General

No wonder Ottawa’s “Economic Action Plan” signs cost so much—they’re not footing the bill

Two stories that I’m not quite sure add up to a scandal, but are nonetheless intriguing: First, Le Devoir reported yesterday that the Tories are spending a mind-boggling $800 to $7,000 to produce and install each one of those goofy “Economic Action Plan” signs that are popping up on just about any project that requires more than an x-acto knife to complete. Try as they might, Le Devoir‘s reporters couldn’t figure out just how the Tories are spending that much per sign—their half-assed call for bids found printers willing to make similar signs for about 200 bucks a pop. The second story, uncovered by RueFrontenac.com, may explain why Ottawa doesn’t mind putting up so many of those godforsaken signs no matter how much they cost—they’re not the ones paying for them:

According to our sources, the infrastructure program established by Ottawa to stimulate Canada’s economy includes unusual, publicity-related requirements to guarantee funding. The Conservative government is telling cities and provinces they have to pay for the enormous signs put up at infrastructure building sites financed by Ottawa.

Alas, neither story is getting much play. As is their wont, the Liberals suddenly don’t seem all that interested in where Ottawa’s stimulus money has gone or is going. Onto the scrap heap the story goes, left to rot alongside Suaad Mohamud, those body bags, and a bunch of “sexy” isotopes. The hot story now, at least until the next “gaffe” is uncovered, is the fact no one you know has been vaccinated against H1N1. (This situation, according to Liberal party president Alf Apps, is nothing short of “the ‘Hurricane Katrina’ of our own laissez-faire, fend for yourself government.” If the Liberals play their cards right, Sarah Polley should be appearing on a telethon any minute now to warn us that “Stephen Harper doesn’t care about feverish people.”) Meanwhile, the stimulus spending chugs along.

Mick Jagger was right: Who wants yesterday’s papers? Nobody in the world.

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