Fed Project Costs 'Consistent With Going Market Prices': Analysis

The Media of Mass Deception has been doing its thing again, reporting scare information based on nothing more than mere "most-summary-level" findings.

A proper analysis has been conducted, and is now being reported.

Sure, $1,000 for "light switch removal" sounds ridiculously extravagant, and even Minister Ambrose thinks so, too, apparently.

However...

SNC-Lavalin executive Charlie Rate said the project expenses were reported out of context by Montreal's La Presse without full details of what they entailed.

"I think our problem has been that the information that has come out so far has been at such a summary level that the context of each of the projects doesn't get out," he said.

"If you expect that it's just simply removal of a light switch and you don't have to do any peripheral work, you just have to slap a plate up over it, that's one thing, but these were very different projects that needed significant work around them. We do look for value for money for best value for our clients in all the projects that we do."

One  shouldn't depend on journalists going by only the briefest description of a project and the total price.  One should demand that the journalists do their job and look at the whole bloody project and its cost accountings!

Now... gather information and use your brain to analyze:

- A project described as a "$1,000 light switch removal" also involved removing cabling and conduits up to an electrical panel 50 metres away, plus installing cabling and conduits for 50 metres in the opposite direction for connection to an automated light system. The work took place after office hours, at overtime rates, "for security reasons and not to disturb the occupants."

I actually used to work summers (while at university) at Public Works Canada and I've seen many government-project documents including the various costs (sometimes, for example, "bilingual services" has actually been one of the costs of a project), and have a bloody good idea about these things and their cost accounting, so I can tell that that particular project isn't "extraordinarily expensive" at all.  Yo, Minister Ambrose!  Look again!  It's all kosher after all!


Besides, it's not as if any money, based on something insanely expensive like $30,000 (or whatever that price tag was) for some guy to deliver a cheque, was kicked back to the party, a la the Liberal ADSCAM thingy, is it?

Keeping that in mind, I'd suggest that the Liberals (and the Media of Mass Deception) shut up until they've got something that'll stick.