If only rocks were so damn rare we wouldn't have needed to use plastic!
this post was submitted on 31 Jul 2026
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It's not really my style, like a lot of public art. Still, 300k is fucking nothing on a nothing burger. I'd applaude this rock made out of 90s school floor linoleum. Rather they spent it on this then ripping out bike lanes.
Definitely not "nothing", and we should hold things to account.
Gage Haubrich, prairie director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, calls [...]
Whoops, "taxpayers" representative detected. Opinion discarded.
Who are they?
their own website describes themselves thus: "The Canadian Taxpayers Federation is a federally incorporated, not-for-profit citizen’s group dedicated to lower taxes, less waste and accountable government."
Google's AI vomited up a description involving the words "a real, legally incorporated non-profit advocacy organization, but critics and journalists debate its claim of being strictly "non-partisan".
Actual reality indicates they're a right-wing think tank that masquerades as non-partisan, rallying against any government spending that doesn't directly benefit petroleum producers or big business interests, and suspiciously staying silent on a 75 million dollar boondoggle involving business people closely related to members of the Alberta provincial government. https://www.nationalobserver.com/2023/11/25/opinion/canadian-taxpayer-federation-convenient-double-standard
So much for their policy of "accountable government."
That is essentially why I asked. If it was some sort of right wing organization my first few Google search results might not be entirely accurate.
This is why I have microplastics in my balls.
There shouldn't be less money for public art, but there should be better return on investment. Artists deserve to be paid fairly but how are 3 plastic sculptures $300,000
How big are they?
This is a failure to hire the right artist and specifying commission details. Don't hire the weird abstract art guy if you don't want weird abstract art.
$300,000 likely includes:
- the cost to source the raw materials
- factory to manufacture the parts
- studio/warehouse to assemble the pieces
- delivery to site (flat bed truck and crane)
- and whatever is left contributes to the hourly wage
I’m not saying $300,000 is not unreasonable, but things cost money especially post-covid.
I've been a contractor on some public art projects where everyone who works on it gets paid but the artist who gets their name on the work and the line on their CV.
Charles Blanc and Tristan Surtees have done enough public pieces that their costing is probably fairly dialed in. But considering how long a project like this takes from proposal to installation, they are not getting rich on it.
I understand, I'm in the industry. They greedily asked for too much and now they are getting blowback that is going to ruin it for artists in the future.
We don’t know how much profit the artist and their employees actually made.
How much did it cost to just deliver them? That’s a trucking company and crane, and anything that’s going to live out in public means stronger material, secure installation and longer lifespan, than a sculpture in a climate controlled museum with guards and do not touch signs.
Public art is more expensive just to build. Sometimes it also needs insuring and maintenance too. This is just mostly, “I don’t get it so I don’t like it” bullshit.
Insurance! I had a feeling I was missing another big line item.
Were there other propositions? Was there a call for tenders or a vote of some sort? Maybe the locals love the idea? After all, there are other silly things in the prairies, even giant hoes...
Unfortunately, it isn't real...
I'm a local, this is stupid and embarrassing.
I would be too. I also think the weather will damage them, and they will be targets for petty vandalism.
I do like that they're made with plastic waste, though. I love upcycling projects.
“So 118 families, their entire property tax bills went to building large plastic rocks instead of providing services that people want in the city,” Haubrich said.
I understand it sounds more shocking when only 118 people pay for something. But let’s be realistic here, what was the cost for the average tax payer?
I wish they talked about paying for things with "Families' Taxes" when it's a tunnel no one wanted, or the cost to have blue license plates for a hot minute
That caught my eye also, so yeah a quick search said the population of the town is 316,000 people so a little less than dollar per person in the city.
If they had burned the money it would have been better for the planet and the town.
Should've made a Hatsune Miku smh|
Cool work, I like it. Gage Haubrich sounds like a bore.
I love upcycling I do much rather do that then throwing stuff away, I also understand that most plastic cannot be recycled any further than it is. But upcycling plastic waste is a pass for me, sure they are cool looking pieces but out of plastic?
It's better than the plastic sitting in a landfill or the ocean. What else are we supposed to do with the plastic waste we already have?
Seems like they are getting their money's worth with this free advertising.
Advertising their stupidity.