Christy’s Self-Created Bollywood Awards Get A Lot Of Negative Reaction

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“To do a one time, one-off project six days before the election begins, people are cynical,” said NDP arts critic Spencer Chandra-Herbert. “They’re questioning, ‘is this more about Christy Clark getting re-elected than about long-term investments and building trade relationships with India?’”

By R. Paul Dhillon With News Files

SURREY – While Bollywood fans are rejoicing that their favorite film stars are headed to their city, creating great excitement but the woman behind the “specially created awards” Premier Christy Clark is being roasted for wasting tax payer dollars that can be allocated for better purposes and using the awards as an expensive  re-election ploy.

SFU political marketing expert Lindsay Meredith says B.C. NDP leader Adrian Dix couldn’t hope for a better political windfall than Clark’s $12 million Bollywood awards.

“With B.C. having an aging population with increasing health problems, the government’s decision to spend $9.5 million on hosting the Times of India Film Awards in Vancouver won’t look good to many taxpayers,” Meredith said.

“Perception is everything close to an election and even members of the Indo-Canadian community wonder whether their vote is being courted with this announcement. Talk about giving Dix ammunition,” he said.

Others have also questioned whether a the plan is politically motivated, noting the recent struggles of Metro Vancouver’s local film industry and the timing of the event, which is set to take place just weeks before the 2013 provincial election.

“To do a one time, one-off project six days before the election begins, people are cynical,” said NDP arts critic Spencer Chandra-Herbert.

“They’re questioning, ‘is this more about Christy Clark getting re-elected than about long-term investments and building trade relationships with India?’”

Jordan Bateman, B.C. spokesman for the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, said bringing the ceremony to Vancouver is nothing more than a ploy to attract South Asian voters.

“The real truth about this decision is it’s money ahead of an election reaching out to an important ethnic subculture in our major communities and some swing ridings, trying to get them out to vote.”

The B.C. government had reportedly been after a different event, the International Indian Film Academy Awards, but the bid failed when Clark tried to have the organizers move the awards to an earlier pre-election date of April 4-6.

Meanwhile some B.C. film workers said they were disappointed with the announcement and are questioning Clark’s decision to spend millions of dollars on Bollywood while film continues to struggle at home, reported CTV news.

“To be totally honest it feels like a slap in the face,” said Peter Mitchell, President of Vancouver Film Studios.

“I don’t think we should be here celebrating a film and television industry in another country when we’re having such a difficult time right here in B.C. with competition that is really taking away our market share.”

The film industry claims up to 90 per cent of its on-set workers are unemployed, while the government refutes that.

Workers in B.C. are pushing for tax incentives similar to the ones the Ontario film industry rolled out several years ago. The province saw $1.3-billion in production activity in 2011, according to the Ontario Media Development Corporation.

But some in BC’s struggling film industry are upset the province is spending $11 million to host the Times of India Film Awards in April.

Premier Clark says hosting the Awards will bring in anywhere from $13 million to $18 million.

But on local movie sets, workers like Troy tell News1130 they’re not buying it.

“It seems almost like a slap in the face from the Liberal government to the film industry because they’re refusing to support their local, indigenous industry, the people who live and work here, in this province.”