Dalton McGuinty ... gambling with taxpayers' money ... Part Two

Is there a special course in "Corruption" that these politicians pass with flying colors? How is it possible that hordes of voters can be misled by these smooth talking crooks. Almost all of them are in these positions of power so they can play like carefree billionaires with the taxpayers' money, showering their friends and themselves with mountains of money while we the helpless just curse our luck and hope for a better candidate the next time around. Here's the lowdown on how His Royal Crookedness played his hand in the OLG scandal.

New evidence obtained by the Ontario PC Caucus through Ontario's Freedom of Information Laws reveals that the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) was preparing to call for competitive bids on the future location of Casino Niagara, only to shelve those plans weeks later. The decision to abandon the Request for Proposal (RFP) came after the casino's existing landlord hired powerful Liberal lobbyist Bob Lopinski.

The existence of this previously secret RFP directly contradicts statements made by Premier Dalton McGuinty and Finance Minister Dwight Duncan that there had never been any serious consideration of a plan to move the casino. The existence of this sole-source lease extension also exposes that Dalton McGuinty was never serious about ending the practice of sole-sourced contracting, despite his repeated promises to do just that.

OLG was set to issue the detailed 55-page RFP to solicit a new permanent premise for Casino Niagara by February of 2009. Shortly before the RFP was to be issued, the current landlord for the casino hired Mr. Lopinski. OLG subsequently completely abandoned its plan for a competitive bid process and instead, handed sole-sourced lease extension to Mr. Lopinski's client.

Mr. Lopinski, who previously worked as a senior advisor in Dalton McGuinty's office, would subsequently be hired by the Maid of the Mist Steamboat Company to preserve its own untendered contract from being cancelled. Shortly after the Ontario PC Caucus raised questions about the Maid of the Mist contract in Ontario's Legislature, the McGuinty Government was forced to back down and return to a competitive process. No such re-opening of the process has taken place for the Casino Niagara deal. Dalton McGuinty's record betrays his rhetoric. Sole-sourced contracts continue to thrive in the McGuinty Government.....

cartoons credit: Graeme MacKay,Ontario
.