Have you ever wondered if bureaucrats who work for the federal government are better at shooting rubber bands into a basket than their provincial counterparts? Or if municipal bureaucrats are better than both at picking up paper clips with chopsticks?
Well, now we might have such answers because on June 14th at the Winnipeg Convention Centre, bureaucrats from the federal, provincial and municipal government competed in what was called “The Tri-Level Challenge.”
The brand new, four hour event featured games, a free lunch for the first 350 bureaucrats who attended, prizes, a comedian, live band and other “surprises.” And yes, this event was on top of all the fun office activities that government divisions already hold at the local level.
Multiply 350 workers by four hours and a wage of $20 per hour wage (low balled) and you’ve got $28,000 in wages. It was revealed that the provincial government's bill for the event was
$7,500, so if the other two levels of government matched it, we're looking at a total bill to taxpayers of around $50,000 for event costs and wages.
Again, this is a brand new activity, on top of existing fun office activities that local divisions already hold.
While this isn’t the largest waste of money, shouldn’t someone have thought about the small fact that none of these three levels of government have a cent to waste?
The city claims it has a $7 billion infrastructure deficit and the provincial and federal governments are running deficits of $510 million and $32 billion respectively.
The problem is not with those who attended the event, but with those that approved it. Given each government’s fiscal challenges, how did such an unnecessary, new initiative get the green light?
Clearly, word hasn’t gotten down to the lower levels of the bureaucracy that every penny needs to be spent carefully. That’s no surprise, many at the top haven’t realized that either.
Consider that Canada’s debt has increased by over $100 billion in the past three years by the Harper government, yet Members of Parliament haven’t even begun to talk about leading by example by scaling back their
gold plated pension plan; arguably one of the richest plans in the country.
The budget for MPs’ international trips never gets cut back and billions were just spent wooing votes leading up to the federal election.
Provincially, the Selinger government is doing the same – sprinkling millions around as it prepares for this fall’s election. The bureaucracy seems to have followed its political masters’ reckless lead. Remember the $38,000 that was recently spent on a new
BBQ and rooftop patio for executive offices at the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority?
What about the Vital Statistics division allowing employees to take a
couple paid hours off to go Christmas shopping last fall? Managers noted in emails that they were “severely behind,” but still let people go shopping on the clock. Shockingly, staff then had to be brought in on the weekends and paid over time to catch up.
Over at the city, some politicians are pushing for – wait for it – more politicians. Yes, even though Winnipeg’s city council (16) has more members than larger cities like Calgary (15) and Edmonton (13), some think a pair of new politicians is a greater priority than fixing our roads.
Let’s be clear. There are many bureaucrats and politicians out there that do get it and respect your tax dollars immensely. Unfortunately, they seem to be losing the battle right now.
To see where your elected official stands, ask them about the Bureaucrat Olympics. If they get the problem, they’ll commit you won’t see the same thing next year.