The Canadian Taxpayers Federation is asking the provincial government to introduce stricter rules on event spending after learning former Premier Andrew Furey’s Churchill Falls MOU announcement cost taxpayers close to $80,000.

The cost of the event, which took place at The Rooms in December of 2024, came to $79,040 – an amount the federation’s Atlantic Director, Devin Drover, says was “astounding.”

Drover says spending taxpayers’ dollars on what amounts to a “photo op” is a waste of money and has to be addressed.

He says the average Newfoundlander and Labradorian makes less than what was spent on that one event, and it’s “heart wrenching” to hear about that kind of money spent “at a time when families are tightening their belts (and) people are worrying about groceries.”