Doug Ford says Niagara Falls' status quo 'unacceptable;' new mayor wants consultation
· Toronto Sun
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Lori Lococo, the incoming mayor of Niagara Falls, wants there to be local feedback to the province’s plans to turn her city into “Las Vegas of the North.”
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While Jim Diodati , Niagara Falls’ mayor for the last 16 years, was largely behind Doug Ford’s Destination Niagara vision to bring more casinos to the area, Lococo got elected over him in the most recent municipal elections by making affordability and local infrastructure improvements her platform priorities.
On Tuesday, the two-term councillor, who will be sworn in as mayor in a couple of weeks, wrote to Tourism Minister Zee Hamid – the point person for the Destination Niagara strategy – asking him to open the plan to feedback locally.
“I would welcome a provincially led public information and consultation process, or a collaborative approach involving your ministry, the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation and the City,” Lococo wrote in the letter obtained by the Toronto Sun .
“The information provided should explain the anticipated benefits, potential community impacts and proposed safeguards, including considerations related to local employment, infrastructure, municipal revenues and responsible gambling.”
When asked by a reporter at the Ontario Legislature on Wednesday if Lococo’s request might slow down the process to add more casinos to Niagara Falls, both the Premier and Lee suggested it wouldn’t, reported The Trillium .
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Ford, Hamid want to consult with Lococo over plan
Instead, Ford said he “looks forward to sitting down with (Niagara Falls’) new mayor … you can’t just sit back. It’s not good – it’s just not a great destination. We want to make it the greatest destination in the world, and status quo is unacceptable.”
Hamid also told reporters they have “always been consulting” when it comes to the Destination Niagara plan.
“We’ll continue listening to the community and their elected officials … (including) mayors and councillors in the entire region and Niagara Falls,” he said.
The Ford government’s multi-billion-dollar vision for improving Niagara Region as a tourism destination also includes adding a new theme park and increasing the number of ways people can travel there.
Lococo told The Trillium on Tuesday that the Destination Niagara plan includes “a lot of things to consider.”
“It could be good for employment, which is good for our residents, but how is that going to look for residents living here? We just need to make sure that that’s also discussed,” she said.