This one is dedicated to the good ol' cap'n.
CBC's glitzy Strombo party cost $72,000+
OTTAWA - CBC paid more than one-and-a-half times the average income of a working Canadian for a one-night, celebrity-filled party last September.
Called the Hazelton Takeover, the event cost taxpayers more than $72,000, thousands more than CBC president Hubert Lacroix claimed when he appeared before a Commons committee.
The lavish event, held at "Canada's only 5 star hotel" in "the city's finest and most fashionable downtown district," brought CBC host George Stroumboulopoulos together with American and British celebrities during the Toronto International Film Festival.
Lacroix told MPs that the party cost $64,000, but a single invoice from Veritas Communications shows a charge of $72,372.
Other invoices, including one from the Hazelton Hotel, have had all the key information -- including charges -- removed.
According to Statistics Canada's Labour Force Survey, the average wage in Canada for working individuals is $44,252 a year.
The documents were obtained by QMI Agency through an access to information request.
Another document shows a team of four bodyguards were hired to protect Stroumboulopoulos during his party. The costs for the private security team have also been removed.
The contract for renting out Canada's most luxurious hotel for the party were released with all relevant details removed. CBC claimed the contract was "information the disclosure of which could reasonably be expected to prejudice the competitive position of a government institution."
The documents show that CBC officials hoped to create a buzz about the launch of their new show, George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight.
In the end they reported a three-day spike in Twitter traffic.
Pages upon pages of material related to the party have been held back by the state broadcaster, claiming that releasing them to the public would harm CBC's creative, programming or journalistic activities.
Other material was held back because releasing it would harm the economic interests of Canada, according to the CBC.
http://www.torontosun.com/2011/12/19/cbcs-glitzy-strombo-party-cost-72gs-plus
CBC's glitzy Strombo party cost $72,000+
OTTAWA - CBC paid more than one-and-a-half times the average income of a working Canadian for a one-night, celebrity-filled party last September.
Called the Hazelton Takeover, the event cost taxpayers more than $72,000, thousands more than CBC president Hubert Lacroix claimed when he appeared before a Commons committee.
The lavish event, held at "Canada's only 5 star hotel" in "the city's finest and most fashionable downtown district," brought CBC host George Stroumboulopoulos together with American and British celebrities during the Toronto International Film Festival.
Lacroix told MPs that the party cost $64,000, but a single invoice from Veritas Communications shows a charge of $72,372.
Other invoices, including one from the Hazelton Hotel, have had all the key information -- including charges -- removed.
According to Statistics Canada's Labour Force Survey, the average wage in Canada for working individuals is $44,252 a year.
The documents were obtained by QMI Agency through an access to information request.
Another document shows a team of four bodyguards were hired to protect Stroumboulopoulos during his party. The costs for the private security team have also been removed.
The contract for renting out Canada's most luxurious hotel for the party were released with all relevant details removed. CBC claimed the contract was "information the disclosure of which could reasonably be expected to prejudice the competitive position of a government institution."
The documents show that CBC officials hoped to create a buzz about the launch of their new show, George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight.
In the end they reported a three-day spike in Twitter traffic.
Pages upon pages of material related to the party have been held back by the state broadcaster, claiming that releasing them to the public would harm CBC's creative, programming or journalistic activities.
Other material was held back because releasing it would harm the economic interests of Canada, according to the CBC.
http://www.torontosun.com/2011/12/19/cbcs-glitzy-strombo-party-cost-72gs-plus