Occasionally this commentator gives advice to Ontario Finance Minister Charles Sousa. It is because we actually like him. He is a nice guy. He is kind of like a slow relative whom you always want to help along. He tries your patience but you keep making the effort. It is in this light that we must admit we left out an important asset when discussing the challenge faced by the blue ribbon panel Charles asked to advise him on how to make more money from provincial assets. The asset is Ontario Lottery and Gaming (OLG).
As you probably know, Charles Sousa is a banker. And the last banker we heard of who liked to gamble spent more time in prison than he did gambling. So it is quite understandable that Charles would not ask another banker such as panel chair Ed Clark, president of TD Bank, about an asset such as OLG.
But OLG is the kind of asset that can grow. And there are always ways to skim just that little bit extra. It just needs to be run by people who understand the business. One of the dumbest things Kathleen Wynne has done since becoming Premier was to fire Paul Godfrey as head of OLG. It is obvious to many people that Paul is at a loss trying to run a newspaper chain but he sure knows a lot about gambling.
Instead of having his hands and feet tied, Godfrey should have been left free to bring Toronto around to seeing the light. If cities such as Ottawa and Toronto had their own casinos to help pay for their unique transit needs, who is to object? And if the city really wants a subway to Scarborough, you plunk down a casino complex at the terminus in Scarborough and watch the loonies flow.
And just think of that little jog in the airport line that will deliver the happy gamblers to Woodbine Entertainment’s hotel and casino and racetrack complex.
Our Premier, Granny Wynne set the table the other day by committing $29 billion over the next ten years in support of transit in the GTA for the tenth time. Now all Charles has to do is find the money.
It means you have to learn how to gamble Charles. You have to tell those myopic city politicians that they cannot have it both ways. If they do not want to pay for transit, they do not have to go to your casinos. It is that simple. And if they do not want casinos then they do not get transit. It sounds like a sure bet.
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Copyright 2014 © Peter Lowry
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