Mayor on hot seat over a dinner
City hall is now under investigation by the Quebec municipal commission over a dinner the mayor and her cabinet had in Vienna in April. The mayor has agreed to pay for the wine after this outrageous expense was revealed.
Is it me, or has someone determined to undermine the mayor and her supporters by chipping at alleged excesses?
Ian 21:49 on 2023-11-14 Permalink
Do you not find it excessive?
Nicholas 22:29 on 2023-11-14 Permalink
The Government of Canada per diem in Vienna is just under $200 a day, with dinner (including incidentals) at $90. The meal, including a tip that is uncommonly high for outside North America, is about $150 per person. The wine, at $9 to $11 a glass before tax, at three glasses per person, seems like comparable to Montreal. Could they have gone to a cheaper place, gotten less food and drink? Sure. But I guarantee if we looks at government spending in Quebec City and Ottawa we’ll see a lot of similar numbers. I’m sure the timing of this with the OCPM is just a coincidence. (Also, I remember the Bev Oda spending scandal, and though there was a huge amount of limo spending, the thing that kept making the news was the $16 orange juice.)
Kate 22:34 on 2023-11-14 Permalink
Ian, it might be better if they had lentils and cold water – in some sense. I’m not sure it’s viable in the world we live in.
John B 22:42 on 2023-11-14 Permalink
$149.76 per person for dinner, including wine, seems fairly tame for a pre-conference kickoff dinner, actually. There seems to be some question over if people who are not Montreal city employees should have been covered, but if they were part of the group working for/with Montreal it kind of makes sense.
What’s interesting is that there isn’t simply a per diem for everyone involved, that way people can spend it as they see fit, it’s relatively fair, and the receipts are never submitted.
JP 23:13 on 2023-11-14 Permalink
I would have thought this was fairly expensive but once I started travelling for work…I realized how costly meals and decent hotels are. Breakfast, dinner at a decent restaurant, room service meals…. In hindsight, a $16 orange juice seems pretty standard. At one company, I did get reprimanded for having purchased a KitKat bar at an airport…sigh.
Orr 12:55 on 2023-11-15 Permalink
Canadians: a cheap and petty people. I figure it’s got something to do with our protestant roots where anyone having suspected of fun is viewed with suspicion and opprobrium.