In July 2010 the Ontario government gave Ontario Lottery and Gaming (OLG) new direction. It pointed to a new future. It was a future where OLG would be more market-driven and responsive to consumers. It was to involve the private sector and advanced technologies in its growth. And a new OLG would evolve that would have a clearer mandate, efficiencies and be more effective.
And in being more effective, the government made it clear that OLG would create thousands of new jobs in the gaming industry, another 4000 or so new jobs in the service industry, find about $3 billion in private sector investment and add more than a billion in new annual revenue for the province. This was not a sit-on-your-ass mandate.
But sit-on-your-ass was what the province got. When OLG chair Paul Godfrey pissed off the burghers of Toronto and Gramma Wynne fired him that was the end of the OLG dream. The province has civil servants running the OLG into the ground now and the dream of riches and ease for the Ontario Treasurer are dead and dying. And Ontario is missing the jobs, the investment and that all important revenue.
But, what the hell, Finance Minister Sousa can always raise taxes. Right? All he has to say is that if you do not want casinos in your back yard, you will, of course, be pleased to pay more taxes? That is about to happen on a chilly weekend in July!
The facts are that the City of Toronto has a totally dysfunctional city council playing with a disgraceful amount of money on behalf of a very confused citizenry. And it is the province’s fault. Instead of helping the city with its management problems, Queen’s Park compounds them in doling out promised infrastructure grants for transportation systems that the city so desperately needs but fights about instead.
And who is going to be so stupid as to complain if the province says: Casinos are legal and there will be one at Woodbine Race Track. Most people do not even know that the site is in Toronto. The province could even put in another casino in Markham or Durham as part of some other deal and nobody would mind. With four years to the next election, nobody would remember that Charles Sousa was dictatorial; just smart.
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Copyright 2014 © Peter Lowry
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