In reference to: No love-in for Cirque's casino KONRAD YAKABUSKI, Globe and Mail, 31/05/06
Guy Laliberté, head of The Cirque de Soleil is, according to Forbes, a billionaire. The people of Point St. Charles who first engaged in a protest to stop plans to build a casino on their doorstep clearly are not. As a consumer advocate and gambling critic I organized a coalition of groups from Chinatown, the West Island, the North and South Shores of Montreal and beyond. Ours were not monetary reasons for objecting, but rather because we know the harm that expanded gambling creates when it becomes more accessible. In 1991 Loto-Quebec was told, after a study had been conducted, that crime would increase and problem gamblers would be created if a casino were to be built in Montreal. A compromise was then made and the casino was built on Ile Notre Dame in order to make it less accessible and also attractive to tourists as it would be built in a former Pavillion of Expo 67. But the few tourists that came were not in Montreal for the sole purpose of gambling. Many were gamblers that were under the legal age to gamble in their home province or state. In 2005 the directors of Loto-Quebec thought we would have forgotten all this, so they launched a plan to try again and new studies were done. Predictably, the results were the same as they had been in 1991. The Department of Health and Social Services and the Department of Public Security confirmed the obvious. In an attempt to make the project look like it was going to be a wonderful thing for Montrealers, Loto-Quebec had invited Cirque de Soleil to be involved in a partnership. A decision in March 2006 to pull out of the controversial $1.2-billion (Canadian) casino complex on Montreal's neglected western waterfront had nothing to do with social conscience. Cirque pulled out because of the results of a report prepared by a special committee. The Coulombe Committee report recommended, among other things, that the government wait at least 18 months and hold public consultation before giving the project a green light. M. Laliberte did not find that palatable or profitable. Now, Mr. Laliberté himself, in an interview with Radio-Canada, complained that "It [systematic protest] is becoming a trend, the 'brand' of our society. . . . It's unfortunate because Montreal is recognized internationally -- for its joie de vivre, as a destination -- and instead of building on those assets, we continue to fight within the family. Meanwhile, while other cities in the world continue to grow, we continue to lose ground [culturally], sort of like we have to Toronto from an economic and business point of view." If M. Laliberte feels so strongly about our culture why did he need to build this attraction next to a casino? Why could it not be built anywhere other than in the Peel Basin? The Cirque de Soleil, in my opinion, is an elitist attraction that few locals can afford to attend. Tickets are priced as if we were in Las Vegas or Paris on vacation. Who other than M. Laliberte and company were to have profited from this project had it gone ahead? What has M. Laliberte done for this "family" lately? A paltry 1 per cent of its more than $500-million (U.S.) in annual revenue is donated to social causes.
Enter Michel Kelly-Gagnon -- the newly minted president of Quebec's biggest business lobby, le Conseil du Patronat who said: "Let's not be afraid of the words: We are dealing with professional protesters [who] succeed in getting paid by the state to tell the state what to do. For your information, M. Gagnon, the thousands of people on our side are hardly professional protesters. They are grass roots objectors and do not protest as a source of revenue. We are committed to our cause because we are the parents and the siblings and the children of those who are suffering because of the greed of our governments and their addiction to gambling revenues. It is through their greed and the enabling of paid lobbyists like yourself that people are dying every day across our country, if not literally then certainly emotionally and financially. Businesses are closing as retailers, manufacturers and suppliers lack the money that formerly was spent on goods and services and is now being squandered on gambling. Our government has created an industry that takes the money and delivers no product in return. An industry that continues to siphon money from the pockets of those who can least afford it. And you represent the interests of the business people? You say of our people, "They directly hinder prosperity. We can no longer tolerate this situation without Quebec's economy falling into stagnation." The government of Quebec is causing the weakness in the economy. Every dollar that goes into a Loto-Quebec product, be it a lottery ticket, a VLT or a casino is another dollar that would have been spent in the community. And lastly, gentlemen, forget the fable that Montreal is, ever was or ever will be a tourist destination. It is only during the months of the year that the festivals or the car races are on that people flock to Montreal. The tourists will never come specifically because we have a casino with or without Cirque de Soleil. Unless they live in Utah or Hawaii they can drive to a casino within 3 to 4 hours from home. Wake up and see the horror.
Sol Boxenbaum
President/CEO
Viva Consulting
Montreal, QC.
