Happy 150th Canda, here is floating duck worth $200K

[cvrle1]

So Ontario Govt and our PM thought best way of spending money for Canada's 150th celebration was to fork over $200K for a floating, rubber duck.

This damn thing will float around Ontario and will say Happy Bday Canada. How sweet. At first I really thought this was one of those fake news, but nope, it is real.

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/na...984/story.html

[thekaz]

Wtf ???

[syncro]

dear bcsb news of the day reposter,

at least try to get the story straight without misrepresenting the truth.

[cvrle1]

"The whole giant rubber replica duck tour of Ontario is expected to cost about $200,000, Parrell says, 90 per cent of which will be covered by grants, most of them from the Ontario ministry of tourism, culture and sport. "

"The province was generous but, Parrell says, it didn’t cover all the duck-related expenses. For the Toronto appearance, despite a $130,000 grant from the Ontario government and more from the federal, the committee had to pay thousands extra for a crane and inflation equipment to set the duck up."

Which part was misrepresented exactly?

[heisenberg9]

Best line from the article...

“It’s an absurd waste of taxpayers’ dollars,” MPP Rick Nicholls said in question period. “It is an absolute cluster
duck.”

[Sikorsky]

When you live in the privileged, catered to, trust fund world of the Canadian version of Marie Antoinette; the Right Honorable PM Justin ....... this makes perfect sense.*

I realize that it is mainly a provincial expenditure, but honestly; doesn't quite a bit of most provincial programs remind you of a Versailles style form of governing?*

Just wait until you see what Horgan and Weaver come up with. Maybe take that HOV lane on Hwy 1 and make it into bike lanes? Free Cars-To-Go for DTES residents? Guaranteed wage payments to everyone below the poverty line? Significant tax increases on the middle class and property owners to help subsidize low rent housing? The sky is the limit! The budget will balance itself!

[syncro]

"The whole giant rubber replica duck tour of Ontario is expected to cost about $200,000, Parrell says, 90 per cent of which will be covered by grants, most of them from the Ontario ministry of tourism, culture and sport. "

"The province was generous but, Parrell says, it didn’t cover all the duck-related expenses. For the Toronto appearance, despite a $130,000 grant from the Ontario government and more from the federal, the committee had to pay thousands extra for a crane and inflation equipment to set the duck up."

Which part was misrepresented exactly?

your post and the follow up meme. the article is correct - your representation is not.

i point it out as this tends to be a major problem with political discourse these days. people tend not to focus on the truth of the issue but instead use the issue to promote an often twisted version of reality that fits their own personal and usually biased agenda. how you represented the article and what the article says are two different messages.

[SnoDragon]

^^^ FTW! It happens way too fucking much these days.

[thekaz]

Guaranteed wage payments to everyone below the poverty line?

once my house is paid for I am going support the free money for doing nothing. It would pay my expenses then I just do HVAC or electrical for cash and my dream of never paying taxes comes true LOL
I would then support all comrade duck projects because hey I am not a tax payer and they are giving me a living wage for doing @#$% all ...... BBBWWAHAHAHAHA

[Steve G.]

Lets go with the ultimate in fake media, the CBC. Even they could no sugar coat this. Yup, Ontario is going to financial hell hole, but they fund a bloody giant water duck. Actually, the residents of Ontario should just mire in this mess, they voted this heavy layer of incompetence in.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toront...ture-1.4136222

[sAdam]

Does anyone else want to see this duck cause some type of fiery environmental catastrophe?

Or maybe a tragic shirtless Trudeau / duck *selfie mishap?

[Squint]

By the time it's all done we'll have wasted far more money talking about it.*

Seriously all this mess and angst for $200,000? And that's not even a real number? Perhaps there are bigger issues our elected leaders can argue about.*

[Sikorsky]

Yeah. $200K will only take care of 2/3 of 420 day.

[syncro]

so what happens, if after the duck has made it's appearance, it's shown that the duck brought in at least as much and possibly more in tourist dollars and related economic activity as was spent on the duck? will any of you be singing a different tune?

[cvrle1]

Well, if you can show me concrete proof that duck did break even. I would sing a different tune. Thing is, there will never be proof one way or the other. Current gov't and people who were for this duck will come up with their numbers to show that duck broke even, or possibly made money. Critics will come up with their numbers, or will challenge proponents trying to show that duck was a big waste of money. In the end it will come down to each individual believing whatever numbers they choose to.

In the grand scheme of things, 200K is nothing. i just found it funny more than anything that they would choose get a rubber duck to promote Canada's 150th bday. If this was a big beaver, moose, canadian goose or something to do with canada, ok. I could see the reasoning, but a ginormous version of bathtub toy... come on now.