ABSTRACT
In the spring of 2011, it became apparent that the Mayor of Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM) and the Chief Administrative Officer conspired to make unapproved and undisclosed payments to a rock concert promoter for an unsuccessful Black Eyed Peas concert held on the Common in Halifax, Canada. Of particular interest is the mechanism by which powerful political actors were able to encumber HRM. Eventually money had to be requisitioned from the HRM payments system and the Chief Financial Officer blew the whistle, informing the Audit Committee and the Halifax Auditor General. The auditor was worried that should an event be cancelled, Trade Centre Limited would have to refund the ticket price to people who had bought tickets. However, with single ticket prices ranging from $114 to $338 for premium seats, sales for The Black Eyed Peas were much slower than anticipated.
