Small sum in the big picture of a corporation with a billion-dollar budget, but it will strike some as a lavish perk. (For example, $33K annually is roughly LICO for a family of three. Best place to raise a child, etc.)
I imagine that the story gets legs because, rightly or wrongly, it's seen as symptomatic of
ballooning public sector spending.
Perversely excited to see what Rob Ford-like candidates emerge for the 2014 elections.