It’s not enough that it snatches millions from people during its weekly taxes on the desperate, lotto tickets, nor its provincial casinos, where it earns hundreds of millions per week. Nor that it s a shill agency for a government that coerces us into paying the highest taxes in North America. Now it’s gotta take what little money is left over.
But rather than rant alone this time, I engaged the services of Sol Boxenbaum, gambling addict-buster and host of CJAD’s overnight show, Last Call with Sol. He is beyond outraged and voiced his displeasure publicly during the recent press conference at which Loto Quebec announced its irresponsible plans. “I realize Quebecers are already gambling online,” Boxenbaum told me. “But for Loto Quebec to do it is simply immoral. I mean, why not get into the prostitution or recreational drug businesses? It’s the same thing.”
He also pointed out something few Quebecers are aware of: Online gambling is illegal in Canada. “Since 1993, online gambling has been prohibited by the Criminal Code of Canada, stated as much, Boxenbaum said, in section 204, paragraph 4. But when he raised the question during the press conference, the Loto Quebec official basically blew him off, several times, muttering something about allowing Ottawa to decide. I can just see the PQ’s Pauline Marois indignantly screeching about Canadian interference when this one is ruled upon.
The main problem, Boxenbaum stated, is that the seemingly mindless Loto Quebec refuses to do public impact studies whenever deciding to foist some new scheme on the public. Case-in-point, the latest casino at financially-troubled Mont-Tremblant, which is virtually empty at this time.
“We are in the midst of a recession and these billions that will be taken out of the public’s pockets aren’t going back into the economy,” he added.
This is no different than all the other billions being taken from us by our government and improperly utilized, thereby robbing us blind. It’s an issue we as taxpayers need to deal with, once and for all.
Last Call with Sol is on CJAD radio, 800 on your AM dial, weekdays from 3 – 5 a.m., until 6 a.m. on Saturdays. The studio number is 514-790-0991.
Well, happy, happy days for cinema buffs. Cinemas Fortune, the most horridly-run small cinema chain in the city, has gone under and has been taken over by Cineplex Odeon, which understands the business a whole lot more. Cinemas Fortune took over several local cinemas a few years back and it was hard to investigate why their ownership was so clueless about running theatres, mainly because it was impossible to find out who ran the asylum. I could never find out why their theatres in Cavendish Mall, Cote des Neiges Plaza or Angrignon had so many odd problems, such as a lack of heating that made sitting in some of their theatres a virtual medical experiment. Or how you could have the gall to do away with lower matinee prices in places with high populations of the seniors and families you should be attracting to your business. I am so pleased to report that the Suderman family failed in their efforts to own movie theatres. Goodbye and, certainly, good riddance.
You can read the blog Bram’s Briefs at http://bramsbriefs.blogspot.com/
