P.E.I. radio station offers to 'Do ya a Duffy'
One Prince Edward Island radio station is inviting lucky listeners to cash in on the Senate spending scandal at the expense of Senator Mike Duffy.
This week, Hot 105.5 FM launched a contest called "Do ya a Duffy." Each day, the station will cut one listener a cheque for $20 to pay back a personal debt, "no questions asked."
Myles MacKinnon, the station's afternoon host and program director, said the whole island is talking about Duffy's troubles and the $90,000 he received from the prime minister's former chief of staff, Nigel Wright. Wright has said he gave the money to Duffy as a gift to pay back housing and travel expenses he wrongfully claimed from the Senate.
So, MacKinnon says, the station decided to have some fun with it, deciding "more people owe someone 20 bucks than 90,000."
Listeners are encouraged to call or tweet in to the station to explain who they need to pay back — and with no need to reveal to the payee where they got the money.
The only qualification: listeners must have an eligible P.E.I. health card to be eligible.
The Deloitte review on Duffy's primary and secondary residence status found the Senator did not hold a P.E.I. health card and had not declared his residency on the Island for income tax purposes.
Using the Twitter hashtag "#DoyaaDuffy," one listener was awarded $20 to pay back his buddy for a case of beer.
MacKinnon said the Senate expenses scandal is getting the attention of people from all age groups. "Whether it's good, bad or ugly, it's on people's minds," he said.