Harper's pork barrel spending spree

$46 million for a one day meeting in Huntsville, which won't even last the entire day. Keep up the frugal work, Harper. From the Toronto Star:

Parry Sound — On the shores of Georgian Bay, an hour west of the big world leaders' summit in Huntsville, the downtown sidewalks and fountain built with federal G8 funding are finished.

Well, almost.

Construction crews didn't raise a fire hydrant when they raised the level of a main downtown street and sidewalk so that motorists would no longer pull up and get out to the annoying, and costly, sound of car doors smacking the curb.

But the bright yellow hydrant sticks only about a foot out of the ground. A little low.

“It's gonna be hard to find that in the winter,” quips one man, noting the hometown of retired NHL star Bobby Orr gets lots of snow.

Just around the corner, a fountain in front of the library still needs electricity and water hook-ups. Then it's a go, too.

“There's so much that hasn't been finished,” said Melissa Thomson, a local French teacher and owner of Bearly Used Books. She supports the improvements the town is getting although it's unlikely any world leaders will get here during the brief Huntsville G8 summit.

“We hope to see some overflow. We hope people will avoid all of the issues over in Huntsville and come here instead.”

That hope is for the rest of the summer and years beyond.

On a day when a $1.9 million “fake lake” in the G20 media centre in Toronto had opposition MPs and taxpayers crying foul, a quick spin north of the city revealed that almost everything north of Barrie was getting an upgrade — or so it seemed — for a summit that will last a matter of hours.

New sidewalks, trees, gazebos, paved roads, fresh coats of paint, gardens and all manner of buffing and polishing, all compliments of federal largesse, much of it for tiny towns well off the beaten track.

Federal government signs trumpet the investments everywhere. Opposition parties in Ottawa are compiling a daily total, pegging the federal spending at $46 million for Huntsville and environs in preparation for the one-day G8 meeting June 25.

Street upgrades in Parry Sound, including the sidewalk and freshly planted trees, add up to $1.1 million. The “park enhancements,” including the fountain, ring up another $194,000.

Some $745,000 has been earmarked for the communities of Rosseau, Humphrey and Orrville.

The main event is in Huntsville, where the giant host Deerhurst resort is being surrounded by more protester-proof fencing daily, but the cash is being spread around.

“It's still a waste of money, but it's nice to have,” said a woman named Mary Lou, who declined to give her last name, puffing on a cigarette outside a bar in Parry Sound. She's carefully avoided a muddy puddle where concrete is yet to be poured for a sidewalk.

“The town needs it.”

Five hours away in Ottawa, the Liberals have been hammering away at the Conservative Parry Sound-Muskoka MP and Industry Minister Tony Clement, saying the money is pure political pork barreling from North Bay to Port Severn.

“It's not just security costs that are out of control,” Liberal MP Siobhan Coady (St. John's South-Mount Pearl) sounded off at Clement in the House of Commons last Friday.

“(Taxpayers paid) $1.1 million for a sidewalk that is 84 kilometres from the summit site. Canadians deserve better than having their money spent to buy his re-election.”

Clements' response to the Liberals?

“They are speaking from both sides of their mouth,” he retorted, noting the former Liberal government spent $300,000 fixing up the Bluenose and more money on infrastructure, signs and a new community centre for Halifax when that city hosted a similar G7 meeting in 1995.

“When we host summits, we try to capitalize on touristic and economic benefits associated with hosting summits,” Clement added.

They're scratching their heads about that in tiny Orrville, about 20 minutes inland from Parry Sound on Highway 518, a thin two-lane track that winds east toward Kearney, a hamlet about 20 minutes north of Huntsville.

In other words, U.S. President Barack Obama is highly unlikely to stop by for a burger. And even if he were so inclined, Orrville's Roadhouse resaturant across from the new park closed last fall.

“It's just in the boonies,” notes motorcyclist Glen Bolder, from nearby Rosseau.

Nestled between farmland and cottages on nearby Maple Lake, Orrville got a park with picnic tables, a gazebo and garden along with some sidewalks that still aren't finished, making for dusty picnics for hungry travellers who happen to stop by.

“I'm assuming most of the people here think it's a waste of money and they'd rather see a skating rink for the kids in the winter,” said Joanne, who lives across the street but wouldn't give her last name.

She does, however, see a silver lining.

“We're getting ready to sell this place,” she said, gesturing to her house beside the idle restaurant.

“It was just an empty field before,” she added, pointing at the park.

Much more on the beaten track is Rosseau, a 45-minute drive from Huntsville.

G8 money got the town — frequented by nearby cottagers Goldie Hawn and Martin Short — new sidewalks, trees and a lighthouse carved from a big tree stump.

“It would be nice if one world leader stopped by,” said Cheryl Fright, who owns the popular Rosseau General Store with her husband, Brian.

“We got quite a bit done,” he added, letting loose the big local G8 rumour — that the Russian delegation will be housed down the road in Minett at the posh Red Leaves resort owned by Marriott.

It's a shaky, bouncy and twisty ride down County Road 632 from Rosseau to Minett — enough to shake the front licence plate loose from a Star reporter's Acura TSX (thanks to the folks at Huntsville Honda for reattaching it, free).

But once in Minett, the last 400 metres of road into Red Leaves is smooooooth as a baby's bottom, caressed by forest on one side with verdant golf course vistas on the other, sand traps shimmering in the early evening sunshine.

Yes, there was G8 money for that road. It says so on a sign at the corner. The Russians are coming.