The Windsor Star from Windsor, Ontario, Canada • 3

Tiie Windsor Star Local TUESDAY, JUNE 30, 1998 METRO EDITOR: MARTY BENETEAU 256-5533 FAX 255-5515 A3 Flip to sft woo Would-be charity casino operator likens turnaround to plant closure A meeting of all affected operators will be held this week in Toronto, Christie said. The pilot projects will be smaller than commercial casinos such as the $505-million Casino Windsor opening July 29, said Hillary Stauth, Hodgson's press aide. There will be fewer tables and slot machines, and betting thresholds will be lower, she said in response to a Toronto Star article suggesting the pilot casinos will be "giant" "In no way are these large, Las Vegas-style The size of the new gambling clubs has not been decided, but they'll likely be built with Ontario Lottery Corp. funds, said OLC spokesman Don Pister. OLC revenue stems from lottery ticket sales and usually sustains grants and public programs.

Previous plan used private funds Any OLC funds used to build charity casinos will be replaced with subsequent gambling revenues, Pister said. No cost estimate has been tallied yet. Under the former charity casino plan, selected operators agreed to privately fund the clubs. "Part of the deal was we'd pay to build them," Chalmers said. The charity clubs were to replace roving Monte Carlo casinos, which ended March 31, and provide charities with $180 million annually Hodgson has promised those agencies $40 million to help them through this year, and $100 million per year starting in 1999 from charity casino revenue.

nal charity casino plan followed an outcry of gambling opposition from all corners of the province. The four host communities passed muster because they met new charity casino "criteria" which include a strong business plan and supportive municipal referenda, government officials said. Narrow support in Windsor for a second commercial casino as expressed through a ballot question in November wasn't considered good enough. Mayor Mike Hurst has vowed to fight the flip-flop, but an aide in casino minister Chris Hodgson's office said Monday no meetings with Windsor officials had been scheduled. At Monday night's council meeting a motion condemning the move passed unanimously Hurst said Point Edward, one of four communities to be approved for charity casinos, did not have a referendum question specifically asking about a charity casino.

Without a reversal, further expansion of Windsor's casino industry is on hold at least until the year 2000 when the public will have its next chance to vote on gambling issues. "There are a lot of people that are really going to be hurt by this personally," Chalmers said. "It's not much different than any company that suddenly shuts down, "We had absolutely no advance warning whatsoever. We were caught totally unaware." The company is reviewing its options, he added, including legal action. By Sue Bailey STAR STAFF REPORTER The provincial government's decision to scrap all but four charity casinos will cost Ontarians at least $8 million, spurned operators said Monday Ontario Lottery Corp.

(OLC) officials have said eight proposed operators selected last September will be paid for "valid out-of-pocket expenses." Asked how much these costs might be, Fundtime Corp. vice-president John Chalmers said: "I don't think any of the operators would say they're less than $1 million The Toronto-area company expected to run six charity casinos around central and southwestern Ontario, including one at 500 Ouellette Ave. in Windsor. Instead, the Ontario Lottery Corp. will run pilot casinos in Brantford, Sault Ste.

Marie, Thunder Bay and Point Edward. Loss estimate "very conservative" Paul Christie, executive director of the Ontario Charity Gaming.Operators' Association, said $8 million is a "very conservative" estimate of what has been spent to prepare for the mini casinos. Formal operating agreements were never signed with would-be operators, Chalmers said, but money was spent in good faith on architectural designs, consultants, zoning applications and other related expenses. Friday's abrupt cancellation of Ontario's origi 7-r 1 T73 Lower taxhike St. itm possible -m: r-i' By Veronique Mandal STAR STAFF REPORTER Windsor's proposed tax increase could be slashed substantially if the province agrees to give the city a onetime "special circumstances" grant of "City council would then be able to decide if it wants to proceed with the 4.95 per cent increase," Windsor's chief executive officer Chuck Wills said, referring to the hike councillors reluc GORD HENDERSON STAR COLUMNIST OPINION Shut up and paddle In my perfect world, every whining and moaning Canadian would be required to spend one Canada Day on a remote river in Northern Ontario, another in a Third World country and a third roaming a Second World War battlefield.

No parades. No fireworks. No mall expeditions. No backyard barbecues. No ice-cold beer.

No wall-to-wall TV coverage of contrived patriotic festivities. Yes indeed. This would be a hardship of the first order for those who think central air and speedy pizza delivery are guaranteed under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. But maybe it would help peel away this delusion that life stinks if you don't have Red Wings season tickets, a condo in Aruba and a first-name relationship with the staff at Somerset Mali. Someone fired off a letter to the editor recently suggesting that Canadians are green with envy over cheap gas and other econom- jc breaks enjoyed by our U.S.

neighbours. He left out a few minor details, like the fact that an American stands a far better chance of eating lead from the barrel of a .44 Magnum. Or seeing his kids denied treatment because he doesn't have the right health insurance. But there was a measure of truth in what he wrote. We do tend to be a dissatisfied lot who squander all too much time drawing invidious comparisons with the folks next door.

Too few of us realize what this country has going for it, who paid for it in blood, and, conversely what life could be like if we hadn't won the lottery of lotteries through an accident of birth. East Africa on 85 cents a day One small news item caught my eye the other day In a story about the border con-Jlict between Eritrea and Ethiopia over a sunbaked pile of, rocks it was mentioned that the average per capita annual income in both countries was $300 US, a little less than $6 a week. East Africa on 85 cents a day. Yes. It can be done.

But most Canadians would recoil in horror over the sacrifices required to eke out an existence under those circumstances. Andyet who does more beefing? Chances are it's "the Canadian huffing and puffing about the monstrous cost of topping up the tank on his overpowered boat. How much time would you or I have to spend in a garbage-strewn Haiti or a minefield-littered Mozambique before the realization sank in that we're among God's most fortunate creatures? Not long at all. How many parasitical infestations or starvation-distended bellies would we have to see? One would be enough. The reverse side of that is the Canada so few urban Canadians know.

The essence of this country, and yes, this is purely subjective, can best be tasted from the bow of a canoe on a remote river, miles from the nearest road. Is there any combination of sounds more reflective of this country than the haunting cry of a loon, the drip of a paddle and the periodic slap of a beaver tail on a glassy expanse of water just before sundown? Is there a combination of fragrances more intoxicating than damp cedar, a whiff of Muskoil and pickerel fillets and biscuits frying over a crackling campfire? I remember puffing up with pride as a group of German tourists raved over a symphonic performance by a pack of timber wolves late one evening on the Restoule Rivet This is our country, our inheritance, and others recognize its heart-wrenching majesty Normandy, Sicily sites of heroics The battlefield visit? This country suffers from a collective amnesia. Our schools pay lip-service to an inspiring past history is going the way of Latin and our media and entertainment industries are overwhelmed by the big stories of a much bigger nation. We need reminding that Canadians tantly approved last month. r-' "The increase could be reduced to the fiscal policy allowance of 0.6 percent" Wills received unanimous support from council Monday to ask the province for the grant which would be awarded I r'V Giving Mood la relatively easy for Stan McDowall, 70.

Here he to surrounded by his family, many of whom are alto donors. Star photo: Ted Rhodes Meet Windsor's 'A' team Chuck Willi McDowall started donating blood when he was 19. and his father required surgery "Back in those days when a family member went in for major surgery the family was expected to contribute. That's when I started and I've encouraged the kids since." In the McDowall family that means eight sons an ed daughter and 21 grandchildren. "We'll be contributing for a while," said Mr.

McDowall The Red Cross collected 89 units of blood Monday, short of its goal of 95. "It seems like it's always a struggle at this time of the year," said McDowall. Said Bryant: "This is difficult because it's vacation time. We'd like to have the high school kids come in who gave throughout the year." While A-positive is currently in demand, Bryant said all blood types are needed. "We don't know the demand from day to day," she added.

Anyone over the age of 17 can donate. Donors are required to complete a health assessment form, a blood safety form, and consent to an interview to determine eligibility To register, give blood, rest and take refreshment usually takes about an hour. The next blood donor clinic at the Red Cross office is Thursday from 1 to 7:30 p.m. A mobile clinic is scheduled for July 8 in Belle River, from5to9p.m. For more information, call 944-6866.

Family rolls up its sleeves to bolster blood supply By Jeff Sanford star staff reporter Whenever Windsor's blood supply dips to dangerously low levels where it is right now the McDowall family can be counted on to come through. Led by 70-year-old patriarch Stan McDowall, they showed up in force Monday And lucky they did. Windsor's supply of A-positive and A-negative blood types was fiighteningly short Fortunately, McDowaU's eight sons have A-type blood. "We're using a lot of it right now," said Marg Bryant, manager of blood donor recruitment at Windsor's Canadian Red Cross branch on Grand Marais Road East "We're going into week three where the A group has presented a problem." Bryant described the blood bank's supply as "critically short" McDowall says he's donated more than 150 units of blood in his lifetime. And he estimates his family has given 576 units of blood over the years.

"It's painless and you don't have to go out of your way," said the retired Chrysler engineer. "You know it's needed. It helps the community from the Special Circumstances Fund set up by the province to provide assistance to municipalities burdened by downloading. In return, the city would have to prove it can meet its financial demands in 1999, something Wills said it could dp. "We've demonstrated a fiscal fitness policy for about eight years and we've asked for a commissioner to carry out the province's restructuring mandate," Wills said.

If Essex County had agreed to one of Windsor's restructuring options, the province would be more willing to hand the money over, Wills said. "The county chose the one option where there were no savings," said Wills. Councillor Fulvio Valentinis said he doesn't want to get his hopes too high because of the "unpredictability of the Harris government." But Valentinis said the money would be a welcome relief to everyone. "It could pretty well negate the increase we had to impose on taxpayers this year," he said. "We'll have to wait and see what happens." A formal request is being sent to the province this week.

Wills is "relatively hopeful" he'll get a favourable reply Parking fee debate stalls A decision on whether to suspend the city's cash-in-lieu-of-parking option in the city centre has been delayed for two weeks. The city hoped the proposal would encourage development in the downtown core. But the idea has been hotly contested by Business Improvement Associations outside the city centre. The Ontario Restaurant Association asked for a deferral and a downtown condominium owner rejected it Some local businesses stung by the parking rule plan to fight for their money back if the city goes ahead with the proposal. Projects, not parties, will mark milestone most millennium projects will not be celebrations.

They will be projects which support priorities like youth, education, the environment and better, closer communities." To accomplish the task, Ottawa launched the Canada Millennium Partnership Program. It will make "seed money" available for local projects, Gray said. It will be administered by the Mil weren't always chronic complainers. We need to recall that Canadians, in places as distant as Normandy and Sicily, were capable of immense sacrifices and towering col- lective achievements. Modesty is a cherished character trait among Canadians.

We're not flag-wavers and never have been. We cringe at the jingoistic excesses of the folks next door. Which is fine. But there's a danger in carrying this self-effacing business too far. Sooner or later, if we don't commemorate our great moments, we become a people with neither a past nor a future.

We become a nation of convenience. We're heading that way now. The whiners are in control and those who cherish this country have lost their voices. Gord Henderson can be reached by e-mail atghendersonwin.southam.ca feu By Jeff Sanford star staff reporter "Sharing the memory shaping the dream." That's the theme for Canada's official millennium activities. Deputy Prime Minister Herb Gray the man overseeing Canada's preparations was in Windsor promoting that theme at a Monday Rotary Club meeting.

"To witness the dawn of a new millennium is a rare privilege indeed: only one in thirty generations has the chance to participate in such an event," Gray said, adding Ottawa has received considerable feedback on how Canadians want to acknowledge the the milestone "Canadians told us that they don't want lavish expenditures or major construction projects. They want the federal government to join with them in assisting their community groups, and their volunteer groups at the local Herb Gray lennium Bureau of Canada which Gray oversees and it will hand out $50 million a year for the next three years. That's less than $2 per person, per year, Gray noted. To contact the Millennium Bureau of Canada and receive an application for project funding, call 1-888-774-9999 or visit its Web site at www.inillennium.gc.ca. I.