Whatsa国际传媒 the most money you鈥檝e ever spent on a sandwich? Because Premier David Eby billed taxpayers $57 per person for a gourmet sandwich buffet at a party he hosted in Victoria last November. Did the government kill the golden goose and turn its liver into foie gras to make these sandwiches?
Officially called the Premiersa国际传媒 Innovation and Excellence Awards, itsa国际传媒 an annual party the premier puts on that 鈥渞ecognizes public servants on a provincial level.鈥
In other words, itsa国际传媒 a party for sa国际传媒sa国际传媒 bureaucrats. The party cost taxpayers $117,841, according to invoices obtained by the Canadian Taxpayers Federation through freedom-of-information requests.
When asked by Global News, Finance Minister Brenda Bailey told journalists she thought it was 鈥渁ppropriate to celebrate excellence,鈥 but the government just 鈥渃an鈥檛 do it in a way thatsa国际传媒 extravagant.鈥 So the finance minister doesn鈥檛 think $57 sandwiches are extravagant?
For comparison, the lobster and prawn roll at Gordon Ramsaysa国际传媒 new restaurant in Metro Vancouver will set you back $31.75. The $57 sandwiches at the bureaucrat bash were in addition to a $99 per person, three-course dinner. Other highlights included: $21 cocktails and bottles of sparkling water and Coca-Cola for $7.50 each -- about 12 times more expensive than picking up Coca-Cola at the grocery store.
Bailey claims the government only gave event volunteers taxpayer-funded drinks, while everyone else paid at a cash bar. Regardless, those volunteers racked up hundreds of dollars鈥 worth of fancy cocktails and wine. In total, Eby spent $75,376 on food and beverages for his taxpayer-funded party, with another $15,075 going toward a food and beverage service charge.
The venue rental, Carson Hall at the Victoria Conference Centre, cost taxpayers $14,025 for the evening. The Victoria Conference Centre is less than a five-minute walk from the Legislature. That means Eby could have saved taxpayers $14,025 by moving the event five minutes away to a building the taxpayer already owns.
The sa国际传媒 Conservatives were quick to call foul on the party, with sa国际传媒-Mission MLA Gavin Dew pointing out: 鈥淭his is a government thatsa国际传媒 asking everyone else to tighten their belts.鈥 The party took place just months before Bailey released British Columbiasa国际传媒 2025 budget, which shows the province is deep in debt with crushing interest costs.
When Eby came to power in 2022, the provincesa国际传媒 debt worked out to roughly $17,600 per British Columbian. By 2027, thatsa国际传媒 projected to increase to $36,600 per British Columbian. That means that just one premier will have more than doubled the debt.
Interest on that debt is costing us more than $5.2 billion this year. Thatsa国际传媒 more money than the province collects in carbon and fuel taxes combined. Itsa国际传媒 about twice as much as the province is spending on the Ministry of Children and Family Development this year. Eby is borrowing more money than every other premier combined because he has a spending problem.
While Eby and Bailey are chowing down on expensive sandwiches and pricy cocktails, many British Columbians are struggling. Food banks are seeing record-breaking demand, and a quarter of British Columbians are dealing with 鈥渟everely inadequate standards of living鈥, according to Food Banks Canada.
While British Columbians struggle and line up at food banks, Eby and Bailey think $57 sandwiches aren鈥檛 extravagant.
Carson Binda is the sa国际传媒 Director for the Canadian Taxpayers Federation.
