Playing the Odds: Ottawa's New Casino and How Council Could Screw It Up

Ottawa. source: morguefile

I hope you don’t mind me discussing this but Ottawa seems to run out of commons sense sometimes. I  always find it funny that if you get three friends together over dinner and a beer, they always seem to come up with the answer to life’s questions. That is how we came up with the solution I’m going to present to you for Ottawa casino the province is considering for the city. Let’s walk you through it.

A CASINO FOR OTTAWA

Tired of watching millions upon millions of dollars going over to the Gatineau casino across the Quebec  border, the province has decided they want their piece of the pie: let’s allow a casino to be built in Ottawa. Our mayor seems behind the idea and has set a few criteria. One, it must be downtown, and two, it must be on our new rapid transit way.

Unfortunately there is no space right downtown. Any big-time Casino corporation is going to want space to build a hotel and conference facilities because modern casinos make 60% of their money from such facilities. The Bytown Market business association has already expressed their distaste for having it anywhere near the Market.

THE ELEGANT SOLUTION

 

Conference space, hotel space, event space:
all part of a casino's success.
source: morguefile

However, there is one location that fits all the requirements. That location is at the corner of Booth Street, Scott St. and the MacDonald (River) Parkway, or what is affectionately known as LeBreton Flats. As it stands today this location is a huge multi-acre empty field. The casino would sit directly on the transit way and could even have it run through the building. Booth Street runs virtually in a direct line to the Queensway, and it runs straight into Gatineau. The Parkway allows vehicles to come from the west of the city; it also allows fantastic access to the center of the city and the existing hotels. A shuttle such as they use in Las Vegas could bring people from the hotels to the casino. The land itself is a weed field and has been for fifty years so there will not be complaints of a loss of park space or tree canopy. The new water system

recently installed in the area gives it good infrastructure.

WIN-WIN

What else would we gain? Well, the corporation that takes the project on would have to do upgrades to any other infrastructure they need. It would pay huge tax dollars and profits to the city and the province, including paying some of the costs of the new transit way. We won’t have to tear up the downtown core and that means less traffic havoc. It physically won’t affect our downtown tourist area or force us to tear down culturally relevant buildings (heritage stuff). The National Capital Commission’s parkland in front of the War Museum, located right across the street, will benefit from the facilities, restaurants, shops, etc. making it a  true tourist area. The city will get its much-needed new hotel. This is pretty much a win-win for everyone.

LET'S DO THIS THING.

So what do we need to do to move this forward? First, send this blog to everyone on your lists; share it over facebook and twitter; post it on Reddit. The more people thinking about it the better.

Second, talk about it. We will get one chance to do this right. Do you want to leave something this important to city councillors and the Province? I sure don’t. Let’s get our say in now.

Little Dog Lost: Canadians And Kindness

Canadians are some of the most caring, giving people on the planet. This past Sunday, my Italian Greyhound “Cowboy” escaped the house and made a run for it. Sunday here was 35 degrees Celsius and was dry as a desert. My wife and I spent hours searching the surrounding forest with no results. The worst part was that Cowboy had a leash on and I was very afraid he would get caught on something and die from the heat before we could find him.

We started putting up signs and speaking to people in the area but I felt truly helpless. Cowboy could be hit by a car, die of the heat, or be stolen because “iggys” are very expensive. But the people we met made me feel better about these things. People were kind and attentive and truly interested in Cowboy's welfare. The next day, as we continued the search, people we didn’t know asked us how the search was going and told us they were telling friends to keep an eye out. My daughter hit twitter and was retweeted dozens of times. People started sending emails asking about Cowboy. It was amazing.

Now for the good news. On Monday I said a little prayer to figure out where to put the next set of posters and I put them 3 kms away on the bus stops. At 4 pm I got a call from a young man and his father saying their neighbours had found a dog in their pool shed. I asked where it was and they said it was about three kms away! The lovely lady had told the guys and they went out, found a poster, and called me. They drove over and led me to the house and there was my little buddy, tired but very happy to see me. The people were as excited as I was to see our reunion and they were just glad it all worked out.

The next day I received a phone call from a lady from Kemptville. It’s a lovely town about 45 minutes from Ottawa. She had heard about us from Facebook and was calling to see if we had found him yet. She was elated and said she had a group of friends praying for Cowboy's return. These are complete strangers whose only reason to care was the love they have for animals and people. In a world where people seem more and more unfriendly and isolated, it seems that when the chips are down people are really waiting to show they care. Ottawa continues to be an example for the rest of the country when it comes to donations and volunteerism. I am proud to be counted as one of them. By the way: Cowboy has promised not to run away again. 

Yeah right; Hah!

Travelling Canada: the best way to meet this country

CROSS-CANADA TREKKING

My son-in-law and daughter at Chase's Lobsters

My family and I just came back from a drive to Nova Scotia. We saw some amazing things and met some wonderful people. We went to Hopewell Rocks in New Brunswick, home of the world’s highest tides and some of the most beautiful rock formations in the world. We toured PEI and swam at Cavendish Beach. We toured Jost Wineries near Pugwash on the North shore. We ate fresh lobster from Chase’s Lobster Pound. We drove through some of the most beautiful farms you will ever see in Quebec. We saw the Gulf of St Lawrence from our vantage point in Riviere de Loup. The whole expedition was amazing.

Hopewell Rocks, NB, and my son.

You know what is kind of sad, though, is how many Canadians have never done a trip like this. Whether it’s driving to Stewart B.C. and feeling the temperature drop 20 degrees as you stand beside the Bear Glacier, or watching a rain storm race towards you on the prairies—a storm that was so delineated, it gets the back of your car wet and not the front as you outrun it. Or how about a soak in the hot springs at the Banff Springs Hotel, or watching your decent along the ocean as you fly into Vancouver.

CROSS-CANADA APPRECIATION

To see Canada is to truly start to understand what it is to be Canadian. I have an idea to help our youth understand what we have: I suggest that each college or university student that finishes their degree with an ‘A’ be rewarded with a one-month Canadian travel pass; they could travel by Via Rail or commercial bus line with the express idea of being introduced to this great land. Might even bring up the national grade averages! These young adults would come back with a better understanding of the people and places that make up the greatest country the world has ever known. What do you think? And if you like this idea, then share this blog and let’s get people talking.

Canadian Fathers: a Profile of My Own Dad.

CANADIANS LOVE FATHERS.

Walking my daughter down the aisle.

What is a father? I have struggled with that definition all my life. My father was a great influence in my life even though we barely had any real time together. But I do believe that he influenced me in many ways. When my brother died at the age of four from leukemia, both my parents never really recovered personally, nor in their relationship. But I do know that his teaching to me was clear and concise in the brief moments we talked. My dad was far from perfect but I chose to listen to the good things and I will be forever grateful that I did.

Today, as a father of two grown adults, I have come to see the fruits of my fathers’ teaching.

First of all, he taught me to accept that there is only one captain in my life when it comes to steering its direction. God gives us the free will to do what we want with it, be it good or bad.

He told me that the course of my life will not always be simple or easy, and that if it was I would never learn to be tough enough to make the hard decisions.

 He said “Sometimes life sucks and it’s up to you how you deal with it”. He told me to hold doors for people as a sign of respect. He said to dress for success. “Whether you’re the prime minister or a ditch digger, dress for the job and dress clean”.

He told me once that if there ever was trouble and he had to choose between me and saving my mom, then mom came first. He said with her help I could be replaced. I knew he was kidding, but it made me feel that he valued my mom above all else.

Proud Dad. (photo by Adam Pap)

“Be the best friend you can even when those around you do not follow such beliefs.” “What goes around comes around so if you’re going to spend your life hurling crap at people you better be ready to duck.”

 “Why play a game if you can’t win or lose? Where is the learning about life in that?”

There were many other sayings and each one was taken to heart as I grew to understand them.

Today, I try and follow the many rules both my parents gave me. I am teaching my children and others these time-honoured values in the hope that it will make their journey honourable, if not easy. I also learned from my dad’s sad mistakes in life. You see, he also taught me to learn from the mistakes of those before us. Mistakes I do not tend to duplicate.

My lovely wife.

When my dad passed away, we were leaving his apartment for the last time and two ladies stopped me to ask if I was his son. They said to me, “Your father was always a gentleman, and in all the time we had known him he had never said a bad thing about anyone”. Not a bad epitaph for any man.

It was these things that helped shape my life. Of course, I could have chosen to ignore his words but that would have been a foolish waste of life full of lessons.

Finally, I think he would say to children having trouble relating or even loving their fathers, to look for the good in him. And if you cannot find the good, then don’t duplicate the bad...because that would be the last thing your dad would want.

Canadians & Canada Day

Canadians love Canada Day! It’s our chance to howl to the world that Canada is the greatest country in the world. As I sit with my family in a home that my parents could only dream of, I realize how truly blessed we are. Today I heard a stat about the Ottawa Police. Out of tens of thousands of incident calls, the police only had to actually discharge their weapons 43 times--and that was to put down injured animals. No humans were fired upon. This of course is a testament to the skills of the Ottawa police, but it is also a testament to the people of Canada and our society.

We can drink our water straight from a tap. We can eat our produce in safety. We can walk the streets at night and not be afraid. We can marry who we want, live where we want without government intervention, demonstrate on any issue and not be shot, and vote in our representation without fearing for your life. We have the cleanest air, the most fresh water lakes, and every type of climatic zone (except jungle) you can think of to enjoy. If you go to the Canada Day celebration on Parliament Hill, you will see a hundred thousand faces of every race, creed, and colour. Each one celebrating the fact they are Canadian.

It is this great celebration that reminds us how wonderful Canada is and how much we need to stand and protect this land. It is Canadians who are ultimately responsible for this country and Canada Day reminds us of what is at stake. God Bless Canada and her people. Be safe out there and hug a Canadian!

Photo credit: Bill Kent

Toronto Misses The Mark: Banning Bullets.

CANADIANS LOVE ACCOUNTABILITY AND RESPONSIBILITY.

Oops, looks like a hurricane...better grab my TOWEL.

Canadians love the concept of personal responsibility. If you rob a bank you don’t want to say to your cellmate that it’s your mother’s fault you turned out bad. Things will end badly for you. In the movies we love to hear the hero say “Cowboy up whiner!” or “Stand up and be a man!” Yet it seems that we are becoming a nation poisoned by excuseitis. We blame parents, teachers, bosses, anyone but ourselves for our problems. We have even started to blame inanimate objects for our mistakes. I was down in Florida on vacation with the kids. We went to the beach and there was a booth selling souvenirs. I picked up this towel and on it was a large tag with a safety warning. I am not kidding, it said “DO NOT USE AS COVER DURING HURRICANE”. No joke! But the real joke is what this tag really meant. It meant that some idiot used one of these towels as cover during a hurricane! Then rather than accepting responsibility for his own actions he sued the towel company for damages and they were forced to put this stupid tag on. One more thing that should shock is that some judge agreed with the plaintiff.

TORONTO MISSES THE MARK: BANNING BULLETS

ATTENTION: THIS IS IN JEST. STAY CALM.
(source)

Now in Toronto there is an action starting to outlaw bullets within city limits. There have been a number of terrible shootings involving illegal handguns and gang violence. Now the authorities cannot stop the steady flow of illegal weapons reaching the gangs, so how can the police stop anyone carrying a bullet? Why would they want to? You still need the illegal firearm before you can fire the bullet. Yet there are people in Toronto who support stopping registered firearm owners from buying perfectly legal ammunition. That’s right. Gang members would have to be registered PAL licence holders to buy ammunition. Do you believe that gang members legally buy ammunition with a PAL licence? Sure if you believe gang members lined up to register their illegal handguns and automatic weapons before committing a crime. But the authorities need to be seen to be doing something so they try bans and registries. This goes back to passing the buck. You can’t blame the gang member so blame the inanimate object and create useless law that changes the lives of honest Canadians. Let’s say the bylaw passed. I can hear the gang leader now. “Well, we were going to have a gang war but I couldn’t buy ammo at the store. So we threw our illegal handguns into Lake Ontario and gave up our evil ways!” It’s laughable. They will just buy bullets from the guys who supplied the illegal guns.

If we continue to blame others or the inanimate objects around us for our woes we will never remove the real problems. Like poverty, family issues, cultural mores, poor education and the lack of teaching on personal accountability. That’s right Canadians lets bring back that thing we used to love so much: personal accountability.

What do you think?

Canadians and Gasoline: a mental exercise

Canadians like a fair price for a fair product. Its not that we are tight-fisted, but we do like to shop around. That is why we get so frustrated with gas prices. Where is the competition? Have you ever wondered why gas prices are at $1.20 or so in Canada and the price of oil is at $80 barrel, yet there seems to be no competition? To get the right answer you have to ask the right questions. Now I am not going to answer the questions. Because as the saying goes, “A man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still.” That is why you must come to the answer yourself. Here we go….

ASK YOURSELF ABOUT OIL PRICES:

Who owns the oil reserves?

Who owns the pumping stations and pipelines?

Who owns the oil tankers?

Who owns, and controls the number of oil refineries?

Who owns the oil storage?

Who owns the gas tanker contracts?

Who owns the gas stations?

Who owns the speculators who drive the prices up on the mere speculation of trouble in the world or good in the world?

Who tells you there is no more oil (remember the 70’s), only to magically find more?

Who tells you that the combustion engine has reached its maximum efficiency only to come out with cars that do 50 mpg?

Who tells you a lack of refineries is the problem, even though it’s has been decades since new ones have been built in number?

Who raises the price of oil as cars become more efficient to keep profits high?

Who keeps telling you there is no conspiracy to price fix the price of gas?

Here’s a hint. There is only one answer. Now if one group controls the oil then any excuse will do because not only do they control the system, they also control all the excuses. So the next time a fly farts in Brazil and the price of gas goes up you will know why.

What do you think?

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