“The government shouldn’t be taking a step that will ruin these people’s lives and harm the whole economy on a whim, without at least clearly demonstrating what the net social and economic impacts will be and why this is a good thing to be doing.”
The above quote has come from Fort Erie Mayor Doug Martin in an article by the Niagara Falls Review in regard to the call from the Canadian Auto Workers Union for Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty to put an immediate hold on the withdrawal of slot machines from Ontario's racetracks until a detailed cost-benefit analysis of the move has been ordered, carried out and made public.
In the Niagara Falls Review piece, Mayor Martin was also quoted as saying that the Ontario Liberals have had “no dialogue whatsoever with the people who are affected by this,” and that the people affected aren't “just a bunch of rich horse owners. This is just a lot of everyday working people who are trying to make a living.”
Regarding the possibility of a public review, Mayor Martin said, “It’s time to put a hold on all this and reassess it before we go forward. I hope they (the government) actually listen. They ran this through without any debate and now they’re getting this response. This I think is the deciding time, we have to regroup and find a way to make this work.”
(With files from the Niagara Falls Review)
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