It is no secret that businesses in Caledonia are suffering because of the land dispute. The provincial government, run by the Liberals under Premier Dalton McGuinty, has offered to help.
In true Liberal fashion, they are offering to help with advertising.
Not with removing the barricades. Advertising.
I can't be the only one who hears alarm bells when the words "Liberal" and "advertising" are used in the same sentence.
And so it is that on the provincial level, we see the same strange connections between the Liberals and advertising agencies.
On May 1, there was an announcement of money to be made available for advertising:
Haldimand County is pleased to announce that the Province has committed to a $50,000 grant to the County in order to assist with the promotion of affected businesses.
According to this news release, the plan was not worked on until until May 17:
With regard to the economic impact in Caledonia, a sub-committee of the Caledonia Citizens' Alliance is meeting with officials of Haldimand County and the Province to develop a marketing plan. The implementation of the plan will be funded by a $50,000 grant from the Province of Ontario.
The news release does not mention any more money -- just $50,000. On May 22, a local power transformer was deliberately damaged. Over 8,000 homes were without power for days. That dominated the news, so no mention is made that by May 31, an advertising firm was already in place to do the work:
Consultants were hired to handle communications and to help develop a business recovery plan.
[Steve Miazga, of Haldimand County's planning and economic development department,] said the plan was passed by county council Monday night and the focus is on advertising Caledonia businesses in local media.
He said the county is requesting another $160,000 from the province for the business recovery plan.
That was fast. Very fast. Two weeks, in fact:
Business promotion actions and improved communications are expected to be in place within 14 days, according to Haldimand County planning and economic development general manager Steve Miazga.
An advertising agency that works in the Hamilton area called Play Advertising was awarded the contract.
The head of the firm is Brian Torsney. His sister is Paddy Torsney, a former Member of Parliament for Burlington for the federal Liberals. Burlington is near Hamilton. From 1985 to 1989, she was a special assistant to David Peterson, at the time the Liberal premier of Ontario.
The same David Peterson who was assigned the task of negotiating on behalf of the province in the Caledonia dispute.
Interesting.
Now the contract was awarded within 14 days. That news release was issued on May 10. The other news release suggests that the request for proposals didn't happen until May 17, burning up one of those two weeks. That means the contract was awarded on or before May 24 to a firm that responded to a request that was made on May 17. Just a week to have the proposal ready.
Most companies wouldn't even touch a paltry $50,000 contract, especially with such a compressed timeframe. Still, Brian Torsney and Play Advertising managed to get something in place in time.
I have a source that tells me that Play Advertising was the only firm that submitted a proposal.
Was Torsney worried that he had only $50,000 to work with? If he was, it wasn't for long. The ink had barely dried on the contract when on June 8, after the $50,000 contract was awarded, the decision was made to dramatically increase the size of the contract:
The Province of Ontario and Haldimand County today announced the province will provide an additional $160,000 in funding for the County's Caledonia business recovery plan. The grant builds on the province's previous commitment of $50,000, announced on May 1.
The funding will go to support implementation of a promotional advertising campaign by Haldimand County staff and the Caledonia Economic Development Recovery Committee. The Committee is comprised largely of local businesses affected by the Douglas Creek Estates land issue.
From $50,000 to over $200,000 in two weeks. You might wonder if Torsney felt like he had won the lottery. If you believe luck had anything to do with it, that is.
Very interesting.
A small contract is essentially single-sourced to an advertising firm with links to the Liberal Party (Brian Torsney also had some sort of relationship with former federal Liberal heavyweight John Manley).
Let's recap:
Brian Torsney responds to a request for a proposal issued on May 17 for a $50,000 contract.
He wins the award on May 24.
On May 31, the Council announces they will seek another $160,000.
On June 8, the provincial Liberals agree to quadruple the size of the contract already awarded to the brother of a former Liberal MP who worked with Caledonia negotiator and former Liberal premier David Peterson. We go from a $50,000 sole-sourced contract to a $210,000 sole-sourced contract in just two weeks.
So what are the terms of this contract?
Economic Recovery Plan: Andy Fitzhenry
- Brian Torsney was hired to direct the campaign.
- Haldimand County has received $210,000 from the Province of Ontario to run a promotional Campaign.
- Campaign start date: June 20th to run for 12 weeks.
- Objectives of the Campaign:
- To increase traffic and consumer business in Caledonia.
- Message:
- Come to Caledonia and enjoy the great outdoors right in your own backyard.
- Tactics:
- Radio
- Newspaper
And what has Brian Torsney delivered for $210,000? I'd be interested to see.
Update: Here is the campaign. Maybe I'm just too cynical, but it strikes me as lame. But I've got reasons. See if you agree.
