January 8th, 2020 - 5:33pm

Community, Economic Development, Environment, Labour, Ojibway Shores, Press Releases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                       

January 8, 2020
 

MASSE REQUESTS THE PM TO ACT ON TWO LOCAL ISSUES
Demonstrating cooperation on Ojibway Shores and Single Event Sports Betting

 

(Windsor)- Today, Brian Masse M.P. (Windsor West), NDP Innovation, Science, Economic Development and Auto Critic, requested the Prime Minister to act, before the House of Commons returns, by protecting Ojibway Shores and implementing single event sports betting.


“As the Prime Minister will be here tomorrow and in the spirit of cooperation in the minority parliament, I am presenting an opportunity for him to act on two local issues that have achieved consensus and that can be instituted by administrative orders without the need for legislation,” Masse stated.

 

Ojibway Shores is a vital 33-acre greenspace and the last remaining, undeveloped natural shoreline in Windsor-Detroit. It is home to hundreds of endangered species.  It is also a federal property currently under the management of the Windsor Port Authority (WPA) which has demanded that local taxpayers pay for this property which is already owned by all Canadians.

 

“This is unacceptable as local taxpayers are already stretched and the federal government should not double dip on them to preserve the environment. Instead the senior level of government should seize the opportunity to combat climate change, protect endangered species and help municipalities with a simple direct action. The Government of Canada can transfer the management of this property from under the WPA to Environment Canada. All it will take is a change in the letters patent of the WPA. Making changes in a port’s letters patent is a routine procedure,” Masse stated

 

After the election there was a meeting held with all stakeholders from the gaming sector, the Chamber of Commerce, unions, and elected officials including the member from Windsor Tecumseh who is now a parliamentary secretary. The consensus was that single event sports betting in Canada must be established.

 

“The situation has become more urgent with the State of Michigan legalizing single event sports betting in December with implementation to be full in effect for the college basketball playoffs in March. An immediate change in the law, such as an order-in-council, would correct this and put our industry on more stable footing while ensuring their ability to compete,” Masse stated.

 

“To quote the Prime Minister from his mandate letters to cabinet ministers, ‘People expect Parliamentarians to work together to deliver these results, …and adapting to events as they unfold, in order to get the results Canadians rightly demand of us,’ I hope the Prime Minister lives up to the expectations he set for his government and acts on these two issues,” Masse stated

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LETTERS TO PRIME MINISTER TRUDEAU:
200108_Letter to Prime Minister_Ojibway Shores

200108_Letter to Prime Minister_SESB