EDMONTON – The Canadian Taxpayers Federation held its annual Teddy Waste Awards ceremony Wednesday morning and they didn’t forget about former Alberta premier Alison Redford.
Redford didn’t walk away with any awards, but she received a nomination for her plan to build the controversial “skypalace” in Edmonton’s historic Federal Building, which was supposed to serve as her residential suite. The project was eventually scrapped, but not before plans for the penthouse suite racked up a cost of $240,000.
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CTF also nominated Redford for the government’s plans to build a $1-million outdoor skating rink. The project was also cancelled after the rink’s dressing rooms and zamboni storage facility had been constructed at a cost of $832,000.
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The Federal Teddy Winner was former MP, Cabinet Minister and London mayor Joe Fontana, after he was convicted for breach of trust, fraud and uttering forged documents in June 2014. While sitting as an MP in 2005, Fontana altered the contract for his son’s wedding reception, and submitted it to the House of Commons for a $1,700 reimbursement, claiming it was actually for a function with the minister of finance.
A lifetime achievement Teddy was awarded to Vancouver’s TransLink.
“Having wasted millions and millions of taxpayer dollars on things that didn’t move a single person a single inch, TransLink now wants a 0.5 per cent sales tax,” said Aaron Wudrick, CTF Federal Director.
“This is not an organization that deserves the public’s confidence – or more of their money.”
WATCH: A lifetime achievement award was handed to Vancouver’s public transit system TransLink by CTF Federal Director Aaron Wudrick on Wednesday morning.
CTF named the Teddy Awards for Ted Weatherill, a former federal appointee who was turfed in 1999 for submitting a collection of dubious expense claims, including a $700 lunch for two.
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