A new boat tour operator on the Canadian side of Niagara Falls, replacing the Maid of the Mist Steamboat Co., means up to $500 million in new revenues to the Niagara Parks Commission, tourism operators and the taxpayers of Ontario. That's half a billion dollars!
Our citizens group in Canada, Preserve Our Parks, is overjoyed at this outcome of our struggle against government contracts and political obstacles.
Credit must be given to the importance of the timely reporting of the Niagara Falls Reporter. Special thanks to the tireless work of Frank Parlato in gathering factual information that helped to unveil the corruption, lies and bad business policies of the old regime. We sent copies of the Reporter by registered mail to every member of the Ontario legislature, and this helped turn the political tide.
Our group's objective was to make the boat contract a much better source of revenue for our parks, which were operating at an annual deficit. We also fought for competitive bidding for the contract, which had been rubber-stamped by our parks officials without tender and without transparency.
We are aware that the boat contract on the American side remains a lucrative plum for the operators, with no revenue for the New York Parks or taxpayers. The American boat contract should be tendered, transparent, and should realize millions of dollars of revenue for the people of the state.
We encourage all New York taxpayers to recognize this lucrative source of revenue and fight against the current injustice. You can make a difference!
| Niagara Falls Reporter | www.niagarafallsreporter.com | Feb. 28 2012 |