I'm with jaz on this. The government's job is to deliver important services, not tax business and then spend it trying to promote whatever the lobbyist groups can convince them to fund this week. "Cultural events" are not an important service.
Taxpayers shouldn't be on the hook for a Grey Cup party any more then we should be on the hook for a new NHL arena in Quebec City.
in your opinion.
many would disagree with you.
maybe he should have said vital service.. hospitals, police, safety, fire departments, roads, schools, taking care of the sick and starving... these types of things.. vital.. grey cup.. not so much...
Sports is an important part of our heritage. the Grey Cup as well.
when you have a celebration for a 100 year event such as they Grey Cup, which is the largest watched sporting event in Canada, and so many people, besides the 20,000 Torontonians 
Love this sport!
you have to give the people the opportunity to take it in and support by the Feds will benefit everyone.
Quebec aleady gets too much in transfer. Dumb to give to them for that. For the cfl... Take 12 million out of the 2 billion they give the CBC every year
no level of govt should be giving or spending money on pro sports, arts and entertainment, cultural events, etc. Thats not why most of us pay taxes. That not why we first started paying taxes in Canada.
Well supporting "amateur" athletes to go to international sporting events is cultural to me and I doubt many people would say they don't want their tax money going to that.
The Grey Cup isn't about pro sports, it's about recognizing a cultural institution that brings the country together and with this, we need all the help we can get.
If it weren't for CanCon rules, a lot of artists would be out on streets looking for work. Again, supporting cultural artistic aspects and sports to me is that.
I wonder what Americans would say if the NFL asked OBABWA for 120 million dollars to celebrate the 50th. SuperBowl ?
I think it is fair that Mark presents his project but it would need to be aspectacular return to make this work because the event sells out so how this will create any tourism money or anything is doubtful in my mind but I think the 800k that the feds invested for Touchdown Atlantic was well worth it. So let's see what they have in mind.
A drop in the bucket compared to the money doled out to Arts and special interest groups. The Grey Cup is one of the few things that unifies the Country.
I agree but if its just a money grab so they can split 8 million dollars and spend the other four on the costs of the event, I would not be supportive of that.
And many more would agree with me. Given the option of spending $12 million on a school or on a Grey Cup party, which one wins?
This is one of these expenses that make people feel warm and fuzzy, but that they would never support a tax hike to pay for if it was asked directly. So instead we just borrow it and pay interest for the next century.
Pro sports is not what the government should be borrowing money to pay for.
What I'd love to see is a theatre performance by a theatre group acting out the 1874-75 match between McGill and Harvard and following this up with the first Grey Cup, people attending the event and character involvement with that up to when the Peg won the first GC for the west, think in 1935, etc. the horses in the Royal York from Calgary etc.
This would cost money but really we worth it I think.
Without some culture and arts and history, this country really ceases to have a soul, an identity, that is why Canada Heritage exists and CanCon rules etc. Canada Council for the Arts and Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council.
oh I know..
CFL "the Musical.." :rockin:
Well, Canadian football The Musical perhaps. 
those who dont have kids, may not be a fan of their tax dollars going to educate the children of strangers, and may feel the parents of those kids should pay for their own kids education. much like college, or university.
those who dont own a vehicle may not want tax money going for roads.
some dont like tax money being spent on homeless, when they feel the only reason anyone is homeless in this great country is due to that persons own lack of ambition, or self caused addictions.
some don’t like tax money used for cultural celebration.
to each their own.
Educated kids become educated adults, go to work, and fund you when you’re retired and need to go to the hospital.
Roads provide tangible benefits for people without a car, like making it possible to have food delivered to the grocery store so you don’t starve to death.
The homeless having somewhere to go and something to eat lowers the crime rate.
So… what are we getting out of a football party?
like talking to a wall. :roll:
the point is, nomatter where tax dollars are spent, someone will disagree.
now i give up.
atta boy
hey we agree on something. :rockin:
This isn't just ANY Grey Cup. Another like this won't be seen for a hundred years. Surely, it's not asking too much to involve other communities other than Toronto in the festivities? It would be a wise investment in one of the most important cultural events the country has ever produced. Every Canadian should be able to take part in some form or another, and that takes a little money organize. $12M is what, 35 cents for every citizen? That's a very small amount to ask.