Ottawa

More marquee tourism mad money for Toronto? And they’re going to spend it on an American speaker?!

Why, it’s an outrage! A scandal! A debacle! Just give ITQ a second to grab some nails and a fresh -gate from the supply cupboard, and — wait a second. Still reading.

Hmm.

Has ITQ gone completely crazy, or is this, in fact, exactly the kind of thing that the MTEP should be funding: An attention-grabbing, attendance-boosting headliner for a longstanding, historically successful event that needs just a little extra oomph to make sure the recession doesn’t take too heavy a toll on the bottom line? Heck, it even manages to be both family- and gay-friendly — and since it’s going to be announced more than 48 hours in advance, it may well rake in some of those all-important out-of-towner tourist dollars! What more could you ask for, really? Well, unless you’re one of those cranky Toronto-hating Republican-favouring C/conservatives, of course, in which case you’d probably rather pay for another sex parade than spend a single taxpayer dollar to bring Slick Willie to town, but really, it’s hard to see how anyone who supports the concept of the marquee tourism program could find fault with giving money to this particular event.

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