CANADA COURTING DRUG-TESTING AGENCY

Montreal -- Canada and Quebec are offering multimillion-dollar cash and tax
incentives in an attempt to lure the World Anti-Doping Agency to Montreal.

Canadians have been grasping for a big prize in international sport but have
come up on the short end of several competitions this summer, but one last
chance for victory looms in a field where Canucks are proved champions --
catching drug cheats.

WADA's evaluation report released late last week said Montreal, Lausanne,
Switzerland and Vienna had "distinguished themselves" with their bids to
become the world headquarters for the drug cops. Stockholm and Bonn, Germany
also have bids. The decision will be made in Tallin on Aug. 21.

According to the WADA evaluation report, the Montreal bid being trumpeted by
Minister of State for Amateur Sport Denis Coderre is offering a choice of
federal handouts:

oA $13million federal contribution over 10 years, indexed to the cost or
living and with no conditions attached;

oOr a $10million federal contribution, plus federal income tax exemption on
salaries of nonresident WADA staff.

The federal promises are confirmed in letters from Prime Minister Jean
Chrétien and sport minister Coderre, the evaluation report says.

The Province of Quebec is casting additional financial lures:

oA $5million contribution over 10 years, indexed to cost of living and
renewable, no conditions attached;

oProvincial income tax exemption for nonCanadian management and professional
personnel;

oExemption of WADA and nonCanadian employees from Quebec sales taxes and no
municipal taxes for the organization.

Those promises are confirmed in a letter by former Quebec premier Lucien
Bouchard.

Both Lausanne and Vienna offer similar tax breaks, but neither offers as
rich a package for startup and continued support. To back Lausanne's bid,
the Swiss government is offering the equivalent of $172,530 (U.S.) for setup
expenses and purchase of office equipment. The regional government would
offer a Lausanne lab rent free status for five years and the municipal
government is offering a $86,265 (U.S.) contribution.

The Austrian federal and regional governments support Vienna's bid with
about $320,500 for office renovation and furniture and free rent.

Montreal is already the location of the one of the six original Olympic
accredited laboratories, the INRS -- Institut Armand Frappier Santé --
located in suburban PointeClaire, Que.

Montreal, Lausanne and Vienna all have good records for doping detection.
Montreal has caught small fry such as Canadian women's 100metre champion
Venolyn Clarke, the recidivist Ben Johnson and world record holding high
jumper Javier Sotomayor of Cuba.

But in case efficiency isn't enough to win the race, the Montreal bidders
can win the contest with an oldfashioned enhancement -- offering a lot of
money in the way of government grants and tax exemptions.

The Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport Tuesday issued a statement
applauding the recognition of Montreal as a front runner with Vienna and
Lausanne. "As a leading candidate, Montreal has unique potential to launch
the presence and capacity of the WADA throughout the world," said Dr. Andrew
Pipe, chairman of the CCES. His statement pointed to one of Montreal's
advantages -- that it stands apart from the vested interests of European
sport and the Europe-dominated International Olympic Committee. A WADA
headquarters in Lausanne, the same town where the IOC is ensconced, would
have difficulty with the optics of presenting itself as independent.

"Independence will be a critical factor in the WADA's ability to raise the
standards of antidoping programs globally," Pipe said. "Choosing Montreal as
the permanent site for WADA would be a bold and innovative decision with
longterm, strategic benefits."

Coderre also issued a statement Tuesday. "If Montreal were to win the bid to
host the World AntiDoping Agency headquarters, that would send a clear
message that the IOC, the public sector and athletes agree that it has
become necessary to expand the power of sport beyond the boundaries of
Europe.

"We have to send a clear message because there's a lot of cynicism right now
within governments and even the Olympic movement. If we really want to be
efficient, neutral, independent and transparent, we cannot have in the same
city the headquarters of the IOC and the headquarters of the World
AntiDoping Agency."

He said if Montreal wins the bid, he foresaw branch offices of WADA in
Europe, Asia and Africa.

Next week's votes will be cast using a secret ballot by the agency's 36
board members, half of whom represent governments while the others represent
international sports organizations and athletes.

It's been anything but a summer of victory for Canadians elsewhere in the
international sports scene. Toronto's 2008 Olympic bid lost out to Beijing,
Montrealer Richard Pound lost the IOC presidential race to Belgium's Jacques
Rogge, and Edmonton staged the world athletics championships in which no
Canadian made the medals podium in an official event.