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JARVIS: Toronto taxpayers footing the bill for World Cup condoms

Those are the kinds of bills you’d expect to see from Hugh Hefner — not city hall

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Hosting six World Cup soccer games in Toronto is already $350 million over budget.

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Given those kinds of overruns, city hall should look for savings. Instead, municipal bureaucrats blew big money on soccer-themed sex supplies.

JARVIS: Toronto taxpayers footing the bill for World Cup condoms Back to video

Toronto public health bureaucrats ordered over 600,000 condoms and 200,000 packets of sexual lubricant.

All told, the sex supplies cost taxpayers $200,000.

Those are the kinds of bills you’d expect to see from Hugh Hefner — not city hall.

When it was first pitched, city hall officials were touting a $30-45 million price tag to bring a handful of World Cup games to Toronto. All said, six of the tournament’s 104 matches will be held at BMO Field.

Now, those six soccer games are set to cost taxpayers $380 million — 750% higher than city hall first promised. When a project is 750% over budget, you need to start saying no. Instead of looking for savings, Toronto bureaucrats are blowing even more money on soccer-themed sex aids.

Taxpayers forced to accommodate ‘VIPs’

When Toronto bureaucrats can’t even say no to the branded condoms, just think about how they’re spending money on the rest of the tournament.

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Taxpayers are being forced to go out of their way to accommodate anyone FIFA deems a “VIP” or “VVIP” under the World Cup contracts.

FIFA is insisting government bend the country’s immigration, customs and security procedures for their special guests. You’re paying for VIPs and VVIPs to have their own gate pick-up area, special waiting rooms, special luggage collection and VIP parking at the airport.

They’re even entitled to road closures and police motorcades on the taxpayers’ dime.

Toronto traffic is already a lot of fun. It’ll be extra fun when roads are closed for FIFA limos.

Those same soccer executives are billing taxpayers $25,000 for events hosting “dignitaries, consulate officials, etc.,” during the World Cup.

At the games, FIFA-nominated VIPs will bill taxpayers for access to their own lounge, while VVIPs thumb their noses at the low-end elites from their very, very important lounge.

All that luxury is being paid for with tax dollars. Every dime that goes to VVIP lounges, expensive events for FIFA bigwigs, is money that isn’t going towards core services or keeping taxes low.

Ontarians oppose paying for World Cup

Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow decided to raise the Municipal Accommodation Tax (MAT) by 41.7% last summer. That’s on top of big property tax hikes.  

The MAT is a hotel and short-term rental tax that president and CEO of the Greater Toronto Hotel Association, Sara Anghel, says is an additional burden on hotel owners.

“The more we increase our taxes, the less competitive we’re going to be against other cities,” Anghel said.

Chow has been sharply increasing taxes over the past three years, with her first three budgets increasing property taxes by 18.6%.

So, the next time you pay your property taxes, remember that some of your money is paying for a mountain of condoms and lube for six soccer games that are costing taxpayers $63.3 million apiece.

Bureaucrats aren’t just billing Toronto households for the World Cup; they’re making taxpayers from coast to coast pony up, too.

Toronto residents are putting up $178.7 million for the World Cup, while the Ontario and federal governments have already shelled out $97 million and $104.3 million, respectively.

That doesn’t even consider the federal government’s multi-million-dollar contribution for the seven World Cup games being played in Vancouver, which was handed a similarly bad deal as Toronto.

It’s no wonder why 56% of Ontarians are opposed to paying for the World Cup, according to recent polling. When the lines at food banks are far too long, taxpayers can’t afford projects that are hundreds of times over budget.

Bureaucrats at city hall need to learn how to say no and stop wasting so much taxpayer money on six international soccer games. Noah Jarvis is Ontario Director for the Canadian Taxpayers Federation. 

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