian Taxpayers Federation describes itself as a non-partisan, non-profit advocacy group claiming thousands of supporters, but voting membership is restricted to a small board of directors and politicians including Alberta Premier Jason Kenney have a history with the group.
Several former members have gone on to become political leaders.
The group generally advocates for fiscally conservative policies such as lower taxes and reduced government spending, as well as market-led politics.
Its controversial history includes arguing that the government should "phase out" the Indian Act and "stop treating (Indigenous people) as though they are different from other Canadians."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.
Police arrest 3 Indian nationals in killing of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar
Three people have been arrested and charged in the killing of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar – as authorities continue investigating potential connections to the Indian government.
TD worst-case scenario more likely after drug money laundering allegations: analyst
TD Bank Group could be hit with more severe penalties than previously expected, says a banking analyst after a report that the investigation it faces in the U.S. is tied to laundering illicit fentanyl profits.
Human remains found in rural Sask. possibly a decade old, RCMP say
RCMP say human remains found in a rural area in central Saskatchewan may have been there for a decade or more.
2 charged after police find 'concerning and diverse' explosives at Manitoba home
Winnipeg police say they have arrested two people in their 20s after a large amount of explosives were found in a home outside of Winnipeg, Man.
Canadian doctor concerned new weight-loss drug Wegovy may be used inappropriately
As Wegovy becomes available to Canadians starting Monday, a medical expert is cautioning patients wanting to use the drug to lose weight that no medication is a ''magic bullet,' and the new medication is meant particularly for people who meet certain criteria related to obesity and weight.
Spain abolishes national bullfighting award in cultural shift
Spain scrapped an annual bullfighting award on Friday, prompting a rebuke from conservatives over a backlash against a centuries-old tradition they see as an art form but which has run into growing concern for animal welfare.
Drew Carey is never quitting 'The Price Is Right'
Drew Carey took over as host of 'The Price Is Right' and hopes he’s there for life. 'I'm not going anywhere,' he told 'Entertainment Tonight' of the job he took over from longtime host Bob Barker in 2007.
Police officer hit by driver of fleeing vehicle in Toronto
York Regional Police say they are continuing to search for a suspect in an auto theft investigation who was captured on video running over a police officer in Toronto last month.