City of Vancouver councillor Mike Klassen has withdrawn his request for cash for a trip to Halifax in March 2024 to join Mayor Ken Sim at the Juno Awards.
Last week, media reported that the funding request would be made at the Feb. 27 council meeting.
Sim and a staffer are already going to this year’s event, as Vancouver will host the awards in 2025.
Sim’s costs are being covered out of the mayor’s office budget, while Klassen needed council approval to cover his costs.
The estimated costs for Klassen’s trip included $1,885 for return airfare, $895 for four nights’ accommodation, $300 for ground transportation, $300 for Juno tickets and a per diem of $60 per day for five days, for a total of $3,650.
Klassen, who is a member of the city’s ruling ABC Vancouver party, said he was needed in Halifax to “take away some examples of what Halifax is doing to activate and energize their city for the Junos.”
As of Feb. 26, Klassen’s travel funding request was still on the council agenda for Tuesday but had been marked “Withdrawn” after he faced public backlash over the request.
On X, Canadian Taxpayer Federation British Columbia director Carson Binda called the request “a slap in the face of Vancouver taxpayers.”
When elected in 2022, ABC Vancouver – the municipal party to which Sim and Klassen belong – promised that it would better mange the city’s finances and cut spending.
