The company of'Quebec Automobile Insurance (SAAQ) refuses to disclose how much comedian Katherine Levac earned for starring in its road safety commercials.
Launched last fall and with a total budget of $6 million, the “Road Safety, I'm On Board” awareness campaign is available through various messages on television, radio, newspapers and the Internet until June 2024.
Despite our requests to the Ministry of Transport, the SAAQ and the advertising agency whose services she used, it was impossible to reveal the fee awarded to the star comedian of this huge campaign.
“As this contract is signed between the speaker and the LG2 agency, it is not possible for us to share information in this regard,” SAAQ spokeswoman Geneviève Côté told the Journal.
“Lack of transparency,” says the PLQ
The Quebec Liberal Party also tried, but was unsuccessful, to obtain the amount paid to Ms. Levac for her role as speaker, this time using the Access to Information Act.
However, the SAAQ provided the official opposition with a summary of the distribution costs ($3.5 million) and production costs ($2.4 million) of this campaign.
Liberal transport spokesman Monsef Derraji has difficulty explaining the secrecy surrounding the fee paid to Ms Levac. “It is public money and we have the right to know,” said the member for Nelligan.
Recently, Hydro-Québec also refused to reveal how much it paid Canadiens head coach Martin St-Louis for an energy transition ad in which he noted that “everyone has to play their game.”
“It is once again a lack of transparency,” laments Mr. Derraji, stressing that the PLQ obviously has nothing against road safety campaigns.
A fresco valued at $30,000
The Liberal elected official was also surprised at the level of costs involved in creating a fresco painted on the roadway, which served as a backdrop for the transport minister's press conference with Ms Levac, as well as the recording of a promotional video.
Archive photo Marc-André Gagnon
The entire work cost a total of more than $30,000 and of that more than $11,000 was spent on removal.
ARCHIVE PHOTO MARC-ANDRÉ GAGNON / LE JOURNAL DE QUÉBEC
The cleanup required the use of loud industrial printing presses for three days, sparking outrage from parents and area residents who complained about the waste of water, gasoline and paint.
In its response to the PLQ, the SAAQ states that the “cleaning work took longer than expected due to the heat that fused the paint to the road.” The state-owned company also explains that “the ink was removed using water jet compressors (printing machines), so that it rose into “cakes” which were then transported to the eco-center.
Free photo
For the PLQ, it is a failed “marketing campaign” that the Minister of Transport only carried out “for a few photos”, while, according to Mr. Derraji, her ministry had been warned by the city of Quebec that it had to be done as quickly as possible, precisely for reasons of road safety Everything needs to be cleaned before the road can be reopened.
Budget for the “Road safety, I’m there” campaign.
Season / Broadcast Costs / Production Costs / Total
Fall 2023 / $1.7 million / $1.2 million / $2.9 million
- General message
- Speed reporting in school zones
- Production of messages for 2024
Winter-Spring 2024 (Forecasts) / $1.8 million / $1.2 million / 3 million dollars
- Generic message repeat
- Safety notice for pedestrians
- Safety advice for cyclists
- Road construction site safety notification
Estimated 2023-2024 totals / $3.5 million / $2.4 million / $5.9 million
Source: Quebec Automobile Insurance Society (SAAQ)
Launch of the campaign in front of the Fernand Séguin school in Jean-Talon
(September 6, 2023)
- Sound system for the press conference: $1,700
- Making the fresco: $18,000
- Cleaning the fresco: $11,000
Total: $30,700
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