Government

As Harper continues mass handouts, here’s what B.C. gets

By Trevor Melanson /

The Polygon Gallery just got $2.5 million from the feds

THE#BCBIZDAILY
It’s a pre-election spending spree

Spending spree
Before kicking off campaign season this Sunday, the Conservative government last week pulled the trigger on a long list of handouts over the course of just a few days. The result: on Thursday alone, the federal government handed out over $1 billion across Canada—$1.2 billion, by one estimate—according to a list compiled by Sun Media parliamentary bureau chief David Akin. Here’s a look at what B.C. projects received a cash injection last week:

THURSDAY
$30 million to 19 Wing Comox for repairs and upgrades
$7.1 million to small craft harbours in Victoria
$200,000 for water infrastructure at Fanny Bay
$161,198 for a soccer field in Campbell River
$100,000 for a clubhouse in Courtenay
$30,300 for a community clock Port McNeill
$11,200 for a monument in Sayward
$500,000 for municipal hall restoration in Delta
$500,000 for a community pool upgrade in Williams Lake
$1.5 million to National Angel Capital Organization in Vancouver
$150,000 to a curling club in Kamloops
$66.5 million to the Quantum Matter Institute at UBC
$420,000 to North Vancouver’s economic development program
$500,000 to a curling club in Dawson Creek

FRIDAY (ongoing)
$2.5 million to North Vancouver’s Polygon Gallery
$73 million to UBC health researchers
$2 million for enhanced radar systems at the Port of Prince Rupert
$2.2 million for the future North Vancouver Museum and Archives
$3.7 million for upgrades to Tsawwassen’s watermains
$66,666 for water system upgrades in Cache Creek
$3 million for a Rugby Canada training centre in Langford
$2.5 million for a project to “promote walking”
$455,000 in Langley for a new park and community centre upgrades
$1.15 million for various projects in Surrey

And here, the Alaska Highway News has compiled a list of just Northern B.C. funding announcements since July 24—over $100 million in that part of the province alone, including $53 million on the Alaska Highway for improvements. Have we missed any? Let us know in the comments.

From VPD to VP
In other news, former Vancouver police chief Jim Chu has a new job—and it’s in business. The Aquilini Investment Group announced Friday that Chu would be joining their ranks as vice-president of special projects and partnerships. What is the Aquilini Investment Group, you may ask? Read more about it here.