Thursday, December 14, 2006

Why Does the City Waste My Tax Dollars Part II


15 minutes ago I received another couriered package from the City of Ottawa Public Health department. My understanding is that these packages go to every doctor in Ottawa.

In this high priority package (it was shipped via DHL Express, not DHL Ground) was 4 copies of a poster that advises a person to hold and rock but never shake a baby.

Indeed an important message, but really, did it need to be couriered to me express? Is tomorrow National Shake Your Baby Day and therefore an urgent pressing emergency public health measure?

Again I went to DHL's website and plugged in the dimensions and weight of the parcel. I wasn't given the option of DHL Express pricing but DHL ground had a rough cost of $15 per 4 posters.

Using the CPSO Doctor Search tool 3,359 doctors in Ottawa.

That's $50,385 in courier costs!

So for those keeping score, in 9 weeks our City has spent $100,770 to courier doctors a bunch of pretty much useless and certainly non-urgent materials (in early November I received my urgently couriered Flu Pandemic Preparedness Handouts).

Sure doesn't give me any warm and fuzzies.

UPDATE: See most recent post detailing City's investigation