Pubdate: Sat, 07 Jun 2003
Source: Standard, The (St. Catharines, CN ON)
Copyright: 2003, The Standard
Contact:  http://www.canada.com/stcatharines/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/676

HOW TO BRING PEOPLE TO T.O. -- MAKE TOURISM A JOINT EFFORT

Two recent developments are creating problems in Toronto-area communities 
- -- Toronto particularly. But we could feel the repercussions here in 
Niagara unless something is done about them.

The biggest problem is the large drop in tourism this season, especially in 
Toronto. The lack of tourists from such usually reliable markets as the 
U.S. has caused major theatre productions to announce they're closing and 
threatens to hurt such large events as Caribana, the Molson Indy and the 
Gay Pride parade.

On Friday, the federal government announced it would spend $17.5 million to 
promote Toronto and Canada as safe tourist havens in the wake of the SARS 
outbreak -- $10 million to support events and festivals in the greater 
Toronto area, from Niagara to cottage country, and another $7.5 million to 
other regions of the country hurt by the drop in tourism. A federal ad 
campaign in American newspapers promotes travel to Canada in general; 
Toronto gets only passing mention, which doesn't do the desperate city any 
good.

The second problem is the confusion that continues over possession of less 
than 30 grams of marijuana. Police chiefs in Ontario are increasingly 
telling their officers to show discretion when dealing with possession of 
small amounts of pot.

For the time being, officers in Toronto, Niagara and elsewhere will process 
the cases and do the paperwork, but they will not press charges. Whether or 
not those caught will be charged depends upon the outcome of a Department 
of Justice appeal of last month's Supreme Court ruling that the current 
possession law is no longer valid.

But there's a way to turn both these lemons into lemonade: Desperate times 
call for desperate measures.

The government could spend the money to promote Toronto as the Amsterdam of 
the North, a multicultural tourist haven where you can smoke pot legally. 
That will be huge with the doobie brothers and sisters who will come up 
here in droves -- and vans -- to spend their American dollars.

If we can get them to stay a couple of days, the hotel business will get a 
boost. And of course, when they get the munchies, the tourists will be able 
to dine in style in the city's many fine restaurants -- although they will 
be smoke-free, of course.

Toronto would gain publicity they couldn't buy even with a Rolling Stones 
concert; the Grateful Dead fans alone could save the city's economy.

Of course, this would all hinge upon trusting the federal government to 
come up with an ad campaign that would get the message across. They didn't 
do a very good job of promoting Toronto this time, and they couldn't 
successfully run a marijuana grow operation in that abandoned mine in Flin 
Flon. They also said they'd rescind the GST.

On second thought, perhaps this is a job for private enterprise. And maybe 
instead of bringing in the Stones we could reunite Cheech and Chong. That 
would not only save us the $10-million concert cost, it would help sell the 
message that Toronto is once again open for business, and visitors don't 
have to keep off the grass.
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MAP posted-by: Larry Stevens