Calgary Exhibition and Stampede bemoaning loss of grant monies

[speedog]

So while perusing the news this morning while on the throne I came across a Calgary Herald news article talking about the Calgary Exhibition and Stampede being upset about losing $1 million of grant monies from the province under the new UCP budget, was $7.7mm, now $6
7mm.

So this sort of intrigued me and I did more digging because I was trying to understand why the CE&S would be getting these grant monies, which at $7.7mm or $6.6mm, seem like a drop in the bucket. This digging seems to have shown that there is quite the intricate web of organizations and agreements that have been built by some very smart people to take advantage of tax dollars wherever they can. All of the at the Stampede Park is owned by the city of Calgary and aside from the Saddledome, the CE&S leases it all for $10 for 50 years with and option to renew it all in 2059 at the same rate for the same term.

Pretty good deal I figure so why be bitching about $1mm. More digging reveals that there is a ton of money running through the CE&S plus other convenient non-profit organizations, all of it being subsidized by public tax dollars. So in this train of thought, I wonder what compensate the board of directors get (if any) and how much the executive team members are earning.

It is all a very interesting set up at the Stampede that one doesn't easily dig information up on. $1mm grant reduction, I wish the nonprofit board I sit on had this kind of problem.

[ZenOps]

I've got an entire conspiracy theory on this. Regardless to say its complicated, but solely revolves around ranchers and farmers not knowing what the "money printing situation" is around the world. Is a $1.50 loaf of bread criminally overpriced to the point where you need a price scandal? Yes, its absolutely necessary to keep the farmers from knowing what things actually cost in the greater world.

Even in the USA you have farmroll payrolls and non-farmroll pay. Its a hidden system to keep dairy rich as well. If an Albertan rancher ever went to California, saw them put two pieces of toast on a plate, cut up half an avocado smush it on - and then charge $13US for it? The illusion would be broken.

How does this translate into Stampede? Well, its realistically the one time that they all come together to talk. But I get the feeling they are starting to realize something is off, ever since they moved from 33.6 dialup a few years ago.

[ExtraSlow]

Not unique to the stampede, have a look at the United Way, the Cancer charities etc. There's some MASSIVE charities out there.

It does raise the question of how we treat small non-profit organizations, of which there are thousands, and the few extremely large ones. Do large ones provide more benefit per dollar? Does it make sense for the executive and board to be highly compensated for running these complex organizations? Organizations at all parts of the spectrum get government grants, and the public should have a say in that process.

[Maxt]

I've got an entire conspiracy theory on this.

I'm gobsmacked....

[speedog]

I'm gobsmacked....

Thanks for the morning chuckle.

[A790]

Why is the Stampede getting provincial funding at all?

[ExtraSlow]

Why is the Stampede getting provincial funding at all?

Why do charities get government funding at all? That's a better question. Nothing unique about the stampede in that regard.

[A790]

Why do charities get government funding at all? That's a better question. Nothing unique about the stampede in that regard.

Last I checked, the Breast Cancer Foundation didn't charge me $20 for entrance and $11 for a hot dog.

Also, since when was the Stampede a charity?

[ExtraSlow]

If your gripe is because you dislike the Stampede specifically, I can understand that. There's lots of Alberta charities that I would say aren't really providing much value to society. Two examples I just found are the Shingle Contractors Association and a rugby referees society.

Aims and methods of operating charities often only appeal to a narrow group. Although I'd say the stampede is among the broadest in appeal and benefit.

They publish an annual report that is worth a read if you want to know what they do aside from "charge me $20 for entrance and $11 for a hot dog."

[ianmcc]

Interesting read on the $150.7 million that passes through the non-profit CE&S

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/calgary-stampede-money-corporate-structure-foundation-1.4735486

[ianmcc]

And a copy of the 2018 financials.
https://foundation.calgarystampede.com/upload/media_element/24/01/2018-calgary-stampede-foundation-financials.pdf

[triplep]

And a copy of the 2018 financials.
https://foundation.calgarystampede.com/upload/media_element/24/01/2018-calgary-stampede-foundation-financials.pdf

Additional info submitted to CRA:

https://apps.cra-arc.gc.ca/ebci/hacc/srch/pub/dsplyRprtngPrd?q.srchNm=Stampede&q.stts=0007&selectedCharityBn=893125070RR0001&dsrdPg=1

Looks like they spent $1million on compensation and the top paid full time employees are bet 89-120k.

You can look up all the charities there as well if your interested in other ones. They are required to report the top 10 compensated individuals in the organization.

[01RedDX]

.

[speedog]

Interesting read on the $150.7 million that passes through the non-profit CE&S

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/calgary-stampede-money-corporate-structure-foundation-1.4735486

Yupp, I read this this morning and found the organizational chart at the bottom quite interesting.

[speedog]

And a copy of the 2018 financials.
https://foundation.calgarystampede.com/upload/media_element/24/01/2018-calgary-stampede-foundation-financials.pdf

Of note, the nonprofit Calgary Stampede is separate from the nonprofit Calgary Stampede Foundation, the latter can issue tax receipts for charitable donations while the former can not.

The organizational chart...

88048

[Supa Dexta]

jibber jabber

I've often wondered what a coke costs in africa.. Mostly you'll see them in used clothing of brands we're familiar with here, but even today you'll still see some of them dressed in animal skins and reeds, and there's a case of coke in the background mud hut... How much is that coke over there!?

[ZenOps]

I've often wondered what a coke costs in africa.. Mostly you'll see them in used clothing of brands we're familiar with here, but even today you'll still see some of them dressed in animal skins and reeds, and there's a case of coke in the background mud hut... How much is that coke over there!?

Well, this being Beyond baller - I can imagine its very difficult to see how a $1.50 loaf of bread would be deemed criminally overpriced. That does not mean it isn't true. The primary reason that the big food distributors decided to offer compensation is so that they can minimize or eliminate future liability.

Now is carnival food criminally overpriced? No, because you can choose to go or not. You can choose to buy the $300 steak or $6 corn dog, or not. But bread, in the greater populace should and is categorized differently. What does this have to do with stampede? Everything from riding beef, to playing in hay - it is the very core of the Stampede (food producers and distributors, every one) There might be one participant who has specialized into horse race breeding, but that's about as far from food production that participants in the Stampede get.

Is Cheese criminally overpriced in Canada? Absolutely. Could you prove it in a court of law? No, since its a processed product you can say that the aging process in itself costs money. The only things you could say is that milk is overpriced - which it isn't really considering that the USA had radioactive milk throughout most of the 60's and 70's.

One need only take a selfie flyer menu price of large Cheese Pizza in Calgary, send it to Silicon Valley California, or New York - and then watch the hilarity ensue as they gasp in terror at the price.

Lets not forget, thirty years ago cellphones weren't really a thing - and food producers needed something to keep themselves entertained with. Arugably, I would not be surprised at all if the Cheese dairy cartel was actually formed at a Stampede maybe 90 years ago. Is the Stampede simply a front for the bread/cheese cartel? Now that's a conspiracy. Feel free to join me, because deep in your cheese pizza filled gut - you know its true.

[speedog]

Well, this being Beyond baller - I can imagine its very difficult to see how a $1.50 loaf of bread would be deemed criminally overpriced. That does not mean it isn't true. The primary reason that the big food distributors decided to offer compensation is so that they can minimize or eliminate future liability.

Now is carnival food criminally overpriced? No, because you can choose to go or not. You can choose to buy the $300 steak or $6 corn dog, or not. But bread, in the greater populace should and is categorized differently. What does this have to do with stampede? Everything from riding beef, to playing in hay - it is the very core of the Stampede (food producers and distributors, every one) There might be one participant who has specialized into horse race breeding, but that's about as far from food production that participants in the Stampede get.

Is Cheese criminally overpriced in Canada? Absolutely. Could you prove it in a court of law? No, since its a processed product you can say that the aging process in itself costs money. The only things you could say is that milk is overpriced - which it isn't really considering that the USA had radioactive milk throughout most of the 60's and 70's.

One need only take a selfie flyer menu price of large Cheese Pizza in Calgary, send it to Silicon Valley California - and then watch the hilarity ensue as they gasp in terror at the price.

Lets not forget, thirty years ago cellphones weren't really a thing - and food producers needed something to keep themselves entertained with.

One can make their own bread, no? Both my Mom and my grandmother made their own bread from scratch decades ago, mostly because going to the store to buy bread was not as convenient as it is now. Is it a staple of sorts, I suppose but one can still make their own bread from ingredients they can buy at the supermarket and use an oven to bake it. Yeah, one does not need a bread making machine to make bread and a homemade loaf of bread can be made for nickels on the dollar. Hell, I've even made bread by hand in the past just because I could and to see if I could.

Ya know ZO, you try to blow smoke up people's asses without stepping back for a moment to see there are easy alternatives available to avoid the conspiracies that you believe to be out there. I wonder if you've ever made a load of bread from scratch, it can be done for nickels on the dollar.