Ghiz OK with $500K in corporate donations for premiers' meeting
Money being used to buy 130 VIP tickets to Shania Twain concert at $180 each
More than $500,000 in corporate donations are partly funding this week's premiers' meeting in Charlottetown and its related activities, and P.E.I. Premier Robert Ghiz says he has no problem with that.
Companies that donated to the Council of the Federation's annual meeting, which starts Thursday, include the Insurance Brokers Association of Canada, TransCanada Corp., CN, Coca-Cola and the Canadian Labour Congress.
"This is a good way to do things. If someone wants to change it in the future, great. But we weren't changing it this year because I'd rather save the taxpayers of P.E.I. money," said Ghiz who is host and chaiman of the meeting.
"We're entertaining a lot of people here. I think it will be a great opportunity to showcase our province."
Single corporate donations to the Council of the Federation can be as high as $150,000.
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| Level of Donation | Corporate | Total Donations |
|---|---|---|
| Fathers of Confederation ($150,000 donation) | Insurance Brokers of Canada | $150,000 |
| Platinum ($50,000 donation) | Bell, Manulife | $100,000 |
| Gold ($25,000 donation) | Canadian Labour Congress, CN, Canadian Tire, Labatt, Merck, Target | $150,000 |
| Silver ($10,000 donation) | Abbvie, Borealis, Canada's National Brewers, Canadian Life & Health Insurance Association, Canadian Urban Transit Association, Coca-Cola Canada, Johnson & Johnson, R&D, Shoppers Drug Mart/Loblaw, Trans Canada | $100,000 |
| Bronze ($5,000 donation) | Canadian Beverage Association | $5,000 |
| $505,000 Total Donations |