City of Victoria well-represented with ‘Teddy Awards’
While the City of Victoria wasn’t recognized this year for wasting municipal tax dollars, it has in the recent past been well-represented at the annual Teddy Awards from the watchdog group Canadian Taxpayers Federation.
“There doesn’t have to be a lot of zeros on a wasteful or dubious expenditure,” says Stan Bartlett, vice-chair of Grumpy Taxpayers of Greater Victoria.
“Often the smaller items act as a barometer of the fiscal discipline of a municipality. Blowing tax dollars flys in the face of struggling taxpayers who expect council will be good stewards of public money.”
This year the not-so-coveted Teddy Award, a pig-shaped statuette, was grabbed by another B.C. municipality.
Thompson-Nicola Regional District’s former chief administrative officer won for wasting more than $500,000 of taxpayers’ money over five years on parties, expensive meals, a champagne room and jewelry, according to the Canadian taxpayers Federation.
The District’s own forensic audit criticized its financial rules and a sweeping set of changes were recommended, but the CEO didn’t participate in the probe and got to keep his $500,000-severance package, says the Canadian Taxpayer Federation.
In recent years though the City of Victoria was no stranger to receiving national recognition with municipal ‘Teddy Awards’ for its questionable spending habits.
- In 2020, it was nominated for spending taxpayers’ money on a French imported stainless steel public ping pong table. The city also planned to hand out free table tennis paddles and balls to nearby schools, businesses, homes and hotels, the costs unknown. Grumpy Taxpayer$ brought this story to taxpayer attention.
- In 2017, Victoria’s Johnson St. bridge won the top national award for wastefulness. It was also known as the ‘Blue Bridge’ because of its light blue paint, is a 100 metre span across the BC capital’s harbour. Built in 1924, the bridge needed some major work. A 2009 report showed the historic landmark could be refurbished for $23.6 million, and a new one built for $63 million. But City Council didn’t want an old bridge spruced up, it wanted the fancy, new one which was finished several years over deadline. Final costs around $110 million.
- In 2016, it got a nod with a runner-up award, which are just as offensive to hardworking taxpayers. It spent $10,000 for music sensors placed on stairwell railings in a municipal parking garage.
Then there’s the wasteful spending that don’t attract the attention of the media or win a ‘Teddy.’
- It’s unknown the costs or what ever happened to the urban spinning bench (USB for short) designed to charge your cell phone that was installed in Cook Street Village and unveiled in December 2018. This was funded by a My Great Neighbourhood Grant in July 2017, installed in the winter of 2018 and in place for one year. The City provided $4,000 for the materials, and the funding was matched by the applicant.
- Most recently the Victoria spent an estimated $2,500 (including printing and in-house labour) on a ‘Meet the work fleet’ trading card initiative that featured a sidewalk sweeper, sewer cleaner, zero waste truck, street sweeper and garbage truck (see story below).
The Teddy is named after Ted Weatherill, a former federal appointee who was fired in 1999 for submitting a raft of dubious expense claims, including a $700 lunch for two.
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Are the city’s trading cards terrific treasures or terrible trash?, Times Colonist Commentary, June 7, 2022.