The costs for the last G8/G20 event in Toronto are so outrageous, that you’d think they were joking. If only they were. The final tab ran over $1.25 billion.

Some of the costs were:

$80 million for food and accommodation
$34 million on telecommunications and electronics
$17 million for vehicle rentals and transportation
$4.5 million for the security fence around the exclusive Deerhurst Resort in Ontario’s Muskoka region along with more than $300,000 for sun screen and insect repellant for the police guarding the fence
$3.2-million single contract for shuttle buses and a $2.2-million car rental bill - for a single day.
$85,000 for snacks
$68,340 for Nikon cameras
$45,000 for binoculars
$14,049 for glow sticks
$13,000 for miscellaneous textiles, headgear and umbrellas

“This is totally unacceptable,” said Liberal MP Dan McTeague, who tabled the expenditure reports in the House of Commons on Thursday.

“The reams and reams of documents present a very disturbing trend and tale, I think, for Canadians,” McTeague said. “It suggests there is a very deep and serious problem. There was no accountability or oversight in terms of those expenditures. Money was no object.”

McTeague said that the spending was totally unacceptable, but the government said it was justified as most of this money was spent in security related areas. It’s difficult to believe this considering previous summits spent far less money.

No final tally has been given yet on the price tag for Canada’s hosting back-to-back summits in Ontario’s Muskoka region and downtown Toronto in late June, but the overall cost has been estimated to be about $1.24 billion, including at least $930 million for security.

Most of these charges are definitely outrageous. Consider the fact that the police guarding the fence at the Deerhurst Resort. They are nearly covered head to toe. Why do they need more than $300,000 for sun screen and insect repellant?

What this amounts to is an absolutely insane waste of money. Nothing was accomplished at the summit. The summit was just a big party for rich people and political leader’s on the Canadian taxpayers’ dime while the police mistreated and abused the protesters.

September 27, 2010  
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