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Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION
Jets freebies unfair
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The Selinger government has done the right thing in telling cabinet ministers and senior public-service executives they can no longer accept free tickets to Jets' games, but it would have been more reassuring if it had recognized the problem when the NHL came to town a year ago.
It obviously did not occur to the lucky ministers, political staff and assorted cronies who attended the games that they were enjoying a rare benefit based on their privileged positions and that maybe taxpayers themselves might enjoy taking in the view, too.
Game tickets are among the most sought-after and prized possessions in hockey-mad Winnipeg, yet thousands of fans still wonder if they will ever be able to see the team in action.
Despite that, some politicians and government officials had free access, courtesy of the advertising and sponsorship arrangements of several Crown corporations.
Government agencies are entitled to advertise in the MTS Centre, much the way they buy advertising in other media, but they should have had more robust policies on how their free tickets were distributed. Recognizing employees, holding raffles for charity and entertaining business clients are valid, but too many of the tickets seemed to end up in the hands of corporate executives and others who should have had to wait in line, like other Winnipeggers.
Most senior vice-presidents of the MTS Centre buy their own tickets as a matter of fairness, a principle that was sadly lost on the government.
To be fair, most of the Crown agencies became involved with the MTS Centre when it first opened in 2003, more out of charity and concern for the community than out of any sense of real value.
That all changed, however, when the Winnipeg Jets slapped on their new jerseys.
A set of four good tickets can cost $800, an enormous benefit that until now has been undeclared.
The government's new policy needs to ensure that ordinary people, and not the well-paid elite, can benefit from the public contributions that helped build the arena and bring back the Winnipeg Jets.
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition May 9, 2012 A12
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