A B.C. government promotion to hand out free coffee and tea to recruit U.S. health-care workers to move to the province to work came with a hefty price tag.
The Canadian Taxpayers Federation submitted a Freedom of Information request to find out how much the two-day initiative in June 2025 in Seattle cost B.C. taxpayers.
“This process took so long because government and the third party were fighting tooth and nail to prevent taxpayers from seeing these documents,” Carson Binda with the Canadian Taxpayers Federation told Global News.
He said they decided to file the Freedom of Information request after B.C. Premier David Eby posted a photo of the coffee truck on his social media account.
“These invoices show the province spent $165,000 delivering 1,000 cups of coffee to health-care workers in the United States,” Binda said.
“That works out to about $165 per cup of coffee.”
The invoice shows that taxpayers paid for a branded truck, 1,000 cups of coffee, 1,000 branded cups and napkins, location procurement, and about 10 consultants to hand out the coffee or tea.
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The opposition said this raises many questions about the campaign results.
“My question would be what did this result in, how many applications, but more importantly, how many jobs were confirmed by this spend with this specific truck and this massive coffee order?” Trevor Halford, interim leader of the Conservative Party of British Columbia, said.
B.C.’s Health Ministry acknowledged the colourful coffee truck was part of their recruitment marketing campaign, calling it money well spent. They noted more than 500 health-care professionals have been hired from the U.S.
“There’s no doubt that we have a health-care worker shortage here, but I also think too that this government needs to be accountable with what they’re doing with taxpayer dollars,” Halford said.
Binda said he understands that the province is actively recruiting health-care workers from the U.S., but he doesn’t think anyone is moving their family because the government gave them a free cup of coffee.
Another boneheaded idea by Eby and the NDP government. Why would anyone uproot themselves and move to another country by giving them free coffee. It’s a big decision and it takes a lot of thought and planning and getting free coffee doesn’t come into it. People may want to come to Canada but why come to BC with our high taxes and prices for housing and food.
In marketing spending, 165K is not much. When you frame it as the cost of a cup of coffee, of course it looks bad. In real business cost terms, to reach 1000 in the US (dont forget the exchange rate) very targeted people at 165 per person – that is an inexpensive campaign. Those commenting are usually ignorant of any type of knowledge about how business works and its costs. I am a Conservative too, not a fan of the current BC Gov’t. I can’t fault them on this one.
Do we not want more health care workers in Canada? I know coffee to another country for a promotion doesn’t sound like much, but if we can get more health care workers in Canada, which we are in DIRE need of, then I’d say spend the money. At least it’s going towards something that could prove fruitful in the long run.
165 grand still pales next to the billions stolen from ICBC customers by the Fiberals.
They should consult with Todd Maffin. He’s already bringing health care workers from all over the US to Nanaimo and the rest of Canada. He was doing that in April of last year, and is doing it again this year. I don’t believe they were paid near that kind of funds.
I have no problem for the actual initiative at all, heck it’s great for Canada to have more physicians!
But $165,000 for a two day venture!?
That is reckless and blinded spending.
Just buy every doctor a Starbucks at the nearest location to a hospital and it is Pennie’s in comparison…. Gilts and glam for a two day coffee show while your residents of BC can’t afford groceries thanks to inflation is just a mockery.
And that ladies & gentlemen is your tax dollars at work, and yet the same fools that keep voting for the NDP are the first ones to complain about the taxes we pay.
Mind boggling !!!
$165.
Is it any surprise that was a NDP operation!
Yet threatening to roll back BC nurses’s benefits with no wage increase for next 3 years.
I would have brought my own coffee at that price and made a few bucks.
Was the coffee Canadian sourced or American sourced?
Did they serve Canadian sourced coffee or American sourced coffee?
I think Binda should run in the provincial election.