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Jets freebies give readers ticket to write

By: Staff Writer

Posted: 05/13/2012 1:00 AM | Comments: 0

The provincial government plans to prohibit cabinet ministers from accepting free tickets to Jets games from Crown corporations such as Manitoba Hydro and the Manitoba Liquor Control Commission. Some readers were outraged over the freebies, some took umbrage that the Crowns had tickets to give away in the first place, some thought it was much ado about nothing -- and some had some other pointed questions to ask.

Why does the MLCC need to advertise? They have no competition! Where else can I get booze? Do they want people to drink more or do they want more people to drink?

-- joewithopinion

What are the 10 season tickets intended to accomplish? It sounds to me like they are a straightforward supplier kickback. No member of government either minister or bureaucrat should be seen indulging in any sort of kickback. Such things are bad enough in private industry. The government should hold itself to a higher standard.

-- bwalzer

I don't give a crap if politicians get to see hockey games for free. What I do care about is how the NDP is taxing my family to death. When is the next election? This has to get fixed.

-- rep

Oath taken by employees in the government service of Manitoba: "... that I will not ask or receive any sum of money, services, recompense, or matter or thing whatsoever, directly or indirectly, in return for what I have done or may do in the discharge of any of the duties of my office, except my salary, wages, or other moneys to which I may be lawfully entitled."

There is no entitlement to freebies!

-- Lulus

It's amazing that stories like this (about tickets worth a couple of hundred bucks each) generates so much interest (and outrage), yet people are largely disinterested in researching how governments (regardless of the party) manage billions of taxpayer dollars.

Go democracy, go power to the people. But is this really how our population is engaged in politics? Sad, very sad.

All these smokescreens just distract from everyone focusing on the real issues in government.

-- R45

So members of the NDP like Andrew Swan get a crack at tickets in the front row, when most taxpayers don't even get a sniff at tickets in the nosebleeds... how could they not see this as wrong? And Mr. Swan offering to pay for the tickets after the fact does not negate the fact that he took the tickets for free in the first place. You got caught with your pants down and you think pulling them back up means it didn't happen?

-- KarmaCanadian

Crown corps, government-funded NGOs and other government-mandated companies should not be using their funds to support private entities. They should not be advertising frivolously outside of their mandate. A couple of examples: MPIC supporting the CMHR and Manitoba Lotteries sponsoring traffic reports on CJOB.

-- Fetchen Kerri

Bunch of sourpusses!

Go to any other province with the big league in it, and tickets of this nature are going to be available for officials and visitors of officials to attend. Should officials be taking other officials to a movie when in town? Grow up Winnipeg, you wanted to be in the big leagues, now deal with what comes with it: Some tickets to some big-ticket sponsors and their employees!

-- DBP1990

The question isn't whether Hydro should have bought season tickets. What I wonder is why hasn't our province's largest corporation bought or shared in a luxury box? No sports franchise in North America can survive without corporate seat sales. Frankly I'm more disappointed that Hydro is not participating in supporting the Jets as so many other community-minded corporations are.

-- Tofooty

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition May 13, 2012 A8

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