Roundup: Cheap outrage and bad design

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An op-ed in the Ottawa Citizen caught my eye yesterday, which talked about the reason why we get so much bad architecture here in the Nation’s Capital. Much of the government’s real estate is controlled by the department of Public Works, and there is a legitimate fear that anytime there’s good design, they’ll be criticised for spending money. And this is where I get both sad and angry (or “sangry,” as one fellow journo has dubbed). We have developed a culture of cheap outrage in this country, thanks to groups like the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, and media outlets keen on cashing in on the cheap headlines that a high dollar figure out of context will generate. One of the worst offenders was Greg Weston, formerly of Sun News and later CBC (since retired from journalism). Anytime money was spent, well, he’d be all over how awful it was. New “temporary” committee rooms for Parliamentarians that have *gasp!* wood panelling! Millions of dollars! We can’t have that! (Never mind that “temporary” means something on the order of 20 years). The renovations to the West Block which includes the glassed-in courtyard that will house the temporary House of Commons? Millions of dollars! Outrageous! (Never mind that that same glassed-in courtyard will find new life as committee rooms after the Commons moves back to the Centre Block). Apparently it’s terrible if parliamentarians are not made to sit in portables during renovations, or that the context of those high dollar figures is something akin to them being halfway reasonable considering what has to go into that kind of work. How much do you expect a glass roof in keeping with the neo-Gothic architecture is supposed to cost anyway? It’s the same with the government selling off diplomatic residences and insisting that our ambassadors serve Ritz crackers and ginger ale at functions. Gods forbid that we actually put on a good face for stakeholders or visiting dignitaries, or even other Canadians to show a hint of prestige, that this is the national capital. No, anything that even hints at costing money must be treated as heresy. It’s sad that we perpetuate this mindset, and not reserve the outrage for legitimate boondoggles and wastes of money. No, instead we make it so that nobody can have nice things, and we all suffer as a result.

Good reads:

  • Stephen Harper’s annual Arctic trips every summer has cost $3.4 million to date. One wonders how much of that is just orchestrating photo-ops.
  • Canada is hosting the Arctic Council in Iqaluit in April, which will make for an uncomfortable situation with the Russian diplomats.
  • Here is a preview of General Lawson’s appearance before a parliamentary committee today to answer questions on the situation in Iraq.
  • Jordan Press got a look at what happened behind the scenes at the RCMP after the chief investigator on the Duffy case made comments to the media.
  • Andrew Leach warns that the current fall in oil prices could actually be worse than it was in 2008 for three reasons.
  • Health Canada insists that their totally-not-political anti-pot ads were a hit with parents and teens. Really!
  • Over in the Ottawa Citizen, I write about the dangers of making Parliament too “family-friendly.”

Odds and ends:

Stephen Harper met with new AFN National Chief Perry Bellegarde – after all of the other leaders have.

The government has spent over $1.4 million fighting the courts on refugee healthcare changes, and $700,000 fighting a veteran’s challenge.

Rob Anders is trying to get a waiver around membership rules in order to make a run at the Wildrose leadership.