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MONEY FOR NOTHING AND YOUR CHEQUES FOR FREE<br />

P O L I C Y S E R I E S<br />

• Medicine Hat Inn in Medicine Hat,<br />

Alberta w<strong>as</strong> authorized to receive<br />

$44,130 (one offer);<br />

• O.K. Tire Store in Quesnel, B.C.<br />

w<strong>as</strong> authorized to receive $60,000<br />

(one offer);<br />

As with larger businesses, the problem<br />

with such authorizations is that other<br />

enterprises exist with similar product lines<br />

and services: tire sales, hotel rooms and<br />

ice cream are just a few of the various<br />

possibilities among the 21,766 recipients.<br />

The loan or grant or contribution to said<br />

businesses can only artificially incre<strong>as</strong>e the<br />

advantage of one business over another.<br />

It is another example of the Department<br />

of Industry picking winners and losers at<br />

the most b<strong>as</strong>ic level of business: small<br />

business, where survival rates are already<br />

low.<br />

“<br />

”<br />

The loan... to said<br />

businesses can only<br />

artificially incre<strong>as</strong>e<br />

the advantage of one<br />

business over another...<br />

Who refuses<br />

to rele<strong>as</strong>e<br />

repayment<br />

records to<br />

the public?<br />

A look at just one Industry<br />

Canada program: Technology<br />

Partnerships Canada and its<br />

list of repayment records<br />

Some companies have consented to<br />

Industry Canada’s request to rele<strong>as</strong>e their<br />

repayment records to the public and some<br />

have not. Below is a public list on Industry<br />

Canada’s website <strong>as</strong> of the March 2010,<br />

but only <strong>for</strong> Technology Partnerships<br />

Canada—not all Industry Canada subsidy<br />

programs. The following symbols are<br />

explained <strong>as</strong> follows according to Industry<br />

Canada’s website:<br />

• An “A” indicates that repayments are not<br />

yet due on the company’s project(s).<br />

• A “B” indicates that the company h<strong>as</strong><br />

not provided Industry Canada’s Industrial<br />

Technologies Office with an authorization<br />

to disclose repayment in<strong>for</strong>mation.<br />

Repayment details are protected under<br />

TPC (Technology Partnerships Canada)<br />

agreements signed prior to August 2006.<br />

• An “*” Indicates that a company h<strong>as</strong><br />

multiple TPC projects—some may still be<br />

in the R&D ph<strong>as</strong>e with no repayments<br />

owing.<br />

14<br />

FCPP POLICY SERIES NO. 88 • APRIL 2010<br />

© 2010<br />

FRONTIER CENTRE

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