The World's Biggest Rubber Duck has shown up in Toronto.

[Scrape]

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http://www.blogto.com/city/2017/06/worlds-biggest-rub-duck-just-floated-toronto/

(http://www.blogto.com/city/2017/06/worlds-biggest-rub-duck-just-floated-toronto/)The giant spectacle that is the world's biggest rubber duck (http://www.blogto.com/arts/2017/03/worlds-biggest-rubber-duck-coming-toronto/) has arrived in Toronto. While it's not yet on public display (that comes tomorrow), it's kind of hard to keep a 30,000 pound fake duck under wraps as it floats through the harbour.
As such, social media has already lit up with sightings of the bathtub monstrosity that's in town to mark Canada 150 and the Redpath Waterfront Festival. Perhaps the $120K grant (http://www.blogto.com/arts/2017/05/people-upset-about-200k-cost-giant-rubber-duck-ontario/) from the Ontario government for this thing was worth it, after all?
In any case, it was one bizarre sight this morning as it made its way to shore. It's not everyday that you see a six-storey rubber duck bobbing into town. Eventually it'll stay moored at HTO Park for the weekend with the official unveiling (http://towaterfrontfest.com/festival-schedule/) scheduled for 11 a.m. tomorrow.
Here's an advance preview.


(http://www.blogto.com/city/2017/06/worlds-biggest-rub-duck-just-floated-toronto/)

[tulowd]

Another moronic liberal government initiative using our money. They would be better off to restore a Fox or conduct impaired Fountain vs Cigarette offshore boat racing.

[Stephen06GT]

... They would be better off to restore a Fox...

With only 120 Grand, who are you trying to kid.

[83 5.0]

More like 200 G's, this from the Toronto Star

Designed by a Dutch artist Florentijin Hofman, owned by an American, assembled in China.

Sounds about right for Ontario.

A $120,000 grant that will help pay for a giant rubber duck is being roasted as a canard at Queen’s Park.

The tourist-attracting giant duck, said to be the largest in the world, is due in Toronto waters July 1. Its arrival is being funded in part by the province to celebrate Ontario 150th anniversary, but Progressive Conservatives are crying fowl over the price — a total cost of $200,000, with the rest raised by the Redpath Waterfront Festival.

“I believe that people who are struggling to pay their hydro bill, who are concerned about this government’s fiscal policy, will think that spending $200,000 on an expense like that is quack economics,” said PC Deputy Leader Steve Clark on Monday.

Tourism Minister Eleanor McMahon said she didn’t understand what the flap is all about.

“Sometimes that’s what cities and organizations do,” she told reporters. “They find something really fun and sort of quirky, and this is that. I think it’s going to attract people to smaller centres and it’s going to be a lot of fun.”

NDP Leader Andrea Horwath said festivals around the province “are the lifeblood of communities … they create a place where neighbours get to know each other, where people can meet and have fun and create a positive atmosphere in their cities and towns and I think that’s a good thing.

“I guess I’d be pro big-duck,” she said.

During Question Period, PC MPP Rick Nicholls asked what a giant rubber duck has to do with celebrating the country’s anniversary.

[RedSN]

Most critics aren't looking at the bigger picture and just see the $200k price tag.
Yes, $200k sounds like a lot to the average joe. But break that down to 500,000 visitors spending a dollar each while downtown viewing the stupid duck.

No, it's not Canadian. No, it has no relevance to Canada day. Sometimes a duck is just a fucking duck.

[5.4MarkVIII]

I don't dissagree with the tourist thing but why does the province have to pay?

That tourist money helps Toronto and does shit all for the rest of the province. But the rest of the province gets to help pay for it.
Again Toronto getting everything the province has to offer while the rest of us get the short end of the stick.

Besides wasn't there a news artical taking about how this duck is a knock off and the real one gets brought around for free by a non profit and all they had to do was call them and they would have brought it to the festival?

So again a perfect example of the provincial government finding the least cost effective way of doing things.