B.C. government spends nearly $1 million on Olympic tickets

By Michael Smyth, The Province January 20, 2010 6:34 AM

There's finally a little good news for all you party-pooping whiners who think politicians are spending too much of your hard-earned loot on the Olympics: Newly revealed government documents show that all the fat cats and freeloaders attending the Games on your tab have snapped up some of the best and most expensive seats available. How is that good for your wallet? No nosebleeds! Imagine if all these champagne-sipping spongers had to sit way up in the rafters with the nosebleed-section riff-raff? You're bound to save a fortune in Kleenex costs alone. Other than that, though, I'm afraid the latest news on the taxpayer-financed Olympic freebiefest won't exactly make your day.

The internal documents I obtained Tuesday show how much of your money the Gordon Campbell government is spending on Games tickets for politicians and their guests: $940,680. That whopper-of-a-number is bigger than what the government admitted to earlier. And here's why the tab is so freaking huge: The government has gobbled up some of the priciest and most exclusive seats and suites available. It includes $449,200 for executive suites at various Olympic venues. The deluxe suites, many featuring primo sight lines, private food and bar service and ensuite bathrooms, will be available to 1,052 government A-listers. The government is also spending $491,480 on 2,192 individual tickets to Olympic events. All told, the government is paying an average price of $290 for each of its 3,244 tickets.

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Other public-sector bodies buying Olympic tickets on your dime include: the federal government ($447,000); B.C. Hydro ($616,000); ICBC ($405,000); B.C. Lotteries ($396,000); City of Vancouver ($340,000); City of Richmond ($200,000); and City of Whistler ($37,000). Total bill for Olympic tickets on the taxpayers' tab: $3.3 million. And the government has still refused to say who'll get 'em and which events they'll attend. They'll be easy to spot, though: They'll be the ones wearing Olympic-sized smiles.