Back in 2004 when the NDP government announced it was going to embark upon a "re-branding strategy" for Manitoba, the Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) predicted it would be a waste of time and money. Fast forward three years, and this prediction has materialized following the release of focus group data and invoices. Data the government only made available only after a strong rebuke from the Ombudsman. Funny how the information surfaces after the election!

The "Spirited Energy" saga, whose cost has now ballooned to $2.8 million, has been a thorn in the side of taxpayers ever since the failed campaign was launched one year ago. The CTF, Official Opposition and the Winnipeg Sun have been asking for invoices and focus group data from the time the new slogan hit the airwaves, only to be confronted with massive bills for photocopying, denial of information and only partial requests fulfilled. The government tried to charge the Winnipeg Sun $750 for the information, the CTF's freedom of information (FOI) requests were met with delays and then only partially fulfilled with no invoices provided.

At the heart of this issue - save the wasted tax dollars - is how the government handled this mess. They denied certain aspects of FOI requests claiming "third party confidentiality," and were able to shield themselves from disclosure. It was only after the Ombudsman's office was flooded with complaints did the government finally capitulate - sort of.

The box of information that finally arrived at the CTF office, the size of a New York phone book, contained invoices for everything from hotel rooms to how much was spent on beer and wine. However, the most important information that taxpayers needed to gauge if they got value for money, the per unit breakdowns, was whited out. Meaning, they wouldn't tell us how many units of alcohol were bought, or how much the individual steak dinner cost. There were also invoices for a $20,000 monthly fee for a public relations firm and $8,000 month fee for website maintenance.

Then there was the data from the focus groups conducted all across the country, the results of which would have stopped anyone dead in their tracks from launching this campaign. Here are just a few examples:

* "Some participants did not understand what [Spirited Energy] means, some could not relate to the slogan and others did not know how or did not agree that it reflected Manitoba... Others thought the slogan was more appropriate for a Manitoba Hydro campaign."

* "few participants, however, said the idea of developing a logo concept is "a waste of money" and they would prefer to see the money go toward other priorities such as health care and fixing roads."

If the government was so proud of their focus group results, they should have happily released the information - but the fact is they knew they had a mess on their hands, yet they pushed ahead anyway.

Releasing this information in the middle of summer was politically savvy considering the only thing on most of the public's mind is the lake and getting kids to camp, but they won't be able to escape the wrath of taxpayers once the sleepy days of summer come to an end. The provincial auditor is conducting a full audit of this campaign. Results are expected by the fall, just in time for the legislative session.