Doer’s slush drink fund
Posted on April 28, 2008 by PolicyFrog
How is the MLCC donating $1 million to the Canadian Museum for Human Rights really any different than MPI’s failed and much-criticized attempt to donate $20 million to the U of W, BU and CUSB a few years back?
Isn’t this just a back-door way for the Doer government to provide more funding for the Museum?
EDIT: Apparently MPI, Hydro AND Lotteries are all making $1 million donations as well! That’s $4 million in museum funding from crown corporations, at the Premier’s request no less! This smells bad.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tagged: manitoba liquor control commission, mlcc, province of manitoba
Crown corporations should not be in the business of giving charitable donations. Especially ones that shouldn’t exist to begin with (MLCC). Their job is to provide whatever service they provide at minimum cost, IMO. You’re absolutely right, frogger, this is a back-door way for Doer to prop up the museum.
Just be up front about it: say “the museum is running short of its funding goal and I’m gonna spend another $4m of your money to support it.”
The MLCC isn’t looking for a thank you? I should hope not. The one thing about these “corporations” making a donation is that consumers don’t have a choice - if you don’t like the fact that the MLCC is making the donation, it’s not like you can go across the street to the LMCC instead.
These backdoor attempts at social engineering are just one of the many disturbing antics of the present government. How’s about lowering the rates for car insurance, a cold beer, electricity and gaming and then letting Manitobans decide for themselves whether or not they want to fund a particular initiative?
From a political gamesmanship perspective, this is sheer genius. After all, if it is spread around, many won’t see these minute contributions as a big deal. If Doer gave it all in one lump sum, then there would be greater scrutiny in to how much is really coming from everyone’s pockets.
Not to take this off on a tangent, but I wanted to point out that there are choices available.
You can always patronize one of Winnipeg’s fine privately-owned wine store if you don’t want to go to the MLCC.
All private stores carry MLCC products (known as “listed” products), but also carry what are called “unlisted” products that the MLCC does not carry. Fewer of your pennies will end up supporting the museum if you purchase unlisted products.
@PegWine - Isn’t MLCC still the wholesaler for those products? I thought everything came out of their warehouse?
You’re absolutely right, but the margins are different for unlisted products.
I think this is only the beginning of Doer’s paying into the Museum. How much revenues can be expected to come from annual membership sales and ticket sales to the general public?
While I for one would go at least once, it would be quite a few years before I would take the kids and buy a family pass. This won’t be like a natural history museum where the kids would want to go over and over again. As such, I hope revenue projections aren’t being extrapolated from something like the Manitoba Museum which has a greater chance of attracting repeat attendance.
This said, there would be a point in time where I would take the kids - especially since their own grandparents were in work camps. But the subject matter is nonetheless pretty grim - I just don’t see them begging me to go back as often as they would like to see dinosaurs or the Nonsuch.
I think government grants are going to pay for a larger portion of operating costs than most other museums.