Premier David Eby is facing criticism from the Opposition Conservatives over a speech-writing contract with a comedian. Vancouver-based comedian Charlie Demers is paid an hourly rate of $165 dollars for speech and content-writing for the premier. His initial two-year contract is worth up to $150,000, with options for two one-year extensions. “Premier Eby is telling families and small businesses to brace for cutbacks while his government quietly signs contracts worth nearly half a million dollars for a comedian,” said Milobar. He adds that he also worked for former premier John Horgan as a joke-writer, but did not write speeches for him.